SourcingJun 01, 2021
Washington Man Finds 2-Carat Rough Diamond to Create His Own RingSourcingOct 04, 2021
Arkansas Park Yields Nearly 4.5-Carat Diamond
A California woman found the yellowish stone and named it Lucy. Here’s what inspired the name.
PHOTO A California woman found this 4.38-carat at the Crater of Diamonds State Park on Sept. 23. It is the largest diamond found at the park so far this year, and the biggest find by a visitor since October 2020.
PHOTO Noreen Wredberg of Granite Bay, California found the diamond and named it Lucy, after her husband’s kitten.
Murfreesboro, Ark.—A California woman with a penchant for national parks unearthed the largest diamond found yet this year in Arkansas.
The Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro announced recently that Noreen Wredberg of Granite Bay, California found a 4.38-carat diamond after less than an hour of searching on Sept. 23.
Park Superintendent Caleb Howell described the stone as being “about the size of a jellybean.” It is pear shaped in its rough form with a light yellow hue that Howell described as “lemonade yellow.”
According to information provided by the park, Wredberg, who is retired, spends her leisure time traveling around the country visiting national parks with husband Michael.
They were in nearby Hot Springs, Arkansas when they decided to make a slight detour south to visit the Crater of Diamonds, which Wredberg had seen featured on a TV show.
Wredberg found the diamond on a sunny morning following several days of heavy rain, which creates optimal conditions for finding diamonds, particularly big ones, the park said.
“Many visitors surface search for diamonds after a good rain,” said Park Interpreter Waymon Cox, who noted that more than an inch of rain fell at the park between Sept. 19 and 21.
“The soil had dried a little, and the sun was out when Mrs. Wredberg visited two days later. She was in just the right place to see her diamond sparkle in the morning sunlight.”
Wredberg told the park she might have her diamond cut, depending on its worth.
Every visitor who finds a diamond at the Crater has the opportunity to name it; Wredberg is calling her diamond Lucy.
For many, the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word “Lucy” and “diamond” is the famous Beatles song. But Wredberg named her stone after her husband’s kitten, which is gray with hints of yellow in her fur similar to the diamond.
Diamonds were first discovered on the land that is now the Crater of Diamonds State Park in 1906 by the farmer who owned the land, John Huddleston. Attempts were made to mine the site commercially over the years.
It was during one of these attempts that the park yielded its largest recorded find, a 40.23-carat white diamond dubbed the Uncle Sam.
Cutters turned the diamond into a 12.42-carat emerald cut. A private collector paid $150,000 for the diamond in 1971.
The Crater became a state park in 1972. The diamonds found there are mostly white, brown, and yellow, in that order.
EditorsAug 10, 2015
Why there are diamonds in ArkansasMore on Sourcing
The Latest
SurveysOct 16, 2026
How Inflation, Gas Prices Will Affect Holiday Sales The NRF is expecting holiday sales to increase this year, but consumers and retailers alike are facing Grinch-like headwinds.
CollectionsOct 16, 2026
Christina Puchi’s Earrings Hold the UniverseOur Piece of the Week gathers the planets, represented by a variety of colored gemstones, in a pair of 14-karat yellow gold earrings.
IndependentsOct 16, 2026
Reeds Jewelers Expands, Relocates FlagshipThe New York-based jeweler is moving its Amherst flagship store to a larger location in nearby Snyder.
Brought to you by
Meet Gemology’s Next Generation Microscope: GIA® Gemolite® NXT Professional EditionExperience gemstones with greater precision and comfort than ever before.
MajorsOct 16, 2026
Katy Chen Appointed Executive Vice President of Graff USA Chen, who worked at Cartier and Tiffany & Co., will lead retail sales and operations for the luxury jeweler’s 11 U.S. stores.
Weekly QuizOct 15, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
IndependentsOct 15, 2026
Retailer Hall of Fame 2026: Amy and Elise Greenberg For 40 years, sisters Amy and Elise Greenberg have helmed their 126-year-old family business, leading with appreciation and integrity.
ColumnistsOct 15, 2026
Peter Smith: What Is the Culture REP?It’s a term Smith coined and felt compelled to share following a bad experience with an aborted flight and an unfeeling flight attendant.
