"We took the kids to look for amethyst on Canary Hill, and I was walking through an area where it looked like a lot of water had washed when I saw it," he said. "It was blatantly obvious there was something different about it. I saw the shine, and when I picked it up and rolled it in my hand, I noticed there weren't any sharp edges."
Lanik said he didn't realize the object was a diamond until he and his family took their finds to the park's Diamond Discovery Center to have them identified.
Officials told Lanik his 2.2-carat brown diamond was the largest diamond found at the park so far in 2019.
"Mr. Lanik's gem is about the size of a jellybean and has a dark brown color, similar to brandy. It has a beautiful natural pear shape and smooth, curved facets that give the gem a metallic shine," Park Interpreter Waymon Cox said.
Cox said recent heavy rains likely caused the diamond to end up on the surface. He said about one in 10 diamonds found by park visitors are discovered on the surface of the ground.
The worth of Lanik's diamond was not revealed, but the teacher said he plans to keep it as a souvenir for the time being.
