U.S. boy finds rare 7.44-carat brown diamond

Kalel Langford stumbles upon the largest brown diamond registered in nearly 40 years, while on a farm visit.

Updated - March 19, 2017 06:31 pm IST

Published - March 19, 2017 06:28 pm IST - WASHINGTON:

This March 11, 2017, photo provided by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism shows a 7.44-carat diamond that was found by teenager Kalel Langford at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Officials at the park have said the diamond is the seventh largest one found since the park was established in 1972.

This March 11, 2017, photo provided by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism shows a 7.44-carat diamond that was found by teenager Kalel Langford at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Officials at the park have said the diamond is the seventh largest one found since the park was established in 1972.

A 14-year-old boy in the United States has discovered the largest brown diamond registered in nearly 40 years — a rare 7.44—carat stone that has been named ’Superman’s Diamond’

Kalel Langford was visiting the Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park when he spotted the shiny, dark brown gem.

“It was just a few inches from a stream of water, with a bunch of other rocks that were about the same size,” Langford said.

The diamond is the seventh-largest diamond found at the Arkansas State Park in the U.S.

“We had only been at the park for about 30 minutes when he found it. Its colour was so dark that we weren’t sure if it was a diamond, but we knew we needed to have it looked at,” said Craig Langford, Kalel’s father.

His “Superman’s Diamond”

Kalel named his gem Superman’s Diamond.

“Conditions were ideal for Kalel to find his diamond. About an inch of rain fell on the plowed search area during the week,” said Waymon Cox, Park Interpreter.

“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,” said Mr. Cox.

The diamond is the largest registered at the Arkansas State Park since June 24, 2015, when Colorado resident Bobbie Oskarson found an 8.52-carat white diamond that she named the Esperanza.

It is the largest brown diamond registered in nearly 40 years, topped in weight only by an 8.61-carat brown diamond found by Betty Lamle, of Hitchcock, officials of the park said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.