Lana Burney, retired USD 257 fifth grade teacher scored big on Saturday when she uncovered the largest diamond ever found at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. The 10.75 diamond was so dark that, “We just threw it in with the rest of the sediment pieces we had been collecting,” said Ms. Burney. She and two other teachers ventured out into the heat early in the morning, as soon as the park opened, as part of a guest outing.
“We had been digging for several hours, as the sun beat down on us, and finally we decided to call it ‘quits’ and take our bucket to the park’s Diamond Discovery Center,” Burney shared. “No way!” she shouted when the park’s geologist shared with her what he thought was the biggest black diamond ever uncovered in the park! Calling in another geologist from the area and a local jeweler versed in diamond value, it was determined that the black diamond was worth $2,000 to $3,000 a carat.
Lana found the diamond a few inches from a stream of water in the southern portion of the park’s diamond search area. It had rained the day before the diamond dig, which the park’s geologist said was the “perfect time” to find this jewel! According to the park, larger diamonds are sometimes found on the surface after rain washes the dirt away and exposes the heavier stones.There’s a catch to the story however; since all three teachers agreed that they would split equally whatever they found at the start of their dig, they all hit the jackpot that day! Who says a diamond’s not a girl’s best friend?