Over 1,000 fortune seekers flocked to the village of KwaHlathi in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province on Monday in search of what they believed to be diamonds after unidentified stones were unearthed in the area.

The people traveled from across South Africa to join villagers who have been digging since Saturday, after a herd man who dug up the first stone on an open field, which some believe to be quartz crystals, put out the word.

One digger Mendo Sabelo who he held a handful of tiny stones said the discovery was a life changer.

The 27-year old father of two said “this means our lives will change because no one had a proper job, I do odd jobs. When I returned home with them, (the family was) really overjoyed.”

“I hadn’t seen or touched a diamond in my life. It’s my first time touching it here,” unemployed Skhumbuzo Mbhele said.

On Monday, the mines department announced that it was sending a team comprising of geological and mining experts to the site to collect samples and conduct an analysis.