OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — One Nebraska man's day at the park has gone viral after he found a 2.12-carat diamond in Arkansas. Instead of selling it however, he decided to turn it into a ring, all with the help of an Omaha jewelry store.
"Just the way the sun hit it, (I thought) that looks different, then you picked it up and it was crazy smooth and shiny all over and I'm like oh I might have found one," says Josh Lanik of Hebron, NE. Lanik was at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas when he found a raw diamond. Park rangers told Lanik it was the biggest diamond found at the park so far in 2019, and the biggest one found since 2017.
Lanik took the diamond to be appraised, but was told it was probably worth under $1,000.00. "Once we got the appraisal we kinda knew that we were going to hang on to it and keep it as a ring for my wife to have and to pass on to my boys," says Lanik.
After that the family contacted Martin Jewelry in Omaha for help in making a ring. The ring for the stone needed to be custom made since the diamond was going to remain in it's original form and not cut like a traditional diamond.
It took two weeks to finish the ring, and those with the store were happy with how it came out. "This was super fun, it was different, normally we do engagement rings, and this is going to be an heirloom which is going to be kinda cool," says Alexandra Bragg, Design Specialist at Martin Jewelry.
Lanik's brother picked the ring up on Friday, as Josh was excited to see it in person.
For more information on Martin Jewelry, their contact number is 402-393-2254 and their website is www.martinjewelry.net
