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Florida Couple Finds 3-Carat Diamond in Arkansas
They discovered “The Dash Diamond,” named for their dog, at the Crater of Diamonds State Park earlier this month.
The 3.36-carat diamond is the second-largest diamond unearthed at the park so far this year.
Murfreesboro, Ark.—A couple from New Port Richey, Florida, found a 3.36-carat diamond while visiting the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas earlier this month.
Named “The Dash Diamond” after their family dog, it is the second-largest diamond unearthed at the park so far this year, following the 3.81-carat brown diamond discovered in May.
Park staff said the diamond is “crystal clear” in the center with off-white edges and is about the size of a blueberry.
Scott and Jennifer Freitas were visiting the park as part of a weeks-long road trip through Alabama and Mississippi.
As avid miners of rubies, sapphires, and smoky quartz, they had earmarked the Crater of Diamonds State Park as a bucket list destination. Jennifer was particularly excited, as she holds a degree in geology.
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is North America's only public diamond mine, maintaining a "finders, keepers” policy for visitors who come to scour the 37.5-acre plowed diamond search area.
They arrived at the park on July 1 around 8:30 a.m., and dug a few buckets, digging about 6-8 inches deep.
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Named “The Dash Diamond” after their family dog, it is the second-largest diamond unearthed at the park so far this year, following the 3.81-carat brown diamond discovered in May.
Park staff said the diamond is “crystal clear” in the center with off-white edges and is about the size of a blueberry.
The Dash Diamond
Scott and Jennifer Freitas were visiting the park as part of a weeks-long road trip through Alabama and Mississippi.
As avid miners of rubies, sapphires, and smoky quartz, they had earmarked the Crater of Diamonds State Park as a bucket list destination. Jennifer was particularly excited, as she holds a degree in geology.
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is North America's only public diamond mine, maintaining a "finders, keepers” policy for visitors who come to scour the 37.5-acre plowed diamond search area.
They arrived at the park on July 1 around 8:30 a.m., and dug a few buckets, digging about 6-8 inches deep.
The couple chose to wet sift, which involves submerging screen sets in water to wash away the soil.
Once the soil is removed, the gravel is then separated by size and weight to make diamonds easier to find.
Though many reported large diamonds are found by surface searching, only about 10 percent of all diamonds are found using that method, said the park.
Most diamonds found at the Crater of Diamonds State Park are found by wet sifting.
The Freitas found their diamond while sifting through their third bucket.
Scott and Jennifer Freitas with The Dash Diamond
They finished sifting through the bucket before bringing their find to the park’s rock and mineral identification table.
“I was stunned when I saw the pictures of the diamond,” said Park Superintendent Caleb Howell.
“The shape, clarity, color, and size made it a beautifully natural gemstone. It was a great reminder of the awesomeness of Crater of Diamonds State Park.”
The Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas State Park in 1972.
So far, 332 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park in 2025.
More than 75,000 diamonds total have been unearthed at the site since 1906, when the previous landowner, farmer John Huddleston, first discovered diamonds in the area.
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