The park officials later confirmed the discovery as the largest diamond found at the site so far this year. When they looked at it closely, they were stunned by the diamond, roughly the size of a fingernail. A gem hunter named Jack Pearadin uncovered a rare 6.03-carat yellow diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas after thirteen years of searching, People Magazine reported.
It happened earlier this year in January, and the exact moment was captured live on TikTok while he processed gravel with his friend Michael Schumacher.
Originally from Missouri, his passion for the search grew so strong that he eventually moved to nearby Murfreesboro to stay close to the grounds. He used to say that his diamond-hunting hobby hasn’t paid off. The case resurfaced recently, when an appraiser weighed in on the find. Located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, the Crater of Diamonds State Park sits on an eroded ancient volcanic crater.
Pearadin’s journey began back in 2013 when he made his first trip to the state park as a casual visitor. He has unearthed more than 300 smaller stones over the years, but nothing came close to the yellow diamond they found in January. He claims that collectors have told him that it could be worth $1 million. Pearadin mentioned that some collectors estimated the rare yellow diamond could fetch up to $1 million (approx. Rs 8.3 to Rs 9.6 crore). An experienced appraiser said that a diamond of such size and quality could be worth around $250,000 (approx, according to a recent report by The Associated Press . It is one of the only places in the world where members of the public can pay a small entry fee-currently $15-to search for real diamonds and keep whatever they happen to dig up.
Pearadin said, “I was about eight feet away, and for some reason I turned back and saw it glowing from the centre of the pile, according to the official release. The pair have named the gem the “American Dream”. “It’s a pretty remarkable operation that’s available to the public,” Nathan Renfro, a senior manager at the Gemological Institute of America, told the news agency. “Most diamond mines are super high security.”
The final market value will depend on the stone’s clarity, cut, and how much weight it retains after being polished.
