Guy Finds 'Shiny' Thing That's Really So Much More

A bank manager discovered a 9.07-carat diamond at a state park in southwestern Arkansas after thinking the precious gem was a piece of glass, the AP reports. Kevin Kinard of Maumelle found the second-largest diamond in the 48-year history of Crater of Diamonds State Park on Labor Day, according to a news release from Arkansas State Parks. Kinard said he and his friends hauled sifting equipment to the state park in Murfreesboro. Kinard noted that he's been visiting Crater of Diamonds regularly since he was a kid but had never stumbled upon a diamond until Sept. 7. "I only wet sifted for about ten minutes before I started walking up and down the plowed rows," he said. "Anything that looked like a crystal, I picked it up and put it in my bag."

While searching in the southeast portion of the 37.5-acre diamond search area, Kinard scooped up a marble-sized crystal that had a rounded, dimpled shape. "It kind of looked interesting and shiny, so I put it in my bag and kept searching," Kinard said. "I just thought it might've been glass." Several hours later, Kinard said he and his comrades stopped by the park's Diamond Discovery Center, where park workers identify visitor findings and register diamonds. Upon having his finds assessed, an employee informed Kinard he had discovered a diamond. "I honestly teared up when they told me," Kinard said. "I was in complete shock!" People notes that the diamond's value is unclear, but a 3.03-carat gem found in 1990 was worth $34,700—so Kinard's is "likely worth thousands more."

(More diamonds stories.)