Two visitors to Crater of Diamonds State Park have unearthed some of the largest diamonds found at the site this year, continuing a streak of notable discoveries in 2025.
Dash Diamond – 3.36-carat white gem
Scott and Jennifer Freitas of New Port Richey, Florida, discovered a white diamond weighing 3.36 carats on July 1 while visiting the park as part of a road trip. The couple used the wet sifting method, submerging screens in water to wash away soil and separate the gravel.
After digging just several inches, Jennifer noticed something unusual while sifting. Scott later pulled a screen from the water and saw what he called “a gorgeous glimmering stone.”
At the park’s rock and mineral identification table, staff confirmed the stone as a white diamond, “crystal clear in the center with off-white edges, about the size of a blueberry.”
The Freitas named their find the Dash Diamond, after their family dog. It is the second-largest diamond registered at the park in 2025, behind the 3.81-carat Duke Diamond. By early July, 332 diamonds had been registered at the park for the year.
William Diamond – 2.79-carat brown gem
On September 13, a family from Cookson, Oklahoma, visiting for a nephew’s birthday unearthed a brown diamond weighing 2.79 carats. Raynae Madison and her family dug on the north side of the park’s 37.5-acre search area near the Prospector Trailhead.
After filling and sifting several buckets, Madison noticed an “unusual oblong, shiny stone.” She said, “At first I thought it looked really neat, but I wasn’t sure what it was. I honestly thought it was too big to be a diamond.”
At the Diamond Discovery Center, staff confirmed the find as a diamond with “unique inclusions.” The brown color is caused by plastic deformation, which creates structural defects during a diamond’s formation or movement in magma. These defects reflect red and green light, making the diamond appear brown.
The family named their gem the William Diamond, in honor of Madison’s nephew. It is the third-largest diamond registered at the park this year, surpassing a 2.30-carat diamond found in July. Park Interpreter Emma O’Neal said, “2025 has been a great year for large diamond finds.” As of mid-September, 403 diamonds had been registered at the park.
A Strong Year for Diamonds
The Dash Diamond and the William Diamond rank among the largest finds at Crater of Diamonds State Park in 2025. Both were discovered using basic methods available to all visitors. With hundreds of diamonds already registered this year, the park continues to live up to its reputation as one of the only places in the world where the public can search for and keep real diamonds.
Quick Facts about Crater of Diamonds State Park
Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow. The three most common colors found at Crater of Diamonds State Park are white, brown and yellow, in that order.
In total, over 75,000 diamonds have been unearthed at the Crater of Diamonds since the first diamonds were discovered in 1906 by John Huddleston, a farmer who owned the land long before it became an Arkansas State Park in 1972.
The largest diamond ever discovered in the United States was unearthed in 1924 during an early mining operation on the land that later became Crater of Diamonds State Park. Named the Uncle Sam, this white diamond with a pink cast weighed 40.23 carats. It was later cut into a 12.42-carat emerald shape. The Uncle Sam is now part of the Smithsonian’s mineral and gem collection and can be seen at the National Museum of Natural History.
Another well-known diamond from the park is the Strawn-Wagner. Found in 1990 by Murfreesboro resident Shirley Strawn, this 3.03-carat white gem was cut into a round brilliant shape weighing 1.09 carats. It graded as ideal cut, D-colorless and flawless and was set in a platinum and 24-carat gold ring. In 1998, the state of Arkansas purchased this diamond for $34,700 in donations and placed it on permanent display at the park visitor center.
