Sarah Reap, park interpreter with Arkansas State Parks, including the Crater of Diamonds in Murfreesboro, tells us that David DeCook, from Stewartville, MN, and a regular visitor to Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park, recently found a 3.81-carat brown diamond while visiting the park with his family. It is the largest diamond registered so far for 2025.
“David 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 by far 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.
What Do We Call It?
“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.
Largest So Far
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.”
Park staff have registered 220 diamonds thus far in 2025, weighing more than 32 carats total. Five registered diamonds have weighed more than one carat each.
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-cut. 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 in Washington, D.C.
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.
Tap Here to visit the Park’s website and learn more about Crater of Diamonds State Park.
Sarah Reap
Sarah Reap has been a park interpreter with Arkansas State Parks since May 2019. She is currently the Park Interpreter at Crater of Diamonds State Park where she has worked since September 2022. In her pass time she loves to go hiking with her dog and paddle boarding with her friends.
LINK to National Jeweler’s feature on the Duke Diamond
