A family trip to Arkansas turned into a much bigger adventure than Barry G. Smith expected when he discovered a 2.29-carat yellow diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park.
Smith, of Germantown, Tennessee, visited the park Sunday, Aug. 16, with his wife and two granddaughters, Sage and Juniper. The family had planned a week of exploring Arkansas and Missouri, and included the Murfreesboro-area park among their stops.
Smith and his family rented a wagon and a basic diamond-searching kit and began searching the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area. About 30 minutes later, Smith spotted something glimmering in the East Drain.
At first, he assumed the shiny object was mica, a common mineral in the search area. After taking a closer look, however, he decided to put the find in his shirt pocket, thinking it could be quartz or possibly a diamond.
The family continued searching until the heat became too much.
“It started to get so hot we couldn’t stand it, so we decided to head in around lunchtime,” he said.
Before leaving for lunch, Smith stopped at the park’s Diamond Discovery Center to have his find inspected. Park staff confirmed what he had begun to suspect: He had found a canary yellow diamond weighing 2.29 carats.
“I was dumbfounded when I first saw the diamond,” said Facility Supervisor Ralph Hall. “Its overall shape and color immediately reminded me of the Pearadin Schumacher American Dream Diamond found earlier this year.”
Yellow diamonds are the least common of the three colors typically found at Crater of Diamonds State Park, where diamonds can be white, brown or yellow. Their color comes from nitrogen absorbed into the diamond’s crystal structure during formation.
When asked whether he was excited about the discovery, Smith had a simple answer.
“Oh, absolutely!”
He later added, “I never expected to find a diamond here. The potential was there, but you never come here expecting to find one.”
Smith named his discovery the Sage Juniper Diamond after his two granddaughters. About the size of a black-eyed pea, the diamond is the third-largest diamond registered at the park so far this year.
As of the publication of the announcement, park visitors had registered 351 diamonds in 2026. Visitors find an average of one to two diamonds at the park each day.
With Arkansas temperatures still capable of making a diamond hunt a sweaty endeavor, park officials recommend checking the forecast before visiting, wearing UV-protective clothing, bringing plenty of water and taking regular breaks in the shade.
For more information about the state park, click here.
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