Arkansas State Gemstone or Gem

Diamond

(C)

Adopted in 1967.

The diamond was adopted as the Arkansas State Gem by the Sixty-sixth General Assembly of 1967. Arkansas is the only diamond-producing state in the United States. Who found the first diamonds in Arkansas? John M Huddleston, a Pike Country farmer, found the first diamonds near Murfreesboro in 1906.

The Crater of Diamonds State Park, located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, is the only place in the nation where you can dig for diamonds and keep what you find. More than 70,000 diamonds have been found there.

The Crater of Diamonds State Park is the eighth-largest diamond deposit in the world. Farmer John Huddleston, who owned the property, discovered the first diamond in 1906. In 1972, the property was purchased for development as a state park, and since then visitors have carried home over 18,000 diamonds. Although diamonds are the main attraction, other semi-precious gems and minerals can be found there. The largest diamond found to date is "Uncle Sam" (1924) at 40.23 carats. It was cut to an emerald shape of 12.42 carats and sold in 1971 for $150,000