Arkansas man finds 3.29-carat “Big, Ugly Diamond” at state park

An Arkansas man found a 3.29-carat brown diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park earlier this month. It is the largest diamond found in the park since September 2021, the park said in a statement. 

David Anderson, a regular visitor to the park, found the diamond on Mar. 4 while searching through soil in the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area. He named his discovery B.U.D., which he said stands for “Big, Ugly Diamond.” 

Anderson said he initially thought the stone was quartz. It was identified as a brown diamond with a pitted surface. Brown, yellow and white diamonds are the most common ones found in the Crater of Diamonds park. 

“Mr. Anderson’s diamond is about the size of an English pea, with a light brown color and octahedron shape,” said park interpreter Tayler Markham in the park’s statement. “It has a metallic shine typical of all diamonds found at the park, with a partially resorbed surface and lots of inclusions.”

The park was formed in 1972, but the diamond field was found in 1906. Since then, over 75,000 diamonds have been found there. Since 2007, Anderson has found more than 400 diamonds, including 15 weighing over one carat, the park said in a statement. He has also found a 3.83-carat yellow diamond in 2011 and a 6.19-carat white gem in 2014. Anderson typically sells his diamonds locally, the park said, and has the same plans for this stone. 

As of March 2023, 124 diamonds were registered as having been found at the state park this year. An average of one to two diamonds are found by visitors each day, the park said.