French Tourist Strikes Big at Arkansas Diamond Park with 7.46-Carat Discovery

In a stroke of extraordinary luck, Julien Navas, a French tourist visiting the United States, unearthed a remarkable 7.46-carat diamond during his first visit to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. Navas, hailing from Paris, initially traveled to the U.S. to witness the launch of the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur Rocket in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Following the rocket launch, Navas and a friend embarked on a journey to New Orleans, Louisiana. It was during this leg of his trip that he learned about the unique opportunity to hunt for diamonds at the Arkansas park, piquing his curiosity and prompting a detour to the famous diamond site.

Navas arrived at the park around nine in the morning and began his quest for diamonds by digging in the soil. As the day progressed, the labor-intensive search shifted to a more casual scanning of the park’s surface. It was during this more relaxed exploration that Navas’s attention was caught by a shiny stone. To his astonishment, the stone he picked up was a 7.46-carat brown diamond.

Overwhelmed with joy, Navas expressed his excitement about sharing the news with his fiancee. In a romantic gesture, he named the diamond the “Carine Diamond,” after his fiancee, symbolizing the extraordinary nature of his find.

Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox suggested that Navas’s success was likely aided by the park’s natural conditions, particularly recent rainfall. The Crater of Diamonds State Park periodically plows the diamond search area to loosen the soil and encourage natural erosion. The rain helps wash away dirt, revealing heavier rocks, minerals, and diamonds near the surface.

Navas’s discovery is a testament to the park’s unique allure, where visitors can explore and potentially find valuable diamonds. This remarkable find not only highlights the park’s appeal to treasure hunters and adventurers but also showcases the serendipitous nature of such discoveries, turning a casual visit into a life-changing experience.