Lucky Arkansas man finds 3.29-carat brown diamond at state park
The Arkansas man found the gem in the Crater of Diamonds State Park's search area
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An Arkansas man unearthed a 3.29-carat brown diamond at the Bear State's Crater of Diamonds State Park earlier this month.
Murfreesboro resident David Anderson is a regular visitor to the park and has found over 400 diamonds there since 2007.
He was wet-sifting soil in the park's 37.5-acre diamond search area on March 4 when he came across the gem.
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"At first I thought it was quartz but wondered why it was so shiny," Anderson said. "Once I picked it up, I realized it was a diamond!"
SUNKEN JEWELS, BURIED TREASURE UNCOVERED IN THE BAHAMAS FROM ICONIC 17TH CENTURY SPANISH SHIPWRECK
According to park rangers, the jewel is the largest diamond found at the park this year.
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Anderson learned about the Crater of Diamonds State Park while watching the Travel Channel over fifteen years ago. He visited the park for the first time in 2007.
"After I found my first diamond, a 1.5-carat white, I was hooked!" Anderson said. His highlights include a 3.83-carat yellow diamond in 2011 and a 6.19-carat white gem in 2014.
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The lucky man decided to name the diamond B.U.D. – short for "Big Ugly Diamond".
"Mr. Anderson’s diamond is about the size of an English pea, with a light brown color and octahedron shape," Park Interpreter Tayler Markham described. "It has a metallic shine typical of all diamonds found at the park, with a partially resorbed surface and lots of inclusions."
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Over 75,000 diamonds have been found at the park since 1906. The largest one was found in 1924 and weighed 40.23 carats.