The Punch Jones Diamond, Appalachia's Hidden Gem

Рет қаралды 587

Күн бұрын

In this captivating episode of Stories of Appalachia, we dive into the lucky discovery that forever altered the lives of a father and son in Monroe County, West Virginia. Join Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins as they recount the day in 1928 when a simple game of horseshoes unearthed a treasure that would remain hidden in plain sight for 15 years.
It's the story of the Punch Jones Diamond, an alluvial gem weighing a staggering 34.48 carats, and its journey from a backyard to the record books as North America's largest diamond of its kind. But riches and records aside, this story takes unexpected turns, from a World War II tragedy to a family's unique claim to fame that even caught the eye of President Franklin Roosevelt.
Discover the mystery of how the diamond ended up in a horseshoe pit, the theories that abound, and the legacy left behind by the Jones family. It's an Appalachian story of luck, loss, and the twists of fate that can change fortunes overnight.
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(Blacksburg By Idawriter, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...)
(Virginia Tech by Ben Schumin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...)
(Globe view of Asia by Betoseha - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...)
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Пікірлер: 3

@Howard-bj1jq Күн бұрын

Diamonds are found in weird places. There have been several found in VA and there is no geologic reason for them to be here. The largest was 14 carats and found near Richmond while workers were digging a ditch. Another was found in Pound, VA, close to KY. Several were found by miners looking for gold in the VA "Gold Belt." Diamonds and other materials are washed downstream and, when the stream changes it's bed, they get covered. Maybe they will wash out of fall out of an excavation later so that they can be found. There is no geologic reason for diamonds to be located anywhere in the eastern US, that I know of. I am a geologist, so I have a clue. The almond in Richmond was an octahedral shape, which makes it possible for the one in WVA to be cubic shaped.

@d.riprock1546 4 ай бұрын

The youngest of the Jones boys was the Principal of my high school in Monroe Co. I remember they brought the diamond to our elementary school in the early 70s and we filed by to see it. There were two armed guards with it. I'd like to know what it looks like now if they ever cut it. It really wasn't that remarkable looking as it was. I can understand why they didn't think it was a diamond initially.

@StoriesofAppalachia 4 ай бұрын

The picture we saw showed a squarish crystal that did not look like anything special, that’s true. Cool that you got to actually see that piece of Appalachian history!