MURFREESBORO -- Last year, Rodney and Tiffany Melton of Mansfield, Texas, were watching the nightly news when they saw a report that caught their attention: Brooke Oskarson, a Crater of Diamonds State Park visitor from Colorado, had just found an 8.52-carat diamond.
After discussing the now world-famous Esperanza diamond with their sons, Cade, 10, and Cooper, 6, they decided to visit the park and search for their own diamond. They made that visit on Monday, during the boys' spring break from school, after almost a year of planning, according to a news release from the state park.
Although they didn't find a diamond, the Meltons said they enjoyed their visit and took home a few other interesting treasures, including jasper and calcite. Their first visit to Arkansas also included plans to visit Hot Springs and search for crystals in Mount Ida after they left Murfreesboro. Before they left the park, each member of the family offered some advice for first-time visitors. Both of the boys thought about what they would tell other students in their class if they decided to come to the park, the release said.
Cade Melton wanted to let future park visitors know that they shouldn't give up, because it takes a lot of work for a visitor to find what they want. He also thought it was a good idea to bring lots of water in order to stay hydrated.
Cooper Melton considered proper footwear to be important, after noticing that someone who wore flip-flops lost their shoes in the mud that was on the field after a recent rain. He suggested boots and shovels.
Rodney Melton said he was initially overwhelmed at the size of the field. He found the instructions at the wash pavilions helpful, and said they made things easier when he began washing gravel while wet sifting. He thought that having tweezers and a magnifying glass were helpful to locate and lift stones out of the gravel he had washed, and had helped prevent him from pushing them back down into the gravel.
Tiffany Melton said she was impressed with the cleanliness of the restrooms, which she expected to be muddy because the field was wet. She suggested bringing a change of clothes, boots or sturdy shoes and an extra bucket or a stool to sit on in the field, along with a hat and sunscreen.
Diamond finds for the week of March 6 (100 points equals 1 carat) included the following:
• March 6 -- Kyle and Sara Webb, Benton, 13-point white; Miles McCormick, Rockwall, Texas, 13-point white; and Samantha Rezansoff, Little Rock, 16-point white.
• March 7 -- Al Fling, Murfreesboro, 3-point white, 4-point white, 16-point brown.
• March 8 -- Adam Hardin, Murfreesboro, 12-point white.
• March 9 -- Jack Pearadin, Murfreesboro, 14-point white.
• March 11 -- David Halladay, Fishers, Ind., 10-point brown.
• March 12 -- James Green, Memphis, Tenn., 14-point white, 19-point white.
• March 12 -- Karl Siggelow, Tyler, Texas, 3-point white; Steven Lackey, Mulberry, 39-point white.
Entertainment on 03/16/2016