Forget Vegas. The biggest jackpot this week came out of a five-gallon bucket in Murfreesboro. Navy reservist Jack Pearadin and a digging partner shoveled a 6.03-carat yellow diamond — named the “American Dream” — at Crater of Diamonds State Park, the largest find there this year, the Associated Press reported Friday (via ABC).
Pearadin says collectors have told him it could be worth over $1 million. At least one experienced appraiser told AP a stone of that size and quality might fetch about a fourth of that — still life-changing for a $15 park entry fee. On TikTok he shouted the discovery live: “Holy crap, we got a big one!”
More than 37,000 diamonds have been found at the former mine since it became a state park in 1972. Most annual finds weigh about a quarter-carat; bigger scores include a 9-carat stone in 2020 and a 7-carat find in 2024. The U.S. record remains the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam (1924), later cut for the Smithsonian.
Pearadin has hunted there since 2013 and plans to split proceeds with fellow digger Michael Schumacher — then chase opening his own crystal mine. America: still the only place you can rent a shovel and keep the fortune.
Sources: Associated Press / ABC News
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