An unforgettable adventure unfolded at Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas, when seven-year-old Aspen Brown from Paragould made a remarkable discovery on September 1, unearthing a stunning 2.95-carat golden brown diamond. This remarkable find marked the second-largest diamond unearthed by a park visitor this year, second only to a 3.29-carat brown diamond found in March.
Aspen’s discovery is even more captivating because it happened shortly after an excavation project had wrapped up at the park. In August, a contracted company dug a 150-yard trench to manage erosion on the north side of the search area, exposing several tons of unsearched diamond-bearing material. This suggests that Aspen’s diamond and others may have been uncovered due to this excavation.
The Brown family’s visit to the park was particularly special as they celebrated Aspen’s birthday. They ventured to the north side of the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area, a plowed field atop the eroded surface of an ancient, diamond-bearing volcano. Aspen’s father, Luther Brown, recalled the moment of discovery, saying, “She got hot and wanted to sit down for a minute, so she walked over to some big rocks by the fence line. Next thing I know, she was running to me, saying, ‘Dad! Dad! I found one!'”
Aspen had picked up a gem about the size of a green pea from a pathway along the northeast side of the search area. Upon leaving the park, the family visited the Diamond Discovery Center, where park staff confirmed that Aspen’s gem was indeed a diamond.
Described by Waymon Cox, assistant park superintendent, as having a golden-brown color and a sparkling luster, Aspen’s diamond is a complete crystal with no broken facets, featuring a small aperture on one side, a remnant of its formation process. Cox remarked, “It’s certainly one of the most beautiful diamonds I’ve seen in recent years.”
In keeping with tradition, many visitors to Crater of Diamonds State Park choose to name the diamonds they discover. Luther Brown thought “Aspen Diamond” was the perfect name, emphasizing that a stroke of luck led to the find.
Aspen’s discovery was near where another sizable diamond, the 3.72-carat Caro Avenger, was found in 2019. As of now, 563 diamonds have been registered at the park in 2023, with a cumulative weight exceeding 89 carats. On average, one to two diamonds are found by park visitors each day.
Intriguingly, over 75,000 diamonds have been unearthed at the Crater of Diamonds since the first discovery by John Huddleston, a farmer who owned the land long before it became a state park in 1972. Notably, the largest diamond discovered in the United States was found in 1924 during early mining operations on the land that eventually became the state park.
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