Micherre Fox, who lives in Manhattan, holds a 2.3-carat uncut white diamond she dug up at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park after three weeks of searching. Arkansas State Parks via The New York Times

By the end of her trip, Micherre Fox had almost made peace with the fact that she would leave Arkansas with nothing but bug bites and tattered hiking boots.

For three weeks, Fox, who lives in New York City, had been camping at Crater of Diamonds State Park and going out to dig for gems each day. She rose before dawn, paid the $15 entry fee, walked the half-mile to the fields with her battered tools, and dug, sifted and rinsed until her hands ached. She was on a mission: to find a diamond for her engagement ring.

Wake, walk, work, hope. Repeat.

On her last day there, she slept in and

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