Hunter Finds Arkansas Park’s Largest Diamond This Year

Navy reservist Jack Pearadin found a 6.03-carat yellow diamond at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park, the largest discovery there this year. Searching with friend Michael Schumacher and livestreaming on TikTok, he rinsed gravel from a bucket and flipped the pile onto a table to expose the stone. He reacted with "Oh my God! Oh my God!" and "Holy crap, we got a big one!" Pearadin named it the American Dream, calling it "this massive, gorgeous yellow diamond." He has found more than 300 gems at the park since 2013 and plans to share any proceeds with Schumacher. The park charges $15 entry and lets visitors keep what they find. Most of the 400-800 diamonds found annually weigh about a quarter of a carat. More than 37,000 have been found since 1972. The 40.23-carat Uncle Sam diamond, found there in 1924 and cut to 12.42 carats, is the largest ever found in the U.S. and is at the Smithsonian. Pearadin says collectors told him it could be worth more than $1 million. Appraiser Laura Stanley estimates a high-quality 6-carat yellow diamond could sell for about $250,000. Its value has not been definitively established.