Brought to you by
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSubmit your pieces for a chance to win in this year's competition.
WatchesOct 15, 2026
Stephanie Gottlieb’s New Movado Watches Are Made for Your Wrist StackMovado teamed up with the New York-based fine jewelry designer on a new collection of Movado Museum Velura watches.
CollectionsOct 15, 2026
Wolf x Marla Aaron's New Jewelry Box Is for Some (Not All) of Your ThingsThe “Some of the Things” box follows the two larger “Everything” box designs with the look and function of antique sewing and toolboxes.
IndependentsOct 14, 2026
Retailer Hall of Fame 2026: Coleman and Mitchell ClarkFourth-generation jewelers Coleman and Mitchell Clark exemplify the best qualities of their predecessors: humility, modesty, and confidence.
FinancialsOct 14, 2026
LVMH’s Jewelry Brands Turn in ‘Very Good’ Performance in Q3 Tiffany & Co. continued its full-scale store renovation project while Bulgari’s high jewelry collection generated “record-breaking revenue.”
Events & AwardsOct 14, 2026
Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference Releases 2026 ProgramThis year’s sessions feature leading voices from human rights, legal, and conservation organizations.
MajorsOct 13, 2026
David Webb Owner Purchases Lugano JewelryThe high-end jewelry retailer was sold to private investment firm Middle West Partners and a group of longtime clients.
Lab-GrownOct 13, 2026
Stephanie Gottlieb Takes Lab-Grown Diamond Collection WholesaleThe jewelry designer has partnered with Sofer Jewelry to distribute her 85-piece lab-grown diamond collection.
IndependentsOct 13, 2026
Retailer Hall of Fame 2026: Sean DunnDunn, this year’s Single-Store Independent inductee, is passionate about innovation and telling the story of natural diamonds.
AuctionsOct 13, 2026
Christie's Geneva To Auction 'Bulgari Pink' DiamondThe 24-carat fancy intense pink diamond ring could fetch up to $18 million at the November sale.
IndependentsOct 13, 2026
Greenwich St. Jewelers’ New Candle Smells Like HomeThe “Island Jewel” candle honors New York City and Puerto Rico and raises money for the island’s water relief efforts.
TechnologyOct 13, 2026
GemFind Is a New JA Member Benefit Partner The partnership will give JA members access to preferred pricing, exclusive benefits, technology solutions, education, and resources.
SurveysOct 09, 2026
These Will Be the 10 Busiest Days for In-Store Shopping This Holiday SeasonStores should expect to see the most customers on Nov. 27, and Christmas week is expected to be hectic too, as Dec. 25 falls on a Friday.
CollectionsOct 09, 2026
Elisa Solomon Collabs With Serendipity 3 on ‘Frozen Hot Chocolate’ CharmThe charm, our Piece of the Week, features brown diamond frozen hot chocolate topped with white diamond whipped cream and a ruby straw.
AuctionsOct 09, 2026
8-Carat Blue Diamond Goes Unsold at UK Jewelry Auction The top lot of Elmwood’s recent fine jewelry sale in London was a 1.84-carat, D color Tiffany & Co. solitaire diamond ring.
WatchesOct 09, 2026
Movado to Sell Majority Stake in Ebel for $66.5MThe watch company agreed to sell a 95 percent interest to a group comprised of F.P. Journe, Chanel, and Swiss watch exec Pierre Jacques.
Policies & IssuesOct 08, 2026
Third Wave of IEEPA Tariff Refunds Begins This round of tariff refunds is for importers that have sued over IEEPA tariffs in the Court of International Trade and won.
CollectionsOct 08, 2026
Brent Neale’s New Collection Goes ‘Back to Basics’It revisits the brand’s most requested silhouettes, from "Pillow"-set necklaces and bracelets to "Signature"-set rings and earrings.
SourcingOct 08, 2026
Ethical Gem Fair Heads Back to BrooklynThe trade-only event includes buying opportunities as well as educational sessions on artisanal mining, the new Paraíba source, and more.
Events & AwardsOct 08, 2026
Pattons Fine Jewelry Sweeps Local Design ContestAra Chanakian, a jeweler at Pattons, took home top honors in every category at Jewelers of Louisiana’s annual jewelry design competition.
