Child digs up 3-carat diamond in Arkansas state park

Gem is about the size of a pea, officials say

Rough brown diamonds. The child visited Crater of Diamonds State Park and left with a 2.95-carat golden brown diamond. Sarah Dea / The National

A seven-year-old has dug up a nearly 3-carat diamond in an Arkansas state park, local officials reported this week.

The child, Aspen Brown of Paragould, visited Crater of Diamonds State Park last week and left with a 2.95-carat golden brown diamond.

"This is second largest registered by a park guest this year, topped only by a 3.29-carat brown diamond discovered in March," Arkansas State Parks said in an Instagram post.

The gem is about the size of a pea, officials said.

Crater of Diamonds State Park is a big draw for amateur gem hunters, as it is one of the only places in the world that allows members of the public to dig for stones - and keep what they find.

"Visitors to the park search a 37-acre field, the eroded surface of a volcanic crater, for a variety of rocks, minerals and gemstones – and any rock or mineral you find is yours to keep," Arkansas State Parks said on its website.

Diamonds were first discovered at the site by a farmer who bought the land that now makes up the park in 1906. The land eventually became a state park in 1972.

More than 35,000 diamonds have been found by park visitors in the 40 years since, including the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam, the largest diamond ever unearthed in the US; the 16.37-carat Amarillo Starlight; the 15.33-carat Star of Arkansas; and the 8.52-carat Esperanza.