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Jul 25, 2008 7:21 pm US/Central
9-Year-Old Local Boy Finds Diamond At Park
UNIVERSITY PARK (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
A 9-year-old University Park boy is now the owner of a nearly 3-carat diamond. Matthew Smith was on his way home from camp in Arkansas when his family decided to stop and take a walk in a park. The stop paid off in a big way!
Of course, it helps that the park was Crater of Diamonds State Park. Approximately 1,000 diamonds are found there each year. That averages out to about three diamonds found every day. The largest one ever was nearly 17 carats.
"We stopped there because my nephew loves rocks," Smith's mother said.
"I found a diamond like, 10 minutes into searching," said Smith. "It was on a path and I was just walking and I saw something sparkle, and I picked it up."
"He brought it to me first and said, 'I think I got something,'" said Smith's mother. "I said, 'That's a pretty brown rock, just throw it in your bucket and let's keep searching.' I didn't think it was a diamond."
The boy's mother continued, "It sat in the bucket, in fact, he even left the bucket just sitting unattended for about an hour."
The park confirmed that Smith had officially found a diamond. "When we got in there, they said it's a 2.75 carat diamond," Smith's mother said. "We were all shocked."
Park policy says that anything you find, you keep. So, what does Smith plan to do with the rock? "I'll keep it as a souvenir," he said.
"Maybe give it to a wife someday," added his mother.
If you would like to visit Crater of Diamonds State Park, you can find more information by checking out their
official site. You can also see more pictures of Smith's find in our
slideshow.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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