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UPI
3 days ago
- UPI
Look: New York woman finds 2.3-carat gem at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds
1 of 3 | Micherre Fox found a 2.3-carat white diamond after three weeks of searching at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park. Photo courtesy of Arkansas State Parks Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A New York woman visited Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park to find a stone for her engagement ring and wound up discovering a 2.3-carat white diamond. Manhattan resident Micherre Fox, 31, said she decided about two years ago that she would find her own engagement ring diamond. "There's something symbolic about being able to solve problems with money, but sometimes money runs out in a marriage," Fox said in an Arkansas State Parks news release. "You need to be willing and able to solve those problems with hard work." Fox said her partner supported her decision and agreed to wait until she found the right stone. "I was willing to go anywhere in the world to make that happen," she said. "I researched, and it turned out that the only place in the world to do it was right in our backyard, in Arkansas!" Fox planned a three-week trip to the park that began July 8. She spent hours searching for the perfect diamond every day, but it wasn't until July 29, the last day of her visit, that she spotted something along the West Drain of the park's 37.5-acre diamond search area. The searcher said she initially thought the object was merely the sun glistening off the dew on a spider web, but when she nudged it with her boot she realized it was something solid. "Having never seen an actual diamond in my hands, I didn't know for sure, but it was the most 'diamond-y diamond' I had seen," she recalled. Fox took her find to the Diamond Discovery Center, where staff confirmed she had found a 2.3-carat white diamond, also known as a colorless diamond. "I got on my knees and cried, then started laughing," she said. Fox, who is now planning to have the stone set in her engagement ring, named her gem the Fox-Ballou Diamond, combining her partner's last name with her own. "Ms. Fox's story highlights the fact that, even when putting forth your best effort, being in the right place at the right time plays a part in finding diamonds," Crater of Diamonds State Park Assistant Superintendent Waymon Cox said. "After weeks of hard work, Ms. Fox found her diamond sitting right on top of the ground."
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Travel + Leisure
3 days ago
- Travel + Leisure
This Traveler Found a 2.3-carat Diamond at the Only U.S. State Park That Lets You Dig for Diamonds
In a state park that lets you dig for diamonds, you never know what you might find. At least that was the case for Micherre Fox. She traveled from New York to Arkansas to spend a month at Crater of Diamonds State Park, one of the only places in the U.S. that produces diamonds and lets visitors search for them. Fox was hoping to find a diamond for her engagement ring when she arrived in Arkansas on July 8. However, it wasn't until her last day searching that she got lucky. While walking along the West Drain of the park on July 29, she spotted something shiny at her feet, and realized the glistening object was a stone. It seemed clear to her that it was probably a diamond. She brought the stone to the Diamond Discovery Center and it was confirmed that what she had found was a white diamond that weighed 2.3 carats. "Having never seen an actual diamond in my hands, I didn't know for sure, but it was the most 'diamond-y diamond' I had seen,' Fox told Arkansas State Parks. 'I got on my knees and cried, then started laughing." A sign for the historic Strawn-Wagner found diamond at the State Park. Since the first diamonds were discovered in the area in 1906, over 75,000 diamonds have been found at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. Diamonds can come in all colors, though the three most common colors found at the Arkansas park are white, brown, and yellow. The park is also where the largest diamond in the United States wad discovered. It was uncovered in 1924 during a mining operation on the land that later became Crater of Diamonds State Park. The diamond was white with a pink cast, and weighed 40.23 carats before it was cut down to a 12.42 carat emerald-shaped stone. It currently resides in the Smithsonian's gem collection at the National Museum of Natural History. Many visitors who find diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park choose to name them, and Fox has decided to call hers the Fox-Ballou Diamond, after her and her partner's last names, and will use it in her engagement ring as she had hoped. As of August 2025, there have been 366 diamonds found and registered at the park in 2025, and 11 have weighed more than one carat. Fox's find is the third-largest diamond found at the park thus far this year.
