Courtesy: Crater of Diamond State ParkRemember when that kid found a 5-carat diamond at an Arkansas State Park? And the diamond may have been worth $15,000? And it was thrilling, like it is any time a child finds a diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park?
It happened again.
Seriously, why are we not all at Crater of Diamonds State Park just finding diamonds? Tana Clymer, 14, of Oklahoma City was inspired by Michael Detlaff, a 12-year-old who found a 5.16-carat brown diamond in August, to try her hand at diamond-digging.
And after only two hours of searching, she found a 3.85-carat canary diamond.
Crater of Diamonds State Park is an eroded ancient volcanic crater described on their site as "a gem among diamond sites," which is both a pun (nailed it) and an understatement (it's the only "diamond-bearing site" that is open to the public; also, it has a "finders keepers" policy).
"I thought it was a piece of paper or foil from a candy wrapper," Tana explained afterwards (via Good Morning America). "Then, when I touched it, I thought it was a marble." It was actually a "jellybean-size," teardrop-shaped diamond, the 396th diamond found in the park this year.
"No two diamonds are alike, and each diamond finder's story is unique, too," Assistant Superintendent Bill Henderson said in a statement. "What an experience for Tana to remember the rest of her life."
Tana's story may be particularly unique because it involved divine intervention: "I think God pointed me to it," she recalled. "I was about to sprint to join my family, and God told me to slow down and look. Then I found the diamond."
Tana named the diamond God's Jewel.
Henderson continued, "Tana told me that she was so excited she couldn't sleep last night. She's either going to keep the diamond for a ring, or if it's worth a lot, she'll want that for college."
UPI notes that a similar diamond sold for $30,000 in 2006.
It pays to have God on your side. It pays well.
(Originally published October 21, 2013, at 3:40p.m. PT)