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Teacher Uncovers 2.12-Carat Brown Diamond While on Vacation
Josh Lanik’s discovery at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas is the site’s largest find so far in 2019.
Crater of Diamonds State Park just registered a 2.12-carat diamond discovery, noting the stone is a dark brown color similar to brandy and slightly pear shaped.
Murfreesboro, Ark.—A schoolteacher on vacation in Arkansas hit the jackpot.
Josh Lanik, a 36-year-old man from Hebron, Nebraska, learned about Crater of Diamonds State Park from a coworker who used to live in the state and he decided to visit the site while on a family trip.
On July 24, after spending about two hours searching for diamonds, he uncovered a “brandy-colored” stone weighing 2.12 carats in the southwest edge of the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area, Crater of Diamonds said.
Lanik found the diamond about 15 feet from the West Drain, a trench running along the western border of the area.
“We took the kids to look for amethyst on Canary Hill, and I was walking through an area where it looked like a lot of water had washed when I saw it,” he told the park.
He added that he wasn’t sure what he had found at first, knowing only that it was something unique based on its shine and lack of sharp edges.
Before Lanik and his family left the park, they stopped by the Diamond Discovery Center to have their finds identified.
After they weighed and identified the diamond, park staff informed Lanik he had discovered the largest diamond at the park so far in 2019.
According to a park interpreter, the recent record-breaking rainfall likely contributed to his find—about 14 inches of rain fell at the park on July 16. In the following days, staff registered several diamonds found right on the surface in the search area, including two weighing more than 1 carat.
Lanik dubbed his gem the “Lanik Family Diamond” in honor of their trip and told the park he plans to keep it, for now.
Crater of Diamonds said it has registered 296 diamonds to date in 2019 weighing a total of 53.94 carats; 11 of those have weighed at least 1 carat each.
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