3.85-carat diamond dug up by teen in Arkansas
| MURFREESBORO, Ark.
A 14-year-old girl from Oklahoma City has unearthed a 3.85-carat聽diamond聽at Arkansas' Crater of聽Diamonds聽State Park.
Tana Clymer discovered the canary gem Saturday at the park, which is the only diamond-producing site in the United States that is open to the public. Tana said she'd been digging in the dirt for about two hours when she discovered the gem on the surface of the search field.
The yellow聽diamond聽is teardrop-shaped and about the size of a jellybean.
"This canary聽diamond聽is very similar to the gem-quality, 4.21-carat canary聽diamond聽found at the Crater ofDiamonds聽by Oklahoma State Trooper Marvin Culver of Nowata, Oklahoma, on March 12, 2006, a gem he named the Okie Dokie聽Diamond," said Bill Henderson, assistant park superintendent.
Tana named the聽diamond聽"God's Jewel," park officials said.
"Tana told me that she was so excited, she couldn't sleep last night," Henderson said Sunday. "She's either going to keep the聽diamond聽for a ring, or, if it's worth a lot, she'll want that for college."
Many聽diamonds聽have been found close to the surface so far this year, Henderson said, noting that heavy rainfall pushes dirt away, leaving the聽diamond聽exposed.
Her gem is the 396th聽diamond聽found so far this year at the park in southern Arkansas. Other gems discovered at the state park include amethyst, garnet, peridot, jasper, agate, calcite, barite, and quartz.
