65-year-old Pat Choate and her husband John from Jacksonville, Arkansas, have unearthed the biggest diamond found in 2019 to date at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas: After strolling in the park for 30 minutes, the couple stumbled upon a brown, 3.29 carat gem.
According to John Choate, quoted in the state park’s website, “Each time Pat and I see the road sign for the Crater of Diamonds while driving to the park, we always tell each other, ‘Let’s be like some of these other tourists and find a diamond within 30 minutes.’ We’ve been saying that for years, but this time it actually happened to us!”. Choate named their newly found diamond “Illusive Dream”.
According to Assistant Superintendent Meghan Moore, the diamond “is about the size of a chickpea, with a sparkling metallic luster and a beautiful hue similar to brandy. Like many larger diamonds from the park, it appears to be fractured and contains a few inclusions, which gives it a unique appearance”. To date, 426 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park in 2019, weighing more than 84 carats.; 15 diamonds registered this year have weighed at least one carat each.
