Dan and Lauren Frederick, a father-and-daughter pair from Renton, Wash., uncovered a 2.03 ct. diamond during a recent visit to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Ark.

The duo found the stone on Oct. 3 and have named it the Lucky Diamond.

“My dad and I have always loved to hunt for gems,” said Lauren, according to a release from the park. “We’ve dug for sapphires and garnets and always search for agates when we’re on the Washington coast. Naturally, we had always wanted to go to Arkansas to dig for diamonds.”

The gem they found within the first hour of their visit is pearly white in color and triangular in shape.

“I think we’re still kind of in shock that we found something as big and beautiful as our Lucky Diamond,” Lauren said. “We were so excited with our find that we actually walked around the park for another seven hours with the diamond in my dad’s pocket, trying to find another one. It really was the cherry on top of a fun and special trip with my dad. Finding the diamond will be one of my favorite memories, especially since my dad and I found it together.”

More than 75,000 diamonds have been discovered in the park since it first opened in 1906.

For an inside look at what it’s like to visit the park, check out JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky’s account of her own diamond search. 

(Photo courtesy of Crater of Diamonds State Park) 

JCK