12-year-old scores big find at Crater of Diamonds State Park

August 12th, 2013 by Noam Flint

Diamonds may be known as a girl’s best friend, it was 12-year-old Michael Dettlaff who recently caught the world’s attention for finding a dazzling gemstone. According to USA Today, the North Carolina native scored big while searching for precious diamonds on the grounds of Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. Not only did Dettlaff unearth a diamond, but one of the largest gemstones ever found in the park.

Rough Natural Colored DiamondsRough Natural Colored Diamonds – Photo courtesy of Crater of Diamonds State Park

Dettlaff’s 5.16-carat brown diamond is the 27th-largest find in the park since 1972. The tween, who was vacationing with his family, found the large gemstone after just 10 minutes of digging July 31. The diamond, which Dettlaff named God’s Glory, is about the size of a jelly bean, and per the park’s policy, the young boy will get to keep his impressive colored diamond.

Though some might hold onto the diamond as an investment, Dettlaff told ABC News he’d like to sell it for a profit, but he’d be fine with holding onto it as a keepsake if selling the gemstone doesn’t pan out.

SEE ALSO: Large Brown Diamond Found in Arkansas State Park

“When I brought this rock out of the bag, the guy who was there, he just went bug-eyed,” the preteen told the news source. “If it can be cut and is valuable, I’d like to sell it. And if it’s not, it’s just a great souvenir.”

Waymon Cox, a park interpreter, said in a letter that while it’s always special when someone finds a diamond on the property, having such a young visitor do so is even more magical.

“It is thrilling any time a child finds a diamond here at Crater of Diamonds State Park,” Cox said. “Michael was excited to have found his own diamond, as just about any boy would be, but he was absolutely awestruck when he realized its significance …”

Dettlaff’s diamond is the 328th found at the park this year. Including the Patriot Diamond, a large 2.95 carat brown that was found on the 4th of July.