Josh Lanik, a 36-year-old schoolteacher from Hebron, Nebraska, found a 2.21-carat brandy-colored diamond while visiting the Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park with his wife and kids last week (July 24).
According to a press release, Lanik found the gem after searching the area for two hours. Lanik picked up the stone, realizing immediately there was something different about it: “I saw the shine, and when I picked it up and rolled it in my hand, I noticed there weren’t any sharp edges”, he said. On his way out, the Lanik family stopped by the Diamond Discovery Center, where he was informed that he had found the largest diamond found so far in 2019.
Park Interpreter Waymon Cox commented on the find: “Mr. Lanik’s gem is about the size of a jellybean and has a dark brown color, similar to brandy. It has a beautiful natural pear shape and smooth, curved facets that give the gem a metallic shine”. So far in 2019, 296 diamonds have been registered at Crater of
