A 7-year-old girl celebrating her birthday has discovered a 2.95 carat golden brown diamond at a park in Arkansas.
Aspen Brown's discovery at the Crater of Diamonds State Park on September 1 is "the second-largest registered by a park guest this year".
"Brown was visiting the park with her dad and grandmother to celebrate her birthday," a release by the park said.
"Brown picked up a gem about the size of a green pea from a pathway along the northeast side of the search area."
Park officials later confirmed that Brown had indeed discovered a diamond.
"Aspen's diamond has a golden-brown colour and a sparkling lustre. It is a complete crystal, with no broken facets and a small crevice on one side, created when the diamond was formed," assistant park superintendent Waymon Cox said.
"It's certainly one of the most beautiful diamonds I've seen in recent years."
One or two visitors discover diamonds at the park each day, with more than 75,000 diamonds found at the site since a farmer first identified diamonds on the land.
The 15-hectare field where visitors can search for gems is the eroded surface of a volcanic crater. In addition to diamonds, other precious gems like amethysts and garnets also occur there as a result of the site’s unique geology.
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