Will and Marshall Barnett were visiting the Crater of Diamonds State Park in late July while on a “boys’ week” road trip when they found the special jewel.
A father and son from Arizona just found the second-largest diamond registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park this year.
Will and Marshall Barnett, of Buckeye, visited the famous park in late July while on a “boys’ week” road trip after learning about it through an uncle, according to a news release from Arkansas State Parks.
The duo stopped by the site “to try their luck at finding a genuine diamond” on July 27 — and what do you know, they managed to locate a two-carat, rectangular diamond.
Will spotted the jewel while sifting through the soil he and his son had collected a short distance away.
A short time later, he and his son brought the diamond to the park’s Diamond Discovery Center where staff confirmed their find.
“You could tell they knew they had found something special from the smiles on their faces,” said Park Interpreter Ashlyn Keys in a statement.
This is the 412th diamond registered at ASP this year, according to the news release. It also is the 36,500th diamond registered since Crater of Diamonds became a state park in 1972.
The diamond is “about the size of a pencil eraser” and is “light brown color resembling iced tea.”
Will and Marshall are both frequent gold panners, so they decided to name the jewel “Minor Find.” Will hopes their story will encourage others to enjoy the hobby, as well.
“It’s worth looking, even if you don’t find a diamond!” he said, per the ASP’s news release.