This is another easy way to search for diamonds, if you want to use tools. All you need is a “box” sifting screen with small mesh (available for rent at the Park)! Sift your dirt over one area so you don’t re-sift the same dirt again. Don’t sift too much dirt at once. The more dirt you put into your screen, the more rocks you’ll have left. You don’t want to cover a diamond up with lots of other materials! On hot summer days, nothing is easier than dry sifting in a shady spot on the search area!
This method is the most involved, but most successful, way of searching for diamonds! A screen set (available for rent at the Park) works best for wet sifting. Two sifting screens of different-sized meshes (larger mesh on top of smaller mesh) work together to separate larger materials from smaller. Don’t forget to inspect your larger materials for a larger diamond! Sifting in water on a hot summer day is a great way to stay cool, but may not be desirable in colder weather.
Diamonds have an oily-type of surface and repel most everything that touches them. This means diamonds are usually loose in the soil and will very rarely be found inside of other rocks or minerals, or even dirt clods. They will be clean when you find them! On average, diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park are usually the size of a kitchen match head, or one-quarter of a carat in weight. The three most common colors found are white, brown, and yellow. The most noticeable feature of diamonds for most first-time finders is their distinctive metallic shine! Diamonds reflect 85% of the light that hits them, so they will be very shiny when found!
