Teenager discovers 7.44 carat diamond in Arkansas state park
A teenager made the discovery of a lifetime when he stumbled across a 7.44 carat diamond at an Arkansas state park.
Officials at Crater of Diamonds State Park at Murfreesboro say the rock found Saturday by 14-year-old Kalel Langford is the seventh largest found since the park was established in 1972. The park hasn't provided an estimate of the diamond's value.
“It was just a few inches from a stream of water, with a bunch of other rocks that were about the same size,” Langford told Fox 16.
He has named it "Superman's Diamond" and plans to keep it as a souvenir of his visit.
Park interpreter Waymon Cox describes the diamond as pinto-bean sized and similar in color to coffee.
“This diamond is a truly extraordinary find,” Cox told Fox 16. “It was Kalel’s dream to visit the Crater of Diamonds State Park, and now he will always be part of this park’s remarkable history.”
The largest diamond ever discovered in the United States, the 40.23 carat "Uncle Sam," was unearthed on the land in 1924.
14-year-old boy finds nearly 8-carat diamond at state park
Arkansas state park Crater of Diamonds lived up to its name recently, when a young teen found a unique brown 7.44-carat diamond.
Kalel Langford, 14, found the stone after just 30 minutes of searching. The park has seen more than 75,000 diamond discoveries, CNN reports.
This is the largest brown diamond to be found in 40 years, the seventh largest found in the area. The first diamonds unearthed at this park were in 1906. Guests are charged $10 to search for stones.
"Conditions were ideal for Kalel to find his diamond. About an inch of rain fell on the plowed search area during the week," said Park interpreter Waymon Cox. "A heavy rain can uncover larger diamonds near the surface. Diamonds have a metallic-looking shine and are often easier to spot on top of the ground. It was Kalel's dream to visit the Crater of Diamonds State Park, and now he will always be part of this park's remarkable history."
Although Langford didn't immediately know his rare find was so valuable, his father recognized its potential worth.
"(We) knew we needed to have it looked at," Kalel's father, Craig Langford, said.
Visitors are allowed to keep their found rocks, so Langford was able to take home the dark stone, which he's dubbed the Superman Diamond.
Teen finds 7.44-carat diamond at Arkansas park
An Arkansas teenager hit the jackpot Saturday when he found a 7.44-carat diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
Many people spend hours searching for diamonds at the park only to walk away empty-handed, but Kalel Langford, 14, had only been at the park with his parents for 30 minutes when he spotted a shiny, dark brown gem, according to a statement. Kalel took the stone to the park’s Diamond Discovery Center later in the day and learned that the shiny rock was actually one of the largest diamonds ever discovered in the park.
“We had only been at the park for about 30 minutes when he found it,” Kalel’s dad, Craig Langford, said in a statement provided by the park. “Its color was so dark that we weren’t sure if it was a diamond, but we knew we needed to have it looked at.”
The diamond, which is about the size of a pinto bean, is the 7th-largest diamond found at the Arkansas State Park since 1972, according to the park.
Kalel found the diamond a few inches from a stream of water in the southern portion of the park’s diamond search area.
According to the park, larger diamonds are sometimes found on the surface after rain washes the dirt away and exposes the heavier stones.
The teen said he plans to keep the unique diamond as a souvenir of his first trip to Crater of Diamonds State Park.
Officials at Crater of Diamonds State Park at Murfreesboro say the rock found Saturday by 14-year-old Kalel Langford is the seventh largest found since the park was established in 1972. The park hasn't provided an estimate of the diamond's value.
“It was just a few inches from a stream of water, with a bunch of other rocks that were about the same size,” Langford told Fox 16.
He has named it "Superman's Diamond" and plans to keep it as a souvenir of his visit.
Park interpreter Waymon Cox describes the diamond as pinto-bean sized and similar in color to coffee.
“This diamond is a truly extraordinary find,” Cox told Fox 16. “It was Kalel’s dream to visit the Crater of Diamonds State Park, and now he will always be part of this park’s remarkable history.”
The largest diamond ever discovered in the United States, the 40.23 carat "Uncle Sam," was unearthed on the land in 1924.
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| © Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism This Saturday, March 11, 2017, photo, provided by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism shows Kalel Langford holding a 7.44 carat diamond he found. |
14-year-old boy finds nearly 8-carat diamond at state park
Arkansas state park Crater of Diamonds lived up to its name recently, when a young teen found a unique brown 7.44-carat diamond.
Kalel Langford, 14, found the stone after just 30 minutes of searching. The park has seen more than 75,000 diamond discoveries, CNN reports.
This is the largest brown diamond to be found in 40 years, the seventh largest found in the area. The first diamonds unearthed at this park were in 1906. Guests are charged $10 to search for stones.
"Conditions were ideal for Kalel to find his diamond. About an inch of rain fell on the plowed search area during the week," said Park interpreter Waymon Cox. "A heavy rain can uncover larger diamonds near the surface. Diamonds have a metallic-looking shine and are often easier to spot on top of the ground. It was Kalel's dream to visit the Crater of Diamonds State Park, and now he will always be part of this park's remarkable history."
Although Langford didn't immediately know his rare find was so valuable, his father recognized its potential worth.
"(We) knew we needed to have it looked at," Kalel's father, Craig Langford, said.
Visitors are allowed to keep their found rocks, so Langford was able to take home the dark stone, which he's dubbed the Superman Diamond.
Teen finds 7.44-carat diamond at Arkansas park
An Arkansas teenager hit the jackpot Saturday when he found a 7.44-carat diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
Many people spend hours searching for diamonds at the park only to walk away empty-handed, but Kalel Langford, 14, had only been at the park with his parents for 30 minutes when he spotted a shiny, dark brown gem, according to a statement. Kalel took the stone to the park’s Diamond Discovery Center later in the day and learned that the shiny rock was actually one of the largest diamonds ever discovered in the park.
“We had only been at the park for about 30 minutes when he found it,” Kalel’s dad, Craig Langford, said in a statement provided by the park. “Its color was so dark that we weren’t sure if it was a diamond, but we knew we needed to have it looked at.”
The diamond, which is about the size of a pinto bean, is the 7th-largest diamond found at the Arkansas State Park since 1972, according to the park.
Kalel found the diamond a few inches from a stream of water in the southern portion of the park’s diamond search area.
According to the park, larger diamonds are sometimes found on the surface after rain washes the dirt away and exposes the heavier stones.
The teen said he plans to keep the unique diamond as a souvenir of his first trip to Crater of Diamonds State Park.
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