French Tourist Finds 7.46-Carat Diamond In US State Park

During a road trip this month, a tourist from France, Julien Navas, discovered a massive 7.46-carat diamond when he made a pit stop at an Arkansas state park. On January 11, while exploring the 37.5-acre search area at Crater of Diamonds State Park, Mr Navas discovered the massive rock lying on the surface.

Mr Navas was in the US to witness a rocket launch in Florida and had plans with friends to check out Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Along the way, he learned about Arkansas' world-famous Crater of Diamonds State Park. The park piqued his interest because he had previously panned for gold and searched for ammonite fossils. So he knew he had to visit the park while he was in the US, according to a news release from Arkansas State Parks.

A few days before Navas's visit, the park had received over an inch of rain, making it a wet and muddy day. After purchasing his ticket and renting a basic diamond hunting kit from the park, Navas headed into the search area and got to work. "I got to the park around nine o'clock and started to dig," he said. "That is back-breaking work so by the afternoon I was mainly looking on top of the ground for anything that stood out."

"As rain falls on the field, it washes away the dirt and uncovers heavy rocks, minerals and diamonds near the surface," Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox explained.

Mr Cox said that many of the park's biggest diamonds are found on the surface and the park periodically ploughs the 37.5-acre search area to loosen the soil and promote natural erosion. 

After searching for several hours, Navas carried his finds to the park's Diamond Discovery Center, where he learned that he had discovered a brown diamond weighing 7.46 carats. When he learned that he had found a diamond, Navas was stunned and said, "I am so happy! All I can think about is telling my fiance what I found."

Navas's diamond has a deep chocolate brown colour and is rounded like marble. It is about the size of a candy gumdrop.

"It is always so exciting to see first-time visitors find diamonds, especially large diamonds like this one!" said Park Interpreter Sarah Reap.

Mr Navas said of his visit to Crater of Diamonds State Park, "It is a magical place, where the dream of finding a diamond can come true! It was a real great adventure." Navas said he plans to return to the park with his daughter when she is older.

Mr Navas decided to name his find the Carine Diamond, after his fiancee. He said he hopes to have the stone cut into two diamonds, one for his fiancee and one for his daughter.