Is Arkansas just as magical as Paris? For one man, the answer appears to be, “Yes.”
Julien Navas, a resident of Paris, France, ran into some luck as he unearthed a 7.46-carat diamond at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park earlier this month.
“[The park] is a magical place where the dream of finding a diamond can come true! It was a real great adventure,” the Parisian said, as reported by Arkansas State Parks.
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Navas had been traveling across the U.S. and after stopping to see a rocket launch in Cape Canaveral, Florida, he traveled to New Orleans.
Julien Navas found a 7.46-carat diamond at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park on Jan. 11. (Arkansas State Parks)
While in the Big Easy, Navas learned about the Crater of Diamonds State Park and became intrigued.
“The park piqued his interest because he had previously panned for gold and searched for ammonite fossils,” officials with Arkansas State Parks wrote in a press release. “So he knew he had to visit the park while he was in the U.S.”
On Jan. 11, Navas purchased a diamond hunting kit from the park and then began his adventure looking for gems.
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Arkansas park officials say the gem is “the size of a candy gumdrop.” (Arkansas State Parks)
“I got to the park around 9:00 and started to dig,” Navas explained. “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, he brought his discoveries to the park’s Diamond Discovery Center and found out that he was carrying a brown diamond weighing 7.46 carats.
“I am so happy! All I can think about is telling my fiancée what I found,” Navas told park officials.
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The park got a lot of rain in the days before Navas’ visit, which was a reason for the find.
Navas says that he plans to have the gem cut into two diamonds and gift them to his daughter and his future wife. (Arkansas State Parks)
“We periodically plow the search area to loosen the diamond-bearing soil and promote natural erosion,” Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox said in a press release. “As rain falls on the field, it washes away the dirt and uncovers heavy rocks, minerals and diamonds near the surface.”
Navas told park officials that he named the gem after his fiancée, Carine. He plans to have the gem cut into two diamonds – one for Carine, and one for his daughter.
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“Navas’ diamond has a deep chocolate brown color and is rounded like a marble. It is about the size of a candy gumdrop,” the Arkansas State Parks’ press release said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Navas for comment.
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