MURFREESBORO, Ark. – A regular visitor to Crater of Diamonds State Park recently discovered a 3.29-carat brown diamond in his wet-sifted gravel.
It is the largest diamond found at the park this year and the largest since September 2021, according to an Arkansas State Parks news release.
David Anderson of Murfreesboro spotted the gem on March 4, while wet-sifting soil from the West Drain of the park's 37.5-acre diamond search area.
"At first I thought it was quartz but wondered why it was so shiny. Once I picked it up, I realized it was a diamond," Anderson said.
Anderson first learned about Crater of Diamonds State Park while watching The Travel Channel in 2007.
Anderson has found more than 400 diamonds over the past 16 years, including 15 weighing over one carat. His other top finds include a 3.83-carat yellow diamond found in December 2011 and a 6.19-carat white gem discovered in April 2014.
Finders of Crater diamonds often choose to name their gems. Anderson named his diamond B.U.D.
"That's for Big, Ugly Diamond," said Anderson, noting the diamond's pitted surface and mottled brown color. Anderson typically sells his diamonds locally and said he also plans to sell this one.
Anderson's diamond is the largest gem park staff have registered since September 2021, when a visitor from Granite Bay, California, discovered a 4.38-carat yellow diamond at the site.
Anderson's is the largest brown diamond from the park since the Kinard Friendship Diamond, a 9.07-carat gem found on Labor Day 2020. The Kinard Friendship Diamond was discovered by Kevin Kinard of Maumelle and is the second-largest diamond found at Crater of Diamonds State Park.
As of this Tuesday, 124 diamonds had been registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park this year. An average of one to two diamonds are found by park visitors each day.
David Anderson of Murfreesboro, Arkansas, holds up the 3.29-carat diamond he found March 4, 2023, at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. The diamond was the largest found in the park since September 2021. (Arkansas Parks Department)