Struck It Rich on a Walk: Thought It Was a Candy Wrapper, but Found a 3.81-Carat Diamond Worth 20 Million Won

"I thought it was a shiny candy wrapper..."
Man discovers 3.81-carat diamond while taking a walk

A man taking a walk in a park in the United States made headlines after discovering a diamond worth up to 20 million won.

On May 4 (local time), the British Daily Mail reported that David Dycook from Minnesota found a 3.81-carat brown diamond while walking in the Diamond Crater State Park in Arkansas on April 21.

A man who visited the Diamond Crater State Park in Arkansas, USA, discovered a 3.81-carat diamond. Diamond Crater State Park official website

Dycook said that when he first saw the sparkling object on the ground, he thought it was a candy wrapper glinting in the sunlight. A few days later, he returned to the park and had it confirmed as a diamond, after which he registered the diamond's information. He named the diamond "Duke Diamond" after his pet dog. A park official explained, "It had rained in the park the day before Dycook's visit, and the ground had been washed away, creating ideal conditions for finding diamonds near the surface."

Before becoming a state park in 1972, this land was owned by a farmer named John Huddleston, who discovered the first diamond here in 1906. Since then, a total of about 75,000 diamonds have been unearthed in the area. Due to its unique geological features, the park is known for yielding numerous gemstones, including diamonds, amethysts, and garnets. Visitors can enter the park by paying an admission fee and are allowed to keep any gemstones they find.

Diamond Crater State Park, Arkansas, USA. Diamond Crater State Park official website

This year, about 220 diamonds have been registered at the park, with a combined weight of approximately 32 carats. Among them, only five diamonds exceed one carat. According to the Daily Mail, a three-carat white diamond sells for $40,000 (about 55.96 million won), while a brown diamond of the same size sells for $10,000 (about 13.99 million won). The publication estimated the value of Dycook's Duke Diamond to be at least $3,810 (about 5.33 million won) and up to $19,050 (about 26.65 million won).