A Rare Plant Might Transform How We Find Diamonds

There are many ways for exploration of the Kimberlite pipes for diamonds, but according to new paper by Mr Stephen E. Haggerty, a rare plant Pendanus candelabrum could serve as a signpost for diamond indicator kimberlite, which might eventually lead to easier and less expensive diamond exploration.

Pendanus candelabrum

The author of this paper Mr.Haggerty added that the plant only grew along the kimberlite and not over the adjacent ground. Mr Haggerty believes, this knowledge could make diamond exploration in West Africa a lot cheaper and this could dramatically change the exploration dynamics for diamonds.

Kimberlite is an igneous rock, best known for sometimes containing diamonds. Kimberlite pipes are the most important source of mined diamonds today.

Mr. Haggerty was uncomfortable with some press coverage of his paper, including headlines such as “There’s a Plant That Shows You Where Diamonds Are Buried.”

He stresses that, finding a kimberlite pipe does not mean you have found a profitable mine. Only 1 percent of kimberlite pipe discoveries result in economic diamond mines.

Yet another find at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfeesboro Arkansas. A 2.01 Ct. Yellow Diamond found!!

When fields get plowed, diamonds don’t usually pop up. That’s unless you’re visiting Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. That’s where Dean Filppula, an offshore steward from Shreveport, Louisiana, found a yellow 2.01-carat diamond last week.

It’s finders, keepers at the state park’s 37-acre search field, which is named for an ancient eruption that littered the area with gems. The area, which became a state park in 1972, is the only public site in the world where — for a small fee — you can dig for diamonds and keep them.

Dean Filppula holding his two-carat diamond (Photo: Crater of Diamonds State Park)

The diamond is the size of a pea.

The sparkling wedge-shaped stone is about the size of an English pea, park interpreter Waymon Cox said in a news release. It’s the largest stone of the 20 found this year, he said.

“More than half an inch of rain had fallen two days before his visit, washing loose soil from the surface of the diamond search area, and, no doubt, uncovering the large, yellow gem,” Cox said. “Anyone could have found it, but Mr. Filppula was in the right place at the right time.”

Filppula, who plans to sell the diamond, named it the Merf Diamond after his mother’s initials.

August Birthstone – Peridot

Those born under Peridot may bewitch others!

Peridot is the birthstone for August and the 15th anniversary gemstone.  This gemstone is said to represent beauty, mystery, passion, and even enchantment. It can also equal forward thinking, channeling both justice and power. It was believed to be a stone of springtime by ancients who considered it a gift from Mother Nature. 

Since ancient times, Peridot was said as the symbol of the sun. The Greeks believed that it brought royal dignity upon its wearer and is said to have been first mentioned in the will of a bishop.

Peridot has been known to have healing effect on the gall bladder and liver. It is a protector against negative emotions when used in a necklace. Some believed that it protected its owner from “terrors of the night,” especially when it was set in gold. Others strung the gems on donkey hair and tied them around their left arms to ward off evil spirits.

This 146.10-carat peridot is in the collection of the Natural History Museum in London

Most peridot formed deep inside the earth and was delivered to the surface by volcanoes. Some also came to earth in meteorites, but this extraterrestrial Peridot is extremely rare, and not likely to be seen in a retail jewelry store.

Peridot is a gem variety from the olivine mineral group. The bottle green color is called Peridot. Yellowish green is chrysolite. Olive green is olivine. Sources of Peridot include: St. John's Island (Egypt), United States (Arizona and Hawaii), Myanmar, Burma, Australia, Norway, South Africa and Brazil.

Some of the finest Peridot stones are called “evening emeralds” because they appear greener under artificial light.