(The State Parks of Arkansas)
Michael Dettlaff, 12, made the discovery of his life when he found a diamond that could be worth as much as $15,000 within the first ten minutes of entering Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, reports the Daily News.
The lucky boy made the find while visiting the unique park, which according to its website, is the only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public. Visitors are also allowed to take home their finds. In Dettlaff’s case, he got to take home a 5.16-carat diamond and it could be valued at $15,000.
“We were probably there about 10 minutes and I was looking around on the ground and found it on top,” Michael Dettlaff told ABCNews.com. “It was very glassy. Very smooth.”
The boy’s find was the 27th largest in the park’s history. Among the 75,000 diamonds that have been unearthed at the state park, the biggest find was a 40-carat in 1924.
“It is thrilling any time a child finds a diamond here at Crater of Diamonds State Park,” Park Interpreter Waymon Cox said. “Michael was excited to have found his own diamond, as just about any boy would be, but he was absolutely awestruck when he realized its significance.”
The boy and his family decided drive 100 miles out of their way to swing by the park on their way from North Carolina to Arkansas to visit family, and I bet they are glad they did!
