Photos courtesy of Arkansas State Parks
A routine gem search turned into a historic discovery for two longtime visitors to Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park when a livestreamed sifting session revealed a rare yellow diamond.
Jack Pearadin, 35, of Nashville, Arkansas, and Michael Schumacher, 43, of Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin, found the diamond Jan. 25 while Pearadin was processing a bucket of gravel they had dug in late December from the south end of the park’s search area.
Despite difficult conditions following a winter storm that left more than an inch of ice across the park, Pearadin continued sifting gravel while streaming on TikTok Live. After stepping away from a pile he had just screened, he noticed a golden glint and returned to investigate.
The gem was later confirmed by park staff on Feb. 6 as a 6.03-carat yellow diamond. Assistant Superintendent Waymon Cox described the stone as symmetrical and rounded, appearing to be a rare 48-sided hexoctahedron crystal.
About the size of a gumdrop, the canary-yellow diamond ranks as the fourth-largest yellow diamond and the 22nd-largest diamond of any color registered since the park became an Arkansas State Park in 1972. It is also the 27th diamond registered in 2026.
The pair named their find the Pearadin Schumacher American Dream Diamond, inspired by the song “Sh-Boom (Life Could Be a Dream)” and the nation’s 250th anniversary year.
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