Mary Bowerman

USA TODAY Network

An Arkansas teenager hit the jackpot Saturday when he found a 7.44-carat diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.

Many people spend hours searching for diamonds at the park only to walk away empty-handed, but Kalel Langford, 14, had only been at the park with his parents for 30 minutes when he spotted a shiny, dark brown gem, according to a statement. Kalel took the stone to the park’s Diamond Discovery Center later in the day and learned that the shiny rock was actually one of the largest diamonds ever discovered in the park.

“We had only been at the park for about 30 minutes when he found it,” Kalel’s dad, Craig Langford, said in a statement provided by the park. “Its color was so dark that we weren’t sure if it was a diamond, but we knew we needed to have it looked at.”

The diamond, which is about the size of a pinto bean, is the 7th-largest diamond found at the Arkansas State Park since 1972, according to the park.

Jackpot! Dad and daughter find 2 carat diamond at Arkansas park

Kalel found the diamond a few inches from a stream of water in the southern portion of the park’s diamond search area.

According to the park, larger diamonds are sometimes found on the surface after rain washes the dirt away and exposes the heavier stones.

The teen said he plans to keep the unique diamond as a souvenir of his first trip to Crater of Diamonds State Park.

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