Astonishing Find – 7.46-Carat Stone at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Parisian visitor, Julien Navas, had the ultimate experience at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park on January 11, a big diamond find. It's the fifth diamond found so far this year and the largest since 2020.

Crater of Diamonds State Park spans 37.5 acres and has become and is the site of Navas's remarkable find during his first visit. Navas came to the U.S. to witness the Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur Rocket launch, while here he learned about the park during his travels through New Orleans.

Simply equipped with a basic diamond hunting kit you get at the park, Navas explored the wet and muddy search area, which had recently received over an inch of rain. Digging and sifting is hard work, especially after a good rain, undeterred by the challenging conditions, he primarily scoured the surface, a tactic rewarded by the park's practice of periodically plowing the area to expose diamonds.

Navas's diligence paid off when he uncovered a 7.46-carat brown diamond, rounded like a marble. Overjoyed by his find, he expressed his happiness and eagerness to share the news with his fiancée. Many guests like to name their diamond find, Navas named the diamond Carine, after his fiancée.

The discovery is significant, marking the fifth diamond registered at the park in 2024 and the largest since 2020. Park Interpreter Sarah Reap described the excitement of witnessing first-time visitors find diamonds, especially substantial ones like Navas's. Nava intends to have the Carine Diamond cut into two stones, one for his fiancée and one for his daughter.

Crater of Diamonds State Park, with a rich history dating back to 1972, has yielded over 75,000 diamonds. The Carine Diamond now adds to that legacy, ranking as the eighth-largest since the park's establishment. With an average of one to two diamonds found every day. Navas says he wants to return with his daughter in the future.

So, when the question is "Can you dig it? The answer at Crater of Diamonds is, "yes, yes you can."

More information available on the Crater of Diamonds Facebook Page.

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