Grandfather Finds Gorgeous 2.29-Carat Diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park

What started as a family outing turned into the find of a lifetime for a Tennessee man visiting Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park.

Barry G. Smith of Germantown, Tennessee, was visiting the park on Sunday, August 16, with his wife and granddaughters, Sage and Juniper, as part of a week-long trip through Arkansas and Missouri. The family rented a wagon and a basic diamond hunting kit and headed into the search area.

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About 30 minutes into their search, Smith noticed something sparkling in the East Drain area of the park. Thinking it was mica or another common mineral, he picked it up and slipped it into his pocket before continuing to dig with his granddaughters.

When the family decided to take a lunch break, Smith brought the stone to the park's Diamond Discovery Center for identification. That's when staff confirmed he had found a rare 2.29-carat canary yellow diamond.

Smith said,

I never expected to find a diamond here. The potential was there, but you never come here expecting to find one.

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Park officials say yellow diamonds are the least common color found at Crater of Diamonds State Park. The gem, about the size of a black-eyed pea, is the third-largest diamond registered at the park this year.

Smith named the diamond the Sage Juniper Diamond in honor of his granddaughters.

The Sage Juniper Diamond is the third-largest Crater diamond found this year.

So far in 2026, visitors have registered 351 diamonds at the park, where an average of one to two diamonds are discovered each day.

Have you ever been to Crater of Diamonds? Did you find a diamond? Tell us all about. it!