French tourist stumbles upon 7.46-carat diamond while scouring Arkansas state park – and can’t wait to share the good news with his fiancée
- Julien Navas, from Paris, unearthed a 7.46-carat marble-shaped, deep chocolate brown diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas
- He named the rock the Carine Diamond, after his fiancée, and plans to cut it into two pieces
A French tourist visiting a state park in Arkansas unearthed a 7.46-carat diamond during a road trip across states.
Julien Navas, who was visiting from Paris, found the huge rock on January 11 at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
He was on his way to New Orleans after seeing the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur Rocket launch in Florida when he discovered the park.
The Frenchman was immediately intrigued because of his interest in searching for gold and ammonite fossils.
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is one of the few locations in the world where people can safely search for real diamonds in their original volcanic state.
Julien Navas, visiting from Paris, found the huge rock at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas on January 11.
Navas had unearthed a marble-shaped, deep chocolate brown diamond weighing 7.46 carats
According to the park, after purchasing his ticket and renting standard diamond hunting equipment from the park, Navas entered the search area and began digging.
‘I arrived at the park around nine o’clock and started digging. That’s hard work, so by the afternoon I was mainly looking for something that stood out,” he said.
Even though the ground was wet and muddy from the rain, Navas continued his search for hours in the hope of finding some bling.
He eventually took a huge stone he found to the park’s Diamond Discovery Center, where it was discovered that he had unearthed a marble-shaped, deep chocolate brown diamond weighing 7.46 carats.
‘I am so happy! All I can think about is telling my fiancée what I found,” Navas said.
The park described the diamond as about the size of a candy gum drop.
Park interpreter Sarah Reap said: ‘It’s always so exciting to see visitors find diamonds for the first time, especially large diamonds like these!’
The park described the diamond as about the size of a candy gum drop
According to Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox, many of the park’s largest diamonds are found on the surface and are most visible after a rain shower.
Navas decided to name his latest discovery the Carine Diamond, after his fiancée.
He plans to have the stone cut into two diamonds, one for his wife-to-be and one for his daughter.
Navas described his park visit as ‘a magical place, where the dream of finding a diamond can come true! It really was a great adventure.’
According to Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox, many of the park’s largest diamonds are found on the surface and are most visible after a rain shower.
‘We periodically plow the search area to loosen the diamond-bearing soil and promote natural erosion. When rain falls on the field, it washes away the dirt and exposes heavy rocks, minerals and diamonds on the surface,” he said.
The monetary value of the diamond remains unclear.