The first place in the world outside South America where diamonds were discovered at their actual source was in Arkansas. In 1906, John Huddleston found two diamonds on his farm and land later sold the property to investors.
The surface layer of Huddleston’s property contained over 30 carats of diamonds per hundred tons of mined rock. But once the top layer was depleted, the diamond yields decreased dramatically and the mine shut down.
In 1952 the site was reborn as a recreational diamond prospecting site known as the Crater of Diamonds. In 1956, a visitor discovered the Star of Arkansas – a 15.33-carat rough diamond. The site changed hands a few times until it was purchased by the state and designated the Crater of Diamonds State Park – the only publicly-owned diamond prospecting site in the world. Visitors pay an entrance fee and are allowed to keep any diamonds or other precious stones they discover while in the park, regardless of their value.
Over 25,000 diamonds have been discovered at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, including the Kahn Canary Diamond and the Strawn-Wagner Diamond – which was found in 1990 and is considered the most perfect diamond in the world, being the only diamond thus far to receive a grade of 0/0/0 from the AGS. The 1.09-carat Strawn-Wagner Diamond is still on display at the park’s visitors’ center.
