diamond
Sarah Biren
Sarah Biren
January 19, 2024 ·  4 min read

Woman finds 4.38-carat diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park

The Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas is one of the only places to find real diamonds at their source. The park includes a 37-acre field of a volcanic crater. Visitors come to explore and dig for various uncut rocks and gemstones — and they can keep whatever they find. Over 33,100 diamonds have been found since the park opened in 1972. And just last month, a woman found a  4.38-carat yellow diamond, and she didn’t even know it was a diamond at first.

A Discovery at The Crater of Diamonds State Park

“I first saw the park featured on a TV show several years ago,” Noreen Wredberg, from Granite Bay, California.
She and her husband, Michael were visiting Hot Springs National Park, one of the many national parks they visited since they retired in 2011. “When I realized we weren’t too far away, I knew we had to come!”

With recent rainfall, the earth was perfect for hunting gemstones. “Many visitors surface search for diamonds after a good rain. More than one inch of rain fell at the park between September 19 and 21,” park interpreter Waymon Cox explained in the release. “The soil had dried a little, and the sun was out when Mrs. Wredberg visited two days later. She was in just the right place to see her diamond sparkle in the morning sunlight!” 

4.38-carat diamond discovered at Diamonds State Park
4.38-carat diamond discovered at Diamonds State Park. Image via CNN

“Lucy’s Diamond”

The pair explored for about an hour before Wredberg saw the stone. “I didn’t know it was a diamond then, but it was clean and shiny, so I picked it up!” she said. [1] It was a striking stone, according to Park Superintendent Caleb Howell. “When I first saw this diamond under the microscope, I thought, ‘Wow, what a beautiful shape and color!'” Howell said in the press release. “Mrs. Wredberg’s diamond weighs more than four carats and is about the size of a jellybean, with a pear shape and a lemonade yellow color.”

Best of all, Wredberg gets to keep the stone. However, its exact worth is unclear since the Crater of Diamonds State Park doesn’t do appraisals. Wredberg named the stone “Lucy’s Diamond” after her husband’s kitten. “The name is sentimental to us. Lucy is mostly gray but has slight tints of yellow in her fur, similar to the light yellow of my diamond,” she said. She added she might have the diamond cut after she learns of its quality. “I don’t even know what it’s worth yet. It’s all new to me!”

Other Notable Finds at the Park

Arkansas is the only state in the country that has a diamond mine open to the public,” Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Stacy Hurst said in a statement. “It’s such a unique experience and visitors make lifetime memories, whether or not they find a diamond. Of course, finding a diamond adds to the experience!” [2]

In fact, 258 diamonds were registered at the Crater of Diamonds State Park this year, one to two diamonds found each day on average, although some visitors leave empty-handed. On Labor Day 2020, Kevin Kinard from Arkansas found the second-largest diamond at the park, a 9.07-carat diamond, since 1972. Wredberg’s diamond is the largest found since then. The largest diamond ever discovered there was the 40.23-carat called Uncle Sam. Other diamonds of note are the 15.33-carat Star of Arkansas; and the 8.52-carat Esperanza. 

Visiting the Crater of Diamonds State Park

Another diamond of note is the 3.03-carat diamond discovered in 1990. The owner cut it into a round 1.09 carat stone and set it on a gold ring. The park bought the ring for $34,000 in donations, and you could see it for yourself at the visitor center. [3] Additionally, the park’s visitor center’s displays include uncut diamonds to learn about and how to find them. Plus, you could learn about the area’s history and geology.

While many people picture white when they think of diamonds, they come in all colors. At the Crater of Diamonds State Park, diamonds come in yellow, brown, and white. You could also discover agate, garnet, amethyst, jasper, quartz, and other rocks and minerals. The staff at the park could help identify these stones, and they also provide diamond mining demonstrations and other programs. The park also contains walking trails picnic sites, campsites, a gift shop, and the seasonal Diamond Springs Water Park. For more information, see the Crater of Diamonds State Park website.

Sources:

  1. “Finders keepers: Woman finds 4-carat yellow diamond in Arkansas state park.” NBC News. Ben Kesslen.
  2. “Calif. Woman Finds 4.38-Carat Diamond in Ark. Park, Marking Largest One Found There This Year.People. Joelle Goldstein.
  3. “Woman finds 4.38-carat diamond at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park.CNN. Theresa Waldrop.
  4. “CRATER OF DIAMONDS STATE PARK.Arkansas State Parks Official Website