A 3.86-carat diamond was found at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. The park boasts a unique twist from other state parks: almost a hundred million years ago, a huge volcanic pipe produced thousands of diamonds and other stones, many of which are still buried beneath the dirt, waiting to be uncovered.

The lucky man who discovered the diamond wants to stay anonymous, though his find is the biggest diamond to have been uncovered this year. Waymon Cox, a park guide at Crater of Diamonds, told ABC news, “’Diamond in the rough is a bit of a misnomer. We have many beautiful diamonds that can be used in jewelry.”

Three years ago, a 2-carat diamond was discovered in the park, which was eventually valued at $22,000. This diamond, says Cox, has the “potential to be substantially more valuable” than the other diamond, he speculated to ABC news. 

It has been hailed as the “Heart of Arkansas” because its shape closely resembles a heart. Generally, after every big find at the park, the number of visitors will increase rapidly for a while and then taper back down to its annual attendance, which is between 100,000 and 120,000 visitors. In a typical year, around five to seven large diamonds will be uncovered.

In 1924, the biggest diamond ever to be found, not just in the state park but also in the country, was “The Uncle Sam,” which weighed in at a gargantuan 40.23 carats. The diamond received a price tag at over half a million dollars and it was shaped into a 12.5-carat stone.

In 1990, the world’s only “perfect” diamond (certified by the American Gem Society) was discovered in the state park. The “Strawn-Wagner Diamond,” was unearthed at 3.09 carats and cut down to 1.09 carats, seven years after its discovery. It was the first diamond to receive a perfect grading by both the American Gem Society and the Gemological Institute of America. Diamond experts consider it a one-in-a-billion find. The diamond is on exhibit at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. No word yet on what the owner of the recently-discovered diamond is going to do with it.

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