Have you ever wondered if are there diamonds in West Virginia? Guess what, there are! And the most famous one is the Jones Diamond. Back in 1928, 10-year-old Punch Jones was spending the afternoon playing horseshoes with his father Grover Cleveland Jones. When his horseshoe ended up in the water, it just happened to land right by a 34.48-carat diamond in the creek. Now, how's that for a story? Read on if you're curious to know more about the largest diamond found in West Virginia.

Back in 1928, Punch Jones was playing that game of horseshoes in Peterstown, West Virginia.

Punch must have popped down into the creek to retrieve the horseshoe, and that's when he saw a shiny gemstone and picked it up.

Before this, he was probably unsure about if there were diamonds in West Virginia.

Thinking it was a type of quartz at best, Punch hung onto the stone for several years.

As the story goes, at one point it ended up in a drawer, and at another, it sat on the windowsill for quite a long time.

If you're wondering what an alluvial diamond is, it's simply a diamond that was eroded and carried naturally to its discovery point (by way of a glacier), as opposed to being found via traditional diamond mining.

This adds to the surprise of learning that diamonds such as the Punch Diamond are located in West Virginia.

It's also worth noting that the Jones diamond was found in a vacant lot near the family home in the tiny town of Monroe County.

Peterstown is still tiny and has a population of about 650.

Wondering where the largest diamond found in West Virginia is today? So is everyone! For many years the Jones Diamond sat at the Smithsonian Institution, until a family member recovered it. They reportedly took it on tour at state fairs and such.

And then, in 1984, it was sold at an auction. No actual amount was published, but there are rumors an agent for someone in Asia purchased the Jones 34.48-carat diamond for a mere 64,000 dollars. Its whereabouts at this point are completely unknown. Hence, it would also be interesting to know how much the Jones diamond is worth today.

Did you know there are diamonds in West Virginia? Want to pan for your rare find in the same spot where Punch Jones discovered the Jones Diamond in 1928? Use the map at the beginning of this piece to find your way to Peterstown and look for the bridge in the above photos to begin your search!

If you'd like to stay in Peterson and explore some more fascinating West Virginia history, take a look at this charming mill house vacation rental in West Virginia.