Arkansas park visitor finds 6.03-carat diamond

Jack Pearadin found a 6.03-carat yellow diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, the largest diamond reported at the park so far this year. The Navy reservist, who has searched the site for more than a dozen years, named the stone the American Dream. Its eventual value is unknown: Pearadin says collectors told him it could be worth up to $1 million, while certified gem appraiser Laura Stanley estimated that a high-quality six-carat yellow diamond from the park could sell for about $250,000. Pearadin was livestreaming when he and a friend uncovered the stone. In the video, he reacted with excitement as he rinsed gravel from a bucket and revealed the diamond, roughly the size of a fingernail. Pearadin has found more than 300 gems at the park since he began searching there in 2013. Originally from Missouri, he moved to nearby Murfreesboro to pursue the hobby. The million-dollar figure is not a confirmed appraisal or sale price. Pearadin attributes it to what collectors told him, and no independent valuation confirming that amount is reported. Stanley’s figure is also an estimate, not a completed transaction.