What looked like a shiny piece of litter turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime treasure for one Minnesota man at Arkansas's Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro.
David DeCook, a longtime visitor to the park from Stewartville, MN, recently made headlines after discovering a stunning 3.81-carat brown diamond — the largest found at the park so far in 2025.
DeCook was exploring the 37.5-acre plowed diamond search field with his family on April 21 when he noticed something glinting in the sunlight. At first glance, he thought he had spotted a metallic wrapper from a Werther’s Original caramel candy.
“Real shiny looking, kind of like a Werther’s candy wrapper,” DeCook told FOX 9 Minneapolis. “As you get closer to it, you can tell it’s a diamond pretty quick.”
What he found on his way down a hill south of the park’s south wash pavilion was not trash, but treasure — a blocky brown diamond with a metallic copper luster lying on the surface of the earth. DeCook remained calm as he picked up the stone and inspected it.
Then, turning to his brother Derek, who was also searching nearby, he called out with a grin, “Oh, you’re going to be mad once you see what I found!”
The diamond was later named “The Duke Diamond” in honor of DeCook’s dog. Though he has no immediate plans for the gem, it could be worth thousands.
DeCook’s find marks the 217th diamond registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park in 2025 and is the largest since the 7.46-carat Carine Diamond, discovered in January 2024 by a French tourist. The park, renowned as the only diamond site in the world open to the public, sees thousands of amateur prospectors each year.
According to park officials, recent heavy rainfall likely played a role in revealing The Duke Diamond.
“April has been a very wet month at the park, with more than 12 inches of rain,” said Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox. “Rain washes away loose soil, exposing heavy rocks, minerals and diamonds on the surface.”
As for DeCook, his “candy-wrapper-turned-shimmering-diamond” will serve as a memorable memento of a sweet score on a sparkling day at the Arkansas park.
Credits: Photos courtesy Arkansas Crater of Diamonds State Park.