Oklahoma family finds nearly three-carat brown diamond at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park

MURFREESBORO, Ark. – Officials at Crater of Diamonds State Park announced that a family from Cookson, Oklahoma discovered a nearly three-carat brown diamond during their visit.

Raynae Madison and her family were in Arkansas for the weekend to celebrate her nephew’s birthday when they decided to try their luck searching for diamonds on the north side of the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area near the Prospector Trailhead.

On Sept. 13, after digging several buckets of dirt and sifting it through screens, Madison spotted an unusual oblong, shiny stone. Park staff later confirmed it was a 2.79-carat brown diamond.

Emma O’Neal, a park interpreter, explained that brown diamonds form through plastic deformation, which creates structural defects that reflect red and green light, giving the stone its distinctive color.

The family named their find the William Diamond in honor of Madison’s nephew, park officials said.

The William Diamond is the third-largest diamond registered at the park this year, surpassing a 2.30-carat stone discovered in July, officials added.

Since opening in 1972, Crater of Diamonds State Park has produced more than 75,000 diamonds, with the most common colors being white, brown, and yellow.

The largest diamond ever found in the United States, the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam, was unearthed on the same land in 1924 and is now part of the Smithsonian’s collection, officials noted.