MURFREESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – A 7-year-old Paragould girl got a birthday surprise she will never forget.
Aspen Brown and her family took a trip to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro on September 1 to celebrate her birthday.
As she, her dad and grandmother made their way through the park’s northern search area, they stopped for a break.
“She got hot and wanted to sit down for a minute, so she went over to some big rocks by the fence line,” said her father, Luther Brown. “The next thing I know, she’s running up to me and saying, ‘Dad! Dad! I found one.'”
According to a press release from Arkansas State Parks, Aspen had found a gem the size of a green pea.
On their way out of the park, the family stopped at the Diamond Discovery Centre, where park staff confirmed that Aspen’s gem was a diamond.
“Aspen’s diamond has a golden brown colour and sparkling luster. It is a complete crystal with no broken facets and a small crack on one side that was created when the diamond was formed,” said Waymon Cox, assistant park superintendent. “It is certainly one of the most beautiful diamonds I’ve seen in recent years.
The diamond measured 2.95 carats, making it the second largest diamond registered by a park visitor this year.
It’s the first large diamond registered since the park completed an excavation project.
“A contracted company dug a 150-metre trench in August to control erosion on the north side of the search area,” said Caleb Howell, park superintendent. “Several tonnes of unexamined diamond-bearing material were exposed and it’s very possible that this and other diamonds were discovered as a result. ”
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is located in Murfreesboro and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve afternoon and Christmas Day.
