A Pennsylvania man recently made a 16-hour trip to the Crater of Diamonds State Park to search for a genuine diamond to propose to his girlfriend. Instead, he found a whole ring.
Richard Pica, of Beaver Falls, Pa., arrived at Arkansas's diamond site with his cousin Mario Pica on April 22 in time for the Diamond Lakes Diamond Ring Dig. In this contest, participants searched for a 3-inch glass gem hidden in the park's 37.5-acre diamond search area. The finder would receive a cut 0.57-carat diamond set in a white gold engagement ring, park interpreter Waymon Cox said.
Throughout the day April 22, park staff and the Diamond Lakes Travel Association posted hourly clues, gradually reducing the location of the gem to about one acre. Dozens of park visitors scoured the search area, including the Pica cousins, but no one found the hidden gem.
On April 23, park staff further reduced the search to a 400-square-foot plot. "The Pica cousins continued searching with many other hopeful contestants that day but once again came away empty-handed. While resting by a campfire that evening, Richard Pica says he saw a shooting star in the night sky and made a wish that he would win the Ring Dig," Cox said.
On April 24, the Pica cousins arrived at the park as soon as it opened and resumed the gem hunt with about a dozen other visitors.
"Around 20 minutes into his third day at the park, Richard Pica picked up his mattock, a tool similar to a pickaxe, to dig deeper into the plowed dirt. According to Pica, after two swings of the mattock he uncovered a bright yellow cut glass gem and quickly carried it to the park's Diamond Discovery Center to have it verified. After more than two days of hopeful searching, Pica's wish had come true," Cox said.
The Diamond Lakes Diamond Ring Dig was sponsored by the Diamond Lakes Travel Association and Crater of Diamonds State Park. Southern Specialties Fine Jewelry in Murfreesboro donated the engagement ring, valued at $3,500.
Crater of Diamonds State Park is on Arkansas Highway 301 in Murfreesboro. It is one of 52 state parks administered by the State Parks Division of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
For more information about Crater of Diamonds State Park, contact the park at 870-285-3113, email [email protected], or visit www.CraterofDiamondsStatePark.com.