A father and son from Arizona made a remarkable discovery at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. Will and Marshall Barnett of Buckeye, Ohio, were on a “boys trip” in late July when they stumbled upon a two-carat rectangular diamond.
The pair decided to visit the park to “try their luck.” After sifting through the soil, they found the impressive gem. Staff at the Diamond Discovery Centre quickly confirmed the stone was indeed a diamond.
“You could see they knew they had found something special just from the smiles on their faces,” said spokesperson Ashlyn Keys.
This year, over 400 diamonds have been unearthed at Crater of Diamonds. The Barnetts’ find was the 36,500th diamond discovered since the park was established in 1972.
The diamond, which is light brown and resembles iced tea, has been named “Minor Find” in honor of the Barnetts’ interest in gold mining.
Earlier in the year, a French tourist found a 7.46-carat brown diamond at the same park.