Siri Helps Texas Family Find 2.09-Carat Brown Diamond at State Park After 7-Year-Old Son Begged to Go Mining for Crystals

A family from Texas made an unforgettable discovery after a simple question to Siri pointed them toward a diamond mine in Arkansas.

On Dec. 30, high school teacher James Ward was visiting Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro with his wife, Elizabeth, and their two sons, Adrian, 9, and Austin, 7, when he uncovered a 2.09-carat brown diamond, according to a recent park press release.

Elizabeth said the idea for the trip began earlier in December at home, when their younger son asked, “Mommy, Mommy, is there any place in Texas or nearby that we can mine for crystals?”

Curious, the family asked Siri for nearby mining locations and were surprised when Crater of Diamonds State Park came up as an option.

“I sent the link to James, and he’s like, ‘Oh wait, that’s only like six hours away. We can go!’” Elizabeth said.

The family arrived at the park on Dec. 29 and spent about four hours searching the fields before cold winter weather nearly cut the trip short.

“We were so cold! We were here for, like, four hours. It was freezing, but Adrian was the one who wanted to come back,” Elizabeth said of their oldest son.

They returned the following day and searched for another two hours before James made the remarkable find near the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area.

Using only his fingers, James sifted through the soil and noticed something unusual.

“I didn’t know what it was, but I knew it was different than everything else I had found,” he recalled.

He placed the stone in a paper sack along with the rest of their finds and took it to the park’s Diamond Discovery Center, where staff confirmed it was a 2.09-carat diamond.

“Mr. Ward’s diamond is about the size of a corn kernel, with a dark yellowish-brown hue and a beautiful, metallic luster characteristic of all Crater diamonds,” said Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox.

Cox explained that Crater diamonds formed deep in the Earth’s upper mantle and were brought to the surface by an ancient volcanic eruption.

“Most are chipped, broken, or include flaws from the immense geological forces they endured,” he said. “Given its current size, you can imagine how much bigger Mr. Ward’s diamond might have been as a complete crystal.”

To honor his family, James decided to name the stone the “Ward Diamond.”

Asked whether he plans to sell it or keep it, he said, “No idea. I’ll have to see how much it’s worth first.”

He also shared advice for future visitors hoping to strike it lucky: “You can stumble upon a diamond in any place or time. Don’t give up on the first day!”

Elizabeth added her own takeaway from the experience: “Listen to your kids about their dreams and what they want to do!”

According to the press release, James’ find was one of five diamonds discovered on the surface of the search area in December.

By the end of 2025, the park had registered a total of 540 diamonds for the year. Since Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas state park in 1972, visitors have found more than 35,000 diamonds, according to the park’s website.