MURFREESBORO, ARKANSAS — Keshia Smith unearthed a 3.09-carat white diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, on the second day of her visit. Smith named the stone the Za'Novia Liberty Diamond in honor of her grandchildren and the significance of America's 250th year.
Smith dug soil at the south end of the park's 37.5-acre diamond search area, where she found a shiny crystal. After taking the material to the park's Diamond Discovery Center, staff confirmed it was a 3.09-carat white diamond. Pictures show the stone is flat, smooth, and colorless. The Za'Novia Liberty Diamond is the second-largest diamond registered at the park so far in 2026.
Smith had begun planning the trip more than a year before her visit. Smith lost her son in October and her father in April. "I have felt so much pressure the last six months. In October, I lost my son, and we just buried my dad a week ago. It has been a lot!" she said. "I really needed this. I really prayed for this, and I just can't believe it actually happened."
In a Facebook post, Arkansas State Parks said the visit brought an unexpected moment of light for Smith, who is healing from the loss of her son and father. The post described the discovery as meant to be.
Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only place in the world where people can look for natural diamonds in their original volcanic source. According to the park's website, visitors can search a 37-acre plowed field for rocks, minerals, and gemstones and keep anything they find. As of January 13, 2026, more than 37,377 diamonds have been found by park visitors since the area became an Arkansas state park in 1972. The largest diamond ever unearthed in the United States is a 40.23-carat stone called the Uncle Sam, found at the park in 1924.