Teen Sells 3.85-Carat Yellow Diamond She Found At Gem Park For $20,000

Consumerist ^ | April 11, 2014

[CorporateStepsister]

One goal of mine is to end up going to one of these places and having a ball throughout the day seeing if I find something.

[21twelve]

Well - that one guy DOES look like he is going to jump!

Lots of pretty places all around - spent time in the Ozarks in southern Missouri - great place.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

‘swhy we took our Yankee money and moved south.

[ladyjane]

Wardaddy. I might have known it was *you* who knew about canary diamonds.

[wastedyears]

Paying $8, and finding something worth, say, $1000, is kinda free. If you live a bike ride away, you’re making $992 profit. You make the $8 back, and then some.

[ErnBatavia]

It's a hoot.....and the little road from I-30 thru Delight, Arkansas - where Glen Campbell hailed from, is about the prettiest drive we've ever taken.

We didn't know what to expect getting there the day after a good rain, so wifey's white capris and matching flip flops didn't go over well.....but it was fun anyhow.

We overnighted then at nearby Murfreesboro which was a cute little southern town.

[ErnBatavia]

So, they enhance the dirt with some they’ve bought.

We went "gemming" in a couple of places in Franklin and our buckets each had an 'arrowhead' - phony of course, but still a hoot. We kept our "gems" which wifey put into a small goldfish bowl when we got home.

[RegulatorCountry]

I don’t know about adding in fake arrowheads, but there are real, naturally occurring gems in those places, that’s why they arose at the dawn of modern tourist travel by car on paved roads, possibly even before that with summer people coming up by rail. There have been some very noteworthy finds over the years. Just not enough to entertain all the tourists who go there now, so they add more in, rough smaller examples of ruby, sapphire and emerald.

As an example of a recent, noteworthy find:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/31/north.carolina.emerald/

The “Carolina Emperor,” found near Franklin, NC, weighed 310 karats before cutting. The gentleman who found it initially thought it was the bottom of a Seven-Up bottle, and couldn’t figure out what it was doing in a vein of quartz crystal, lol.

[wardaddy]

It sure seems like a long time ago..now

Ole Miss 1980

Gems and mining

Cargo ship ownership operation

Self Storage....Warehousing...Car Washes and bank start ups

Old man business now

My young business life was a lot of fun

Owning a car wash chain is a beast when its busy

The public is ugly

[Nifster]

sometimes it can be hard to tell unless you have been a digger for awhile ;)

[Nifster]

not only the naturally occurring toxins but often the ground has a tendency to be unstable

Seeding happens kind of like shills in some games at the fair. And you are correct if it is a substantial gem or piece of gold guaranteed it wasn’t part of the salting process. But to me it was always great fun and a way to enhance my understanding of the geology of the area I grew up in. I still think it is a good way to teach

[RegulatorCountry]

If you like unusual geology there is a unique mountain range where I grew up, all contained within one county, the Sauratown Mountain Range. Naturally occurring gemstones there, too, but more typically garnet rather than anything really showy, they’re just lying on the ground embedded in white quartzite streaked with pink and red. Several known veins of large, clear quartz crystals are there, I’ve got a five inch long one from childhood.

But, the most peculiar thing is the flexible sandstone (itacolumite), formed of interlocking quartz and mica. One of the very few places in the world that it occurs, and the only place in North America, to my understanding. Hard to describe, you can actually bend it, strips of it have been mined and sold as instructional tools for geology classes. Bend it too aggressively or too far and it will break, though.

[Nifster]

Thanks for the heads up. Now that I am living closer I think I will need to plan a trip..

Grew up in Colorado and spent summers in Georgetown which in those days had mines that were closed but that didn’t stop us rascally kids. Nothing better than taking our shovels and picks and canteens and lunches with us as we went out to try and discover some valuable rock....Found some nice specimens but nothing that I could retire on. ;)

[goat granny]

those are beautiful pictures and I love waterfalls, your right, we didn’t go anywhere else in the state....thanks for the pictures....GG

[goat granny]

A large canary diamond was found at the mine. Its call the Arkansas (something or other) The finder had it set into a ring and was loaned to Hillary for the Clintons first inaugural. A true canary is quite rare.. and I wish I could remember the carat, it was quite large..

[thecodont]

Hard to describe, you can actually bend it, strips of it have been mined and sold as instructional tools for geology classes. Bend it too aggressively or too far and it will break, though.

Sort of like nougat?

[goat granny]

I would encourage a try at the diamond mine. We only had 4 days and my son and I spent one day fishing..there are lots of areas for fishing in the area. I found on the Internet a great place to stay. It was log cabins on the side of the mountain. 2 bedrooms, full kitchen living room bathroom and a wraparound porch on 2 sides. Also had a fire pit you could use which the guys loved. The living room had a fold out sofa which I used so I could step out on the porch in a rocking chair and have a smoke if I wanted. It was quite enjoyable even if we didn't find any diamonds. They also have a water area where you can wash the dirt off what you have in your bucket and with a screen check for any minerals or diamonds you might have found....go for it.....GG

[kcvl]

Well come back and try again. Maybe you will enjoy it this time.

[goat granny]

:O)

[CorporateStepsister]

Sounds fantastic.