3 days ago
Woman unearths 2.3-carat diamond for engagement ring in Arkansas Park
A determined woman from New York searching for the perfect stone for her engagement ring struck gold or rather, diamond with a stunning 2.3-carat find. Micherre Fox, of Manhattan, decided about two years ago she wanted to find her own diamond. In July, she traveled to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas -- the only public site in the world where visitors can search for and keep any gems they find, according to the state park. "I was willing to go anywhere in the world to make that happen," she told the state park in an interview. 'I researched, and it turned out that the only place in the world to do it was right in our backyard, in Arkansas!' Since becoming a state park in 1972, Crater of Diamonds has yielded more than 35,000 diamonds, including the record-breaking 40.23-carat Uncle Sam. Fox arrived on July 8 and spent nearly every day of her three-week trip digging for diamonds. During her final day on July 29, she spotted a glint in the park's 37.5-acre search area. At first, she thought it might be a dew-covered spiderweb, but when the shine didn't fade, she nudged it with her boot and picked it up. "Having never seen an actual diamond in my hands, I didn't know for sure, but it was the most 'diamond-y diamond' I had seen,' she recalled. Fox later rushed to the Diamond Discovery Center, where staff confirmed it was a white, colorless diamond weighing more than two carats. Overcome with emotion, she said she dropped to her knees and cried, then laughed. More than 350 diamonds have been found at the park this year, and Fox's gem, which she named the Fox-Ballou Diamond after her and her partner's last names, is the third-largest discovered there in 2025, according to the state park. Looking back, Fox said her experience at the park was all about getting her hands dirty and she also credited park staff and fellow visitors for making the trip unforgettable. "After all the research, there's luck and there's hard work,' she said. 'When you are literally picking up the dirt in your hands, no amount of research can do that for you; no amount of education can take you all the way. It was daunting!"
USA Today
4 days ago
- General
- USA Today
Woman finds 'most diamond-y diamond' for engagement ring at state park
A woman's hard work finally paid off at an Arkansas state park after she spent weeks searching for a diamond to turn into an engagement ring. Micherre Fox, 31, originally from New York City, found the 2.30-carat white diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in southwestern Arkansas, the state park shared in a news release. She first decided about two years ago that she wanted to find her own diamond, the park said. Her partner agreed to wait to get engaged until she found the gem. "There's something symbolic about being able to solve problems with money, but sometimes money runs out in a marriage,' Fox said in the press release. 'You need to be willing and able to solve those problems with hard work.' 'It was the most diamond-y diamond I had seen' The recent graduate took a break for a month to search for a diamond. 'I was willing to go anywhere in the world to make that happen,' she said in the press release. 'I researched, and it turned out that the only place in the world to do it was right in our backyard, in Arkansas!' She took two weeks to prepare for her search, during which she conducted research, and then went to the park on July 8. It wasn't until the morning of July 29 that she came across her soon-to-be engagement diamond. It was about 11 a.m. that day, and Fox was taking a stroll along the West Drain of the park's 37.5-acre diamond search area when she saw something by her feet. She initially thought it was a dew-covered spiderweb and pushed it with her foot, but it kept shining, the park said, Once Fox realized it was a stone, she picked it up. "'It was the most diamond-y diamond I had seen',' she said in the press release. The park has a Diamond Discovery Center, where Fox headed after she found the diamond. Staff told her she'd found a white or colorless diamond that weighed more than two carats. 'I got on my knees and cried, then started laughing,' she recalled. According to the park, the diamond is about the size of a human canine tooth. This year, the smooth, rounded, metallic gem is the third-largest diamond found so far, the park said. Previous finds at Crater of Diamonds State Park Crater of Diamonds State Park is the site of the eroded surface of a volcanic crater, allowing visitors to find rocks, minerals and gemstones, the park said. According to the staff at Crater of Diamonds State Park, farmer John Huddleston found the first diamonds there in 1906. Since then, visitors have found over 75,000 diamonds. There have been previous diamond discoveries at Crater of Diamonds State Park covered by USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network which include: Today, the three most common diamond colors found at the park are white, brown and yellow, the park said. The largest diamond ever found in the U.S. was discovered in 1924 on the property, the park said. The diamond is called the Uncle Sam, and it is a white diamond with a pink cast, weighing 40.23 carats. It's part of the Smithsonian's mineral and gem collection and is located at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Woman gives diamond a special name in honor of her soon-to-be union Many people who find diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park name them, according to the park. Fox chose to name hers the Fox-Ballou Diamond in honor of herself and her partner. Fox said the find is a true testament to the importance of getting out in the field and being active in nature. 'When you are literally picking up the dirt in your hands, no amount of research can do that for you,' she said. 'No amount of education can take you all the way. It was daunting!" Contributing: Gabe Hauari, Saman Shafiq, Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY; Greta Cross, Springfield News-Leader Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
The Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Woman finds 2.3-carat diamond at Arkansas state park
Micherre Fox of Manhattan discovered a 2.3-carat white diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. Fox had spent three weeks searching for a diamond for her engagement ring, valuing the symbolism of earning it through hard work. She found the diamond on her final day at the park, initially mistaking it for a dew-covered spiderweb before realizing it was a stone. Staff at the Diamond Discovery Center confirmed the find, which is estimated to be worth approximately $27,000. Fox has named her discovery the Fox-Ballou Diamond and plans to have it set in her engagement ring. Woman saw a 'spiderweb' in an Arkansas park and decide to kick it. It was really a $27,000 diamond
