Top 12 Surprising Treasures: Unearthing Unexpected Discoveries

5. Largest Diamond in the World Found in Arkansas

Location: Arkansas's Murfreesboro Year Found: 1924 Approximate Value: $1 million* Most likely, African mining comes to mind when you think of diamond mining. Nonetheless, there have been a few extremely rare discoveries of these magnificent, priceless stones in America. The largest diamond ever found in America was discovered by a young person in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, in 1924 during an early digging operation.

Found in Arkansas, the world's largest diamond was discovered by Lance and Erin Willett (internetstones.com). This 40.23-carat diamond was later dubbed Uncle Sam. In 1971, a Boston dealer sold it to a private collector for $150,000. It was white with a pink cast. This indicates that the diamond is worth $1 million in modern currency. Uncle Sam was referred to by Arkansas State Parks as a "one in a billion gem."