Jerry Evans pocketed the stone and then later contacted the Gemological Institute of America, which gave him the good news
“While I get many emails from people wanting me to identify something they’ve found here, to my recollection, this is the first time someone has contacted me after they’ve had a diamond identified by the GIA,” Waymon Cox, assistant park superintendent, said in the release. “I’m glad that Mr. Evans was able to bring his historic diamond back to the park to have it officially registered.”
He added, “Mr. Evans’ diamond is spectacular to see. It’s a complete crystal with a brilliant white color reminiscent of many other large, white diamonds I’ve seen from here in the past.”
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The Lepanto resident’s diamond is the largest stone registered at the park since Kevin Kinard found a 9.07-carat brown diamond in 2020.
At the time, Kinard also thought that he had just found a piece of glass.
“It kind of looked interesting and shiny, so I put it in my bag and kept searching,” he said at the time.
Instead, the diamond was the second-largest gemstone ever found at the park.
“I honestly teared up when they told me,” Kinard said. “I was in complete shock.”
