TEXAS (Kashmir English): A family based in Texas finds 2.9 carat brown diamond with the help of Apple’s Siri, which turned out to be a precious gemstone.
According to a recent press release from the park, on December 30, James Ward, a high school teacher, discovered a 2.09-carat brown diamond while visiting the Crater of Diamonds State Park with his wife, Elizabeth, and their two sons, Adrian (9) and Austin (7).
In the press release, Elizabeth said that the event that led to the finding of the diamond began when, in early December, the family was at home, and their youngest son, Austin, asked, “Mommy, Mommy, is there any place in Texas or nearby that we can mine for crystals?” They then inquired about the nearby mining sites through Siri and eventually discovered Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro.
“I sent the link to James, and he was like, ‘Oh wait, that’s only like six hours away. We can go! Elizabeth said. The family made a trip to the park on December 29 and searched the park for four hours, while the inclement weather almost forced them to cut their visit short. “We really suffered from the cold! We were there for, like, four hours.
It was freezing, but it was Adrian who wanted to come back,” Elizabeth spoke about their 9-year-old son. The family then went back to the park the following day and started searching for two more hours before an exciting discovery was made by James near the park’s 37.5-acre diamond-search area.
Cox further explained, “Diamonds composed of crystals from the upper mantle, and through an ancient volcano, they made their way to the surface.” “Most of them are lost, cracked, or their quality is reduced due to the enormous geological forces with which they were in contact.
Just by looking at its present size, you can picture how much larger Mr. Ward’s diamond could have been if it were a complete crystal!” the chief continued.
In memory of his ancestors, James settled on the name “Ward Diamond” for the rock. When asked about selling or keeping the piece, he answered, “I have no idea. First, I will see how much it is worth.” Giving some tips to potential diamond hunters at the site, James remarked, “The chance of finding a diamond is really anywhere, anytime.
So don’t quit after the first day!” Elizabeth added, “Listen to your children and take them seriously when they talk about their dreams and career aspirations!” As per the statement from the department, James’ find “was one of the five diamonds discovered at the surface in one part of the area of the search in December.”
Up until the end of 2025, the park had counted a total of 540 registered diamonds. The Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas state park in 1972; since then, over 35,000 diamonds have been discovered by the park’s visitors.
