March 17 (UPI) — A boy found a 7.44-carat brown diamond after 30 minutes of casual digging at Arkansas’ Crater of the Diamonds State Park, park officials said.
The park bills itself as “the world’s only ‘keep what you find’ diamond site,” and Kalel Langford, 14, found the seventh-largest diamond ever located at the park. Langford, of Centerton, Ark., visited the park Saturday with his family during a break from a baseball tournament in which he competed.
“It was just a few inches from a stream of water, with a bunch of other rocks that were about the same size,” he said in a statement Thursday.
The family was shocked to discover the gem, which it quickly named Superman’s Diamond – after naming their son Kalel, his parents learned it was also comic book hero Superman’s birth name – was real.
“Conditions were ideal for Kalel to find his diamond. About an inch of rain fell on the plowed search area during the week. A heavy rain can uncover larger diamonds near the surface. Diamonds have a metallic-looking shine and are often easier to spot on top of the ground,” said park official Waymon Cox.
“Kalel’s diamond is about the size of a pinto bean, and it’s very dark brown, similar to coffee. Overall, the gem has a frosted appearance and is shaped somewhat like a pillow or a kite.”
The value of the diamond has not been determined. Kalel said he intends to keep it as a souvenir of his visit.
