An Oklahoma family’s weekend getaway turned into a sparkling surprise after a woman unearthed a nearly 3-carat diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park.
Raynae Madison of Cookson, Okla., was visiting the park with relatives Sept. 13 to celebrate her nephew’s birthday when she spotted the unusual stone while sifting dirt in the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area.
“At first I thought it looked really neat, but I wasn’t sure what it was,” Madison said in a news release. “I honestly thought it was too big to be a diamond.”
Staff at the park’s Diamond Discovery Center confirmed the find as a 2.79-carat diamond, described as chocolate brown with unique inclusions. Madison named the gem the “William Diamond” in honor of her nephew.
Emma O’Neal, park interpreter, said the stone’s color comes from a process called plastic deformation. “These defects reflect red and green light, combining to make the diamond appear brown,” O’Neal said.
The William Diamond is the third-largest diamond registered at the park this year, surpassing a 2.30-carat find in July. So far in 2025, visitors have registered 403 diamonds, including four weighing more than 2 carats.
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