Originally published at: A California woman immediately finds a 4.3-carat diamond at an Arkansas mining park | Boing Boing
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I wanted to take the kiddo to an Arkansas quartz mine - but then covid messed things up 
We might hit that diamond mine too - but discoveries like that are very rare. Though it is a good tactic after a good rain. That is when you go arrowhead hunting.
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Forgive me for posting this, I know that Scott Adams is an extremely toxic person, but this old comic (from the early 90’s, when he was slightly less toxic) seems very relevant:
Edit to add: I’m very fortunate that, prior to my proposal, my wife let it be known that she wasn’t at all interested in diamonds (and the exploitive industry that De Beers supports) so I was able to get away with a home-made stainless steel ring and save some serious money.
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This is the way to do it! We took the kids to the Herkimer diamond mine a few years ago and at some point I asked the staff the best way to find them. They said to just sift through the piles of castoff earth instead of using the rock hammer and chisel. So while Mrs. Peas and the kids had fun wearing themselves out beating up rocks, I sat on a pile of dirt with a bunch of little kids and found one double-terminated diamond for each of us! Nowhere near 4.3 carats, but the biggest things we found that entire day.
I’m pretty certain that the Roomba has “found” 3/4 of them at this point.
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Should we now expect that that Arkansas mining park will be inundated with (unmasked) hoards looking for a little twinkle? (oh for the demon armed with bag-o-glass to strew about on a moonless night)
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I went there as a kid almost 40 years ago on a road trip with my grandma.
Fun for a little while but it’s really nothing more than a big open field in the middle of nowhere. They plow the fields every day to turn over the topsoil so this woman got lucky finding it just sitting out there in the open like that.
Take a hat and bring lots of water if you go.
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Marilyn pursued by emojis.
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I don’t suppose they’d let people come in at night with a UV lamp?
(Or a rover with a UV lamp…)
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It’s saving up for when it can move out to its own home.
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I hope she didn’t also find a dose of Covid…
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Something she found on the ground is worth a minimum of 15 grand and she might have it cut.
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I wonder if this could be a way for diamond smugglers to launder their inventory. “Well look at that! I just found a whole pile of flawless 4-carat diamonds, naturally pre-cut and everything! Better go get these babies appraised…”
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At least she partook in her own labor…
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No this is where you launder your uncut diamonds. Unless they add a do it yourself cut and polish service.
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Or a Backhoe?
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What do you shoot arrow heads with? 
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Well, that’s neat.
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So I guess on her way out is when they spring it on her: “Uh…ma’am…that’s…not…actually your diamond. You see, it says right here in the contract you signed…”.
