An Arkansas teen found a 7.44 carat diamond while visiting Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park last weekend with his parents. Exploring the park firsthand had been a dream of 14-year-old Kalel Langford's for many years. It's safe to say his visit definitely lived up to everything he thought it would be.
The family was in the area for a baseball tournament when they decided to visit the State Park. Within 30 minutes of arriving, the Centerton, Ark. native teen found the diamond near a stream of water. It was the size of a pinto bean and dark brown.
"Its color was so dark that we weren't sure if it was a diamond, but we knew we needed to have it looked at," Kalel's father said in a news release issued by the park.
The Langfords stopped by the park's Discovery Center to have their treasure identified. Sure enough, their wishes came true: Kalel had in fact found a diamond. The 7th-largest diamond found at Crater since 1972, to be exact.
According to the park's Interpreter Wendy Cox, it was a great day to go diamond searching. "Conditions were ideal for Kalel to find his diamond," she said. "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."
READ MORE: 3.9-Carat Diamond Found in Arkansas State Park
Crater of Diamonds has been the site of over 75,000 diamond discoveries since 1906. A 40.23 carat diamond found in 1924 at Crater holds the record for the largest diamond ever discovered in the United States.
Kalel plans to keep his gem as a souvenir to remember his epic first visit to the park. The lucky treasure-hunter named his finding "Superman's Diamond," in honor of his connection to the one and only, Superman (whose name was also Kalel).
