Arkansas - DIAMOND

In your best Marilyn Monroe, sing it with me, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. And who would have guessed that the mother lode was 1 state away. Well, not really the mother lode but Arkansas is host to the only diamond-producing site in the world that’s open to the public. So grab your shovel we’re going to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in southwest Arkansas and prospect for white, yellow and brown diamonds. The great thing is that, unlike most state parks where collecting the “rocks” is frowned upon, here they actually let you keep what you find.

Now we’re not talking diamonds of the highest quality when it comes to the four Cs (cut, color, clarity, and carat) but it still sounds like a hoot and I bet they have one helluva gift shop.

Now let’s see what happens when I add a diamond bead to my necklace. First of all, I didn’t even know that you could get diamond beads but I was able to find some raw diamond beads in yours and my favorite store, how fun is that. As a symbol of purity, the diamond is said to help bring love and clarity into our relationships. (Anyone still wonder why a traditional engagement ring is a diamond.) To the brilliant woman who originally started that rumor, the women of the world salute you. The diamond also represents commitment, fidelity, and trust.

The diamond is believed to stimulate creativity, inventiveness, imagination and ingenuity. Sing it John - “Lucy in the Skies with Diamonds”, okay, different diamond. It’s also known to treat dizziness and vertigo, and fight severe depression. But I think that’s only the really big rocks. So the next time your husband accuses you of being “a dizzy broad” you can tell him what he can get you to solve the problem. He might not “go to Jared’s” but it will certainly cure him of making these wild accusations.

Arkansas designated the diamond as the official state gem in 1967. (Interestingly enough, that was the same year that “Lucy in the Skies with Diamonds” was released by the Beatles, ponder that one a little.) At the same time, quartz crystal was recognized as the state mineral. So just for fun, we’ll include a quartz crystal to the necklace to add balance and positive energy.