MURFREESBORO, Ark. – Keshia Smith has dealt with unimaginable tragedy in the past 6 months. In October, her son passed away, and her father’s funeral was just a day before her planned trip from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to the Arkansas Crater of Diamonds State Park.
With her brother and her boyfriend by her side, she started the 19-hour drive to Murfreesboro. In just her first hour of digging, she found the second-largest diamond pulled out of the park this year, though she didn’t know it at the time.
“I noticed it was just sticking in the dirt, and I was like, wait a minute, this is too shiny. I just plucked it out with my nail and stuck it in my bag and thought nothing of it. I thought it was just a piece of quartz, I’m not going to lie to you, I didn’t know,” said Smith.
It wasn’t until she showed her find to the man who found the largest diamond of the year, Jack Pearadin, that she had an idea of what she had dug up.
“I said, ‘I need you to look at something’, because Jack has a good eye and I know he’s found plenty of diamonds. Exactly when he looked at it, and I saw his face, I just busted out in tears. I didn’t know what I had, and he was like, you need to go up to the park, you need to go up there now,” said Smith.
Smith dug up a 3.09-carat white diamond. She says even three weeks after she dug up the diamond, she’s still in shock.
“I can’t believe it. I can sit here and look at this thing every day, and that card every day, and I still can’t believe that that’s what it is,” said Smith.
Smith said she felt her son’s and her father’s presence throughout the entire trip.
“I had my son’s shirt on that day, I knew I was taking something of his to that park. My son has been my angel since he left this earth. I’m just glad that they were there with me to guide me to where I needed to go. They let that pressure off because they knew I was a diamond in disguise, and I was under a lot of pressure, and I needed that, I really did. They showed me what to do, where to go,” said Smith.
Smith named the diamond the Za’Novia Liberty Diamond. The first half is a combination of her grandchildren’s names.
“He has two children and his last son was just born on January 31st,” Smith said. “His name is Zahari, and he has a one-year-old daughter named Nova, so that’s how I got Za’Novia.”
The second half of the diamond’s name is a nod to the 250th anniversary of the formation of the United States. Liberty has personal meaning to Smith as well.
“Liberty to me means freedom. I’m free, and I feel free. All the hurt, all the pain, just a little bit is lifted, I feel free, just a little bit,” said Smith.
Smith said finding the diamond was not a fluke; it was an act of God.
“I prayed to ask Him, why did he take my son, why did he take my dad? You know, some things happen for a reason, not all good reasons, but this thing I prayed about and asked for, He gave me, and I’m a believer. I prayed about a lot of things, I had hope about a lot of things, and I’m still praying and hoping. But that’s one thing, I prayed, I prepared, I planned, and I conquered,” said Smith.
Smith said finding the diamond has reinforced her faith and is hoping her story inspires others who have lost loved ones.
“I’m going to roll with that little mustard seed of faith and hope, and that little bit of freedom that he just gave me and just hope that someone else hears this story and just feels my pain and just feels that little bit of freedom that I just got. So, if you have faith, stick with it no matter what, and that’s what I want people to know,” said Smith.
Arkansan unearths 6.03-carat diamond during livestream from Crater of Diamonds State Park
Smith said she’s not sure if she will keep the Za’Novia Liberty Diamond or sell it, but that she’s going to pray on it and let God decide.
I put in a lot of hard work, prayed a lot, and had a lot of lonely days. It definitely means something. I definitely want it to go to someone who can appreciate the story. I’m just going to leave it up to Him for whatever happens, wherever I go, Za’Novia liberty will always be a story that will never be forgotten,” said Smith.
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