New Yorker Unearths Diamond at State Park

After weeks of digging through dirt at an Arkansas state park, a determined woman struck personal gold—a 2.30-carat diamond she plans to turn into her engagement ring. Micherre Fox, a 31-year-old native of New York City, made the find at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, reports USA Today. The New York Post pegs the gem's worth at $27,000. Fox spent three weeks searching the park's 37.5-acre diamond field, after spending two years researching where to look. Her partner even agreed to postpone their engagement until Fox unearthed her own diamond—a quest with big meaning for her.

"There's something symbolic about being able to solve problems with money, but sometimes money runs out in a marriage," Fox said in a press release. "You need to be willing and able to solve those problems with hard work." On July 29, Fox spotted the stone glinting on the ground, initially mistaking it for a dew-covered spiderweb. She brought the find to the park's Diamond Discovery Center, where staff identified it as a large, colorless gem—the third-largest found at the park this year.

"I got down on my knees and cried, then started laughing," Fox says. Crater of Diamonds is known for its volcanic origins, giving visitors a rare chance to hunt for gems. Since the first diamond was found there in 1906, more than 75,000 have been unearthed.