A man from Arkansas ended the year on a perfect note, on December 31, when he found a 2.37 carat white diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro -the only open to public diamond park, where visitors can search for and keep the gems they find.

The lucky finder, who came home empty handed about a dozen times before, has named the diamond the Star of Thelma to honor his wife of more than 10 years. The gem is the fourth largest diamond found in 2006 at the park, bringing to total 486 diamonds found at the park this year.

In March, a state trooper from Oklahoma discovered a 4.21 yellow Okie Dokie Diamond. In September, a couple from Texas found the 6.35-carat brown Roden Diamond. The following month, a visitor from Wisconsin found the 5.47-carat yellow Sunshine Diamond.

The largest of the 25,000 diamonds found at the park since it became a state park in 1972 is the 16.37-carat Amarillo Starlight discovered by a visitor from Texas in 1975.