‘IT WAS SO SHINY’

Visitor Finds Biggest Diamond in Years at Arkansas State Park

David Anderson has previously found over 400 other diamonds in the same area.

A visitor to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas unearthed a 3.29-carat brown diamond earlier this month in what’s believed to be the biggest gem found in the park in two years. David Anderson, who has been searching for precious stones in the park since 2007, made his major find on March 4. “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!” He has since named his find B.U.D. “That’s for ‘Big, Ugly Diamond,” Anderson said. One or two diamonds are found in the park every day, according to authorities, with Anderson alone having found over 400 on his visits. His latest discovery—which Anderson now plans to sell—is the biggest made in the park since a visitor from California spotted a 4.38-carat yellow diamond at the site in September 2021.