Jack Pearadin has spent more than a dozen years searching through Arkansas soil, pulling hundreds of small diamonds from the ground during his time there. The 6.03-carat gem he uncovered this year, however, stands apart. It is the largest diamond discovered at Crater of Diamonds State Park this year, and collectors have estimated that it could be worth over $1 million.
Pearadin, a Navy reservist from Missouri, livestreamed the discovery on TikTok. “Oh my God! Oh my God!” he said as he rinsed gravel from a bucket and flipped the pile onto a table. Then he saw the shiny facets of the rough stone. “Holy crap, we got a big one!” he yelled.
The Largest Diamond Found This Year
This year’s biggest find at Crater of Diamonds State Park was a diamond about the size of a fingernail. More than 37,000 diamonds have been uncovered since the old open-pit diamond mine became part of a state park in 1972.
Each year, park staff report that the majority of the roughly 400 to 800 diamonds discovered at the park tip the scales at around a quarter of a carat. Yet some truly notable stones have turned up over the years. A bank manager from Arkansas made headlines in 2020 after finding a 9-carat diamond. More recently, a French man struck it rich in 2024, unearthing a 7-carat stone.
A diamond weighing 40.23 carats came out of the ground here, and it remains the biggest stone ever found in the United States. Known as the Uncle Sam, it was discovered at the park in 1924. After cutting and polishing, it became a 12.42-carat diamond and was given to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. There, it can be seen in the “Great American Diamonds” exhibit.
How the Diamond Got Its Name
Pearadin named his find the “American Dream.” “It’s just this massive, gorgeous yellow diamond,” he said.
Pearadin intends to share the money from the sale with Michael Schumacher of Wisconsin, who assisted in digging the gravel that yielded the stone. The Wisconsin gem hunter’s help was part of the effort that produced the stone. Pearadin is also aiming to launch his own crystal mine.
Pearadin moved to nearby Murfreesboro to support his hobby. “I love it that much,” he told The Associated Press. He has been trying his luck at the park since 2013, and he has found over 300 gems so far.
The Park’s Diamond Hunting Rules
The park asks visitors for a $15 fee when they bring a 5-gallon bucket full of rocks. Guests are allowed to take home any gemstones they discover, though most of those stones tend to be small and worth roughly a few hundred dollars.
Anyone is allowed to search for diamonds in the park and keep what they find, which makes it one of the few such places in the world, according to experts.
“It’s a pretty remarkable operation that that’s available to the public,” said Nathan Renfro, senior manager at the Gemological Institute of America. “Most diamond mines are super high security.”
What Makes the Diamond Worth So Much
A gem expert in Little Rock named Laura Stanley says a top-grade yellow diamond weighing six carats from the park could sell for around $250,000, and she bases her estimate on the stone’s size and its hue.
Stanley gave a reason for the increased cost, saying it was because of the added expense. “They are their own entity,” she said. “It’s the only place in America where you can go find your own diamond and you can’t compare that to a diamond from anywhere else.”
She said a standard .17-carat diamond from the park sells for roughly $700. The bigger stones carry higher prices due to how rare they are and where they come from.
The Science Behind the Stones
Deep beneath the Earth’s surface, diamonds take shape under immense pressure and heat. Volcanic eruptions carry them upward, scattering them across the land through the action of water or wind. The stones frequently appear hazy and irregular in form.
About 25% of a diamond’s weight disappears when it is cut and polished, according to Renfro. This explains why the rough Uncle Sam crystal, weighing 40.23 carats, ended up as a 12.42-carat finished stone.
Renfro says there are only two known primary diamond deposits in the United States. They are Crater of Diamonds and Kelsey Lake in Colorado, where the land was restored after a commercial mining operation closed down years ago.
Now, the Arkansas park stands as one of the few remaining spots on Earth where people may search for diamonds and carry away whatever they find.
The Appraiser’s Estimate
One appraiser with experience told The Associated Press that a stone of this size and quality could be worth a quarter of what Pearadin has claimed. That remains an impressive discovery.
Waymon Cox, park assistant superintendent, pointed to the larger discoveries among the finds. Among these, the 9-carat stone from 2020 and the 7-carat stone from 2024 mark notable moments in recent history.
What Happens Next
Pearadin has kept quiet about what he intends to do with the American Dream. He previously sold most of his diamonds through online sales, and he now says he wants to split the money with Schumacher.
There is no mention in the source material that the stone has undergone cutting or polishing. That work has yet to be done, and the stone’s ultimate worth will depend on how well it endures those processes, since they can take away up to a quarter of its weight.
Pearadin has found what he calls the American Dream after more than a decade of searching, and for now he is simply enjoying the moment.
| Event | Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Largest diamond found this year | This year | 6.03 carats |
| Uncle Sam found | 1924 | 40.23 carats |
| Uncle Sam cut | After 1924 | 12.42 carats |
| 9-carat diamond found | 2020 | 9 carats |
| 7-carat diamond found | 2024 | 7 carats |
Key Facts Box
- Largest diamond found this year: 6.03 carats
- Uncle Sam weight (rough): 40.23 carats
- Uncle Sam weight (cut): 12.42 carats
- Entry fee: $15
- Average annual finds: 400 to 800 diamonds
- Typical find weight: About a quarter of a carat
- Value of a six-carat yellow diamond: About $250,000
- Value of a .17-carat diamond: Around $700
- Largest diamond ever found in the U.S.: The Uncle Sam, 40.23 carats
For more than a dozen years, Pearadin sifted rocks without finding anything remarkable — until at last he discovered something extraordinary. That stone now sits in his possession and could be worth over $1 million.
Source material: “Gem hunter says he found what may be a $1 million diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas,” ABC13 Houston.
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