Boy Finds Diamond Worth $15K at Mining Site Turned Into Park

A 12-year-old boy found a five carat-plus diamond during a recent family trip to an Arkansas state park. that once was a diamond mining site and attracts would-be prospectors. The stone may be worth as much as $15,000.

The North Carolina boy, Michael Detlaff, was visiting the Arkansas' Crater of Diamond State Park on July 31 when he discovered the 5.16-carat "honey brown diamond" in the park's "diamond search area," CNN reported.

The 37.5-acre park is situated on what was once a diamond mining site before it became a state park in 1972.

Latest: Do You Support Giving Illegals Citizenship? Vote Here Now

The park is the "only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public," according to its website.

After paying an admissions fee, $7 for adults and $4 for children, visitors can keep whatever valuable rock they find at the site.

In addition to diamonds, of which white, yellow and brown variations have been found inside the park, some 40 additional types of rocks and minerals have also been picked from the grounds, including gem stones such as amethysts, peridots and garnets, CNN notes.

“It is thrilling any time a child finds a diamond here at Crater of Diamonds State Park. 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,” Park Interpreter Waymon Cox said in a statement, Fox News reported.

Detlaff found the diamond after just 10 minutes of searching, while his father was reportedly still in the process of buying mining equipment for the dig.

Detlaff has since named the prized rock "God's Glory Diamond."

The diamond has an estimated value of between $12,000 and $15,000 once polished, according to Mining.com.

Detlaff's find was the 328th diamond found so far this year, of which 12 have been larger than one carat, Cox added. Overall, Detlaff's "God's Glory Diamond" is the 27th largest diamond found by a park visitor over the past 40-plus years.

Urgent: Should Obamacare be Repealed? Vote Here Now

"To Michael the entire experience may have felt like a dream, but it is certainly a dream come true, and an adventure he will remember for the rest of his life," Cox said.

Diamonds were first discovered at the site in 1906, by the plot's former owner, a farmer named John Huddleston. Since then, some 75,000-plus diamonds have been found on the 37.5 acres.

Related stories:

Chinese Love for Diamonds Arouses World Market Prices

Belgium: 31 Held in One of World’s Largest $50 Million Diamond Heist