A holidaymaker was stunned to find a huge DIAMOND worth almost £15,000 in a park.
Julien Navas stumbled upon the 7.46-carat gem on the ground in a park.
The tourist had gone to US to see the Vulcan Centaur launch in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Then he’d gone with a pal to visit New Orleans, Louisiana.
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It was only mid-trip that he learnt about the Crater of Diamonds State Park, in Murfreesboro, Arkansas.
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Given his interest in gold panning and fossil hunting, engaged, dad-of-one Julien decided to add the park as a stop.
By chance, it had rained heavily in the area a few days earlier.
Julien – from Paris, France – rented a basic diamond hunting kit from the park.
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He said: “I got to the park around nine o’clock and started to dig.
“That is back-breaking work so by the afternoon I was mainly looking on top of the ground for anything that stood out.”
After several hours of searching, Navas was stunned to find the brown diamond.
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Brown diamonds are the most common colour variety of natural diamonds.
They get their colour from the presence of nitrogen atoms in the crystal.
The park superintendents believe the heavy rain had washed away the dirt covering the stone.
After making his incredible find, he said: “I am so happy.
“All I can think about is telling my fiancée what I found.”
Navas named the diamond Carine after his partner.
He plans to get it cut in two to gift to Carine and his daughter.
Arkansas State Parks said his find is the “eighth-largest diamond registered since the Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas State Park in 1972”.
Brown diamonds are worth £1,960 ($2,500) per carat.
It means Julien’s is worth £14,634 ($18,650).
