Uncle Sam
40.23 carats (rough) 12.42 carats (cut) The Uncle Sam diamond is the largest gem-quality diamond ever found in North America and was unearthed here in 1924. Wesley Basham, Uncle Sam to his family and friends, worked for the Arkansas Diamond Mining Company, which owned this part of the crater. He was the first person to see the diamond as he and other miners used a high-pressure water hose to wash diamond-bearing ore down a long, wooden sluice. Although the mine owned the diamond, Basham's nickname stuck with this gem. The Uncle Sam Diamond was cut into an emerald shape twice over the years. First it was cut to 14.34 carats, and then later recut to 12.42 carats. It was graded as M-color, with a slight pinkish hue, and very, very slight inclusions. In 1971, the diamond was sold to a private collector for $150,000.