Grieving woman finds 3.09-carat diamond at Arkansas park, calls discovery ‘meant to be’
A Pennsylvania woman grieving the loss of her son and father found an unexpected symbol of hope during a visit to Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park. (Credit: Arkansas State Park)
MURFREESBORO, Ark. - While mourning the loss of her son and father, a Pennsylvania woman found an unexpected symbol of hope at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park — a rare 3.09-carat white diamond she says felt "meant to be."
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Keshia Smith of Pennsylvania said she visited Crater of Diamonds State Park last month while coping with the grief of losing her son in October and her father in April.
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According to KAIT, she had planned the trip more than a year ago with her boyfriend, Joey, and her brother, Kirim, hoping it might bring some comfort during a difficult time.
While digging on the park’s south side, Smith noticed something shiny in her shovel and tucked the stone into her bag before continuing her search. Later, as she sifted through dirt at a pavilion, she showed the find to other visitors, who urged her to have it examined.
Smith said she was overwhelmed with emotion when she realized the stone could be a diamond. Park staff later confirmed it was a 3.09-carat white diamond, with a smooth, flat surface about the size of a bead.
"To me it looks like a heart. That’s the first thing I saw when I found it," Smith said.
She named the gem the Za’Novia Liberty Diamond, honoring her grandchildren and the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary — a discovery she described as especially meaningful during a time of loss.
Man finds 9.07-carat diamond in state park
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Kevin Kinard, a 33-year-old from Arkansas, found the second-largest diamond ever found in Crater of Diamonds State Park's 48 year history.
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The park is open to the public and adults can engage in gem hunting by paying $15 per day.
Park staff plows the field periodically to loosen the soil and make diamond hunting easier.
Park visitors have found and kept more than 35,000 diamonds since the Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas state park in 1972, according to park officials.
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The largest diamond ever discovered in the United States was unearthed there in 1924 during an early mining operation, park officials said. Known as Uncle Sam, the white diamond with a pink cast weighed 40.23 carats and was later cut into a 12.42-carat emerald shape. It’s part of the Smithsonian’s mineral and gem collection and can be seen at the National Museum of Natural History.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes primarily from Keshia Smith’s own account of her visit and discovery, as well as reporting by KAIT, which provided details about her trip and circumstances. Additional facts about the diamond’s size and characteristics were confirmed by staff at Crater of Diamonds State Park, while broader context about the park — including its history, public access, and past diamond finds — comes from park officials. This story was reported from Los Angeles.