An Arkansas man unearthed a 3.29-carat brown diamond at the Bear State's Crater of Diamonds State Park earlier this month.
Murfreesboro resident David Anderson is a regular visitor to the park and has found over 400 diamonds there since 2007.
He was wet-sifting soil in the park's 37.5-acre diamond search area on March 4 when he came across the gem.
"At first I thought it was quartz but wondered why it was so shiny," Anderson said. "Once I picked it up, I realized it was a diamond!"
SUNKEN JEWELS, BURIED TREASURE UNCOVERED IN THE BAHAMAS FROM ICONIC 17TH CENTURY SPANISH SHIPWRECK
According to park rangers, the jewel is the largest diamond found at the park this year.
Anderson learned about the Crater of Diamonds State Park while watching the Travel Channel over fifteen years ago. He visited the park for the first time in 2007.
"After I found my first diamond, a 1.5-carat white, I was hooked!" Anderson said. His highlights include a 3.83-carat yellow diamond in 2011 and a 6.19-carat white gem in 2014.
The lucky man decided to name the diamond B.U.D. – short for "Big Ugly Diamond".
"Mr. Anderson’s diamond is about the size of an English pea, with a light brown color and octahedron shape," Park Interpreter Tayler Markham described. "It has a metallic shine typical of all diamonds found at the park, with a partially resorbed surface and lots of inclusions."
Over 75,000 diamonds have been found at the park since 1906. The largest one was found in 1924 and weighed 40.23 carats.
