Arkansas man unearths 4.87-carat diamond on his first ever visit to Crater of Diamonds State Park within first 10 minutes after mistaking it for glass

An extremely lucky man has unearthed a 4.87-carat diamond during his first ever visit to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.

Jerry Evans, from Lepanto, was wandering in the park with his girlfriend when he stumbled upon what he thought was a shard of glass just 10 minutes into their walk. 

He picked it up and put it in his pocket, thinking no more of it, before heading home. 

He told Newsweek: 'I thought it might be a piece of glass, it was so clear. I really didn't know. We were picking up everything thinking it was a diamond.'

It was only after he got home that Evans decided to send the shard off to the Gemological Institute of America for a professional assessment. 

Jerry Evans thought the diamond was a shard of glass when he spotted it on a walk through the park

He put it in his pocket and thought no more of it, but when he got home he decided to have it tested

Weeks later, he received a very unexpected email, confirming the gem was a near-colorless diamond. 

He said: 'When they called and told me it was real, I was tickled to death.'

Crater of Diamonds State Park is a 911-acre plot in Pike County, Arkansas.

It is one of the few diamond-rich sites open to the public in the world, with a 37.5-acre site where visitors can search for a variety of rocks and minerals. 

The park even allows visitors to keep anything they find on their walks. 

So far, the park has yielded over 35,000 diamonds. 

It's hard to say what the monetary value of the diamond is as, as well as carats, it depends on its cut, clarity, color. 

The largest ever diamond found in the US was found there - the 40.23-carat 'Uncle Sam.' 

State park authorities said Evans' discovery - which he named the 'Evans Diamond' - is the biggest in the past three years. 

He sent it off to the Gemological Institute of America who determined it was in fact a diamond

Jerry is allowed to keep his remarkable find, which he has named the 'Evans Diamond'

 In 2020, Kevin Kinard from Maumelle found a 9.07-carat brown diamond. 

Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox told Newsweek: 'I'm glad that Mr. Evans was able to bring his historic diamond back to the park to have it officially registered.

'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.'

Evans encouraged other people to come and try their hand at diamond-hunting, he said: 'Come and search, because there's a chance. They're out there.' 

Park officials said that 798 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park in 2023, totaling more than 125 carats.