Visitor finds 3.81-carat brown diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park
MURFREESBORO, Ark. – David DeCook, a regular visitor to Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park from Stewartville, MN, recently spotted a glimmering 3.81-carat brown diamond while visiting the park with his family. It is the largest diamond registered so far this year.
DeCook and his brother Derek have been regular visitors to Crater of Diamonds State Park for years and have registered numerous diamonds, but this is the largest diamond either has found, so far.
About an hour after entering the park’s 37.5-acre plowed diamond search area on Monday, April 21, DeCook made his way down a hill south of the park’s south wash pavilion, where he spotted the diamond almost immediately. He described seeing what he at first thought was a candy wrapper. Once he saw a metallic, tinfoil-like shine, he knew what he had found.
DeCook calmly walked over to where he had seen the diamond, picked it up, and inspected it before calling to his brother. Stirring up some natural sibling rivalry, David told Derek, “Oh, you’re going to be mad once you see what I found!”
DeCook put the diamond in his pocket and returned to the park a few days later for park staff to identify and register the diamond.
The 3.81-carat diamond has a metallic, copper luster and a blocky, triangular shape. Many visitors choose to name the diamonds they find at Crater of Diamonds State Park. DeCook decided to name his gem The Duke Diamond, after his dog. DeCook states that at this time, he is not sure what he will do with his diamond.
The Duke Diamond is the largest found at the park since the 7.46-carat Carine Diamond, found in January 2024 by French visitor Julien Navas. It is the 217th diamond registered at the park in 2025.
The day before DeCook’s visit, the park received nearly an inch of rain. According to Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox, “April has been a very wet month at the park, with more than 12 inches of rain.” Rainfall causes erosion in the search area, which often leads to an increase in surface finds. Cox states, “Many of the park’s largest diamonds are found on top of the ground. As rain falls in the search area, it washes away the dirt and uncovers heavy rocks, minerals, and diamonds near the surface.”
As of this publication, park staff have registered 220 diamonds in 2025, weighing more than 32 carats total. Five registered diamonds have weighed more than one carat each.
