Woman finds 1.3-carat diamond in a state park

'I was just picking up pretty rocks,' says woman of her searching technique

Get weird & wonderful news on Twitter

Looking for more strange and fun stories and oddball videos? Follow @msnbc_wow.

Video: Wonderful World

Whales celebrate Christmas in Japan
Nov. 16: A scuba diving Santa delivers gifts to the whales at an aquarium in Yokohama, Japan. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.

Baby saved after being trapped in washer

Tim McGraw turns spotlight on hurricane recovery

Despite hard times, volunteer offers her time

Doctor treats the uninsured

Your turn!

Inspirational athletes
In honor of the 2008 Olympics, we're celebrating the athletes in your own life who inspire greatness.

updated 7:26 a.m. ET Sept. 22, 2006

MURFREESBORO, Ark. — A Tennessee woman whose husband predicted she wouldn't have any luck gem hunting at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park made a sparkling discovery: a 1.30-carat diamond.

"I wasn't expecting to find anything and was just picking up pretty rocks," said Melissa Lacey of Knoxville.

At first, she thought the light yellow diamond was "a piece of dirty quartz." After it was identified by park staff, Lacey said she couldn't wait to show it to her husband.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

The diamond was the size of a piece of candy corn. The largest diamond ever discovered in the U.S. was unearthed here in 1924. Named the Uncle Sam, the white diamond weighed 40.23 carats.

A freshly dug trench was opened to the public on Saturday. Soil from the trench was spread out over parts of the diamond field. Lacey found her diamond there Thursday.

The Crater of Diamonds State Park is the world's only publicly operated diamond site where the public is allowed to search and keep any gems found, regardless of their value.