A 7-year-old budding gemologist received an extraordinary birthday gift when she uncovered a 2.95-carat golden brown diamond in Arkansas.
Aspen Brown made her remarkable discovery while celebrating her seventh birthday at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, according to a news release from the park.
The diamond, found on September 1st, is the second-largest registered by a park guest this year, trailing only a 3.29-carat brown diamond discovered in March, as per the release.
Aspen was visiting the park with her dad and grandmother to commemorate her birthday. She spotted a gem approximately the size of a green pea along a pathway in the northeast section of the search area, the release stated.
Subsequently, park officials confirmed that Aspen had indeed found a diamond.
Describing the find, Waymon Cox, assistant park superintendent, said, “Aspen’s diamond has a golden-brown color and a sparkling luster. It is a complete crystal, with no broken facets and a small crevice on one side, created when the diamond was formed. It’s certainly one of the most beautiful diamonds I’ve seen in recent years.”
Aspen’s discovery is not an isolated case, as the park sees one or two visitors uncovering diamonds daily. Since a farmer first identified diamonds on the land, over 75,000 diamonds have been found at the site.
The 37-acre field where visitors can hunt for gems is the eroded surface of a volcanic crater, according to the park. In addition to diamonds, other precious gems like amethysts and garnets are also found there due to the area’s unique geology.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
