Tourist Finds 7.46-Carat Diamond at Arkansas State Park — and Names It After His Fiancée
Julien Navas told park officials he has a sweet plan for the diamond, which involves his fiancée and his daughter
Arkansas State Parks
Julian NavasA tourist visiting a state park in Arkansas made an incredible find: a 7.46-carat diamond!
Julien Navas, who lives in Paris, stumbled across the gem while he was exploring a 37.5-acre search area of Crater of Diamonds State Park earlier this month, park officials stated in a press release.
“I got to the park around nine o’clock and started to dig,” Navas said. “That is back-breaking work so by the afternoon I was mainly looking on top of the ground for anything that stood out."
The lucky visitor found the gumdrop-shaped diamond after hours searching in muddy conditions, a result of heavy rain at the park days earlier.
The diamond is the largest that has been discovered at the park since 2020 — and eighth-largest registered at the park since 1972.
Related: Man Who Took Girlfriend to Park Discovers 4.87-Carat Diamond, Mistakes It for Piece of Glass
In a sweet gesture, park officials shared that Navas decided to name this discovery the "Carine Diamond," after his fiancée. Even sweeter? He said he plans to have the stone cut into two pieces, which he'll give to his partner and daughter.
“I am so happy! All I can think about is telling my fiancée what I found,” he told park officials.
Related: Girl, 7, Finds 'Beautiful' 2.95-Carat Diamond at Arkansas State Park While Celebrating Her Birthday
His discovery comes after the avid fossil-searcher decided to make an impromptu visit to the Crater of Diamonds State Park after traveling to Florida and New Orleans with a friend.
“It is always so exciting to see first time visitors find diamonds, especially large diamonds like this one!” park interpreter Sarah Reap said of the discovery in a statement
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Navas now plans to return to the park with his daughter when she's older.
“It is a magical place, where the dream of finding a diamond can come true!" he said. "It was a real great adventure."
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