Greetings from Diamond Crater State Park! During these years in this park, I showed thousands of people how to find diamonds. Wet screening is one of the most effective diamond search methods used in the park. Compared with other search methods, it can help you filter more dirt, and you can wet screen almost any time of the year!

The more soil wet sieved, the greater the chance of finding diamonds. Families and other well-cooperative groups can wet sieve more dirt than anyone, but it is important to have the correct type and quantity of equipment. If you want to wet sift diamonds with friends or family, the following tips will help ensure that you have the right tools for the job.

The most important tool for wet screening is the screen. The park rented a set of two graded-size screens for wet screening. The screen device is characterized by a large quarter-inch mesh above the fine 16-inch mesh. The two screens work together to separate gravel by size, allowing you to treat a large amount of dirt at once.

Two or three people can easily share a set of screens. Usually, a person sifts through a screen of soil and dumps the washed gravel out in search of diamonds. When the first person examines the sieved gravel, others can use the screen to treat more dirt. If two people check their gravel at the same time, a third person can also use the screen. If you work with multiple people, multiple sets of screens can further increase the amount of dirt processed at one time. For example, a group of four with two screens is more efficient than a group of four with one screen.

The shovel is the second most useful wet screening tool. Medium or larger shovels are better because they can shovel more dirt at a time. The park rents out ditching shovel and long-handled gardening shovel.

Usually one shovel per set of sieves is sufficient, as it is only needed when digging up more dirt for wet screening. Groups with young children often rent extra shovels to give them something to do when they are not screening. The park also sells small hand shovel in the gift shop for kids or anyone who doesn’t want to carry a larger, heavier rental shovel.

Buckets are not necessary, but can more easily carry dirt for wet screening. The park rents 3.5-gallon buckets for visitors to transport dirt to the washing kiosk in the diamond search area. Many tourists also bring their own buckets to take the sifted gravel home, and then look for diamonds. Each visitor can bring home up to five gallons of sifted gravel per day.

One bucket can provide enough soil for simultaneous wet screening of two or three sets of screens. It usually takes about 35 minutes to process a bucket of dirt with a set of screens. Groups with three or more screens may want to rent an extra bucket to collect more dirt.

Saruca is another optional wet screening tool. Saruca is a fine round screen in the shape of a bowl for re-screening gravel. When used in water, the concave bottom concentrates the heavy gravel in the center of the screen. When turned over on the table, heavier materials and diamonds will appear on top of the gravel pile. Shaluka is not necessary for wet screening, but may be useful for large families planning to take the sieved gravel home. It can help concentrate heavy gravel, making it easier to find diamonds.

Wet screening is one of the most effective ways for families and groups to find diamonds. Having the right number of suitable tools can maximize your chances of finding diamonds and help you have a great experience in Diamond Pit State Park!

Last searched area: September 3, 2021

The most recent significant rain: November 2, 2021

Recently discovered diamonds (100 points = 1 carat):

October 31st-Jennifer O'Brien, Bloomfield, Michigan, 1.24 carats. Yellow; Marissa Mouton, Los Angeles Arnoville, 16 points. White November 2-Jeff Borcherding, Blanchardville, Wisconsin, 6 points. White, 14 pounds. White November 3-Dustin Galvin, Shueyville, Iowa, 6 points. White November 6th-Chase Galvin, Shueyville, IA, 2 pt. White