Arkansas rockhound finds 2.38-carat brown diamond

PIKE COUNTY, Ark. – A rockhound in Arkansas found a 2.38-carat brown diamond at Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park.

Adam Hardin found the gem while sifting soil at the park on April 10th.

Park officials say it is the biggest diamond found at the park this year.

“It was right in the middle when I flipped my screen over,” Hardin said. “When I saw it, I said, ‘Wow, that’s a big diamond!’”

Hardin began searching for diamonds over a decade ago at Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park. Hardin said he had found hundreds of smaller gems previously, but this was the first diamond over 2 carats he’d found.

“Mr. Hardin’s diamond is about the size of a pinto bean, with a coffee brown color and a rounded shape,” Park Interpreter Waymon Cox said. “It has a metallic shine typical of all diamonds found at the park, with a few inclusions and crevices running all along the surface.”

Finders of large Crater diamonds often choose to name their gems. Hardin named his diamond Frankenstone, park officials say.

“I thought of the name because it has a pretty and kind of not-so-pretty look to it,” Hardin explained. “Us diamond miners call that ‘character!'”

Hardin typically sells his diamonds locally and said he also plans to sell this one, according to Arkansas State Park Personel.

One of our regular visitors to Crater of Diamonds State Park found a 2.38-carat diamond recently. It’s the largest diamond found at the park this year. Congrats Adam Hardin! Read about his “Frankenstone” diamond find: https://t.co/QtpJCcaJkW#ARStateParks #diamonds

— Arkansas State Parks (@ARStatePark) May 3, 2022

To find out more about Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park, click here.