Talk about bragging rights: There is only one man-made diamond crafted entirely out of ranch dressing, and someone is not only going to place the winning bid on this two-carat ring, but they will also make a timely and sizable donation to a food-focused charity.
In a special promotion, Hidden Valley Ranch is offering a first-of-its-kind round brilliant-cut diamond in an online auction. The bidding started March 10, which is National Ranch Day, and will end March 17. The winner will receive the ring in time for National Proposal Day on March 20.
All funds raised in this tasty eBay contest will go to Feeding America, says Deb Crandall, marketing director at Hidden Valley Ranch. As of Monday, the bidding, which started at $310, was at $12,450.
“We’re really excited to see how much the Ranch Diamond from Hidden Valley sells for,” Crandall says. “We are especially excited to see the price increase, as we have partnered with Feeding America and know that every dollar raised will provide 10 meals to those in need.”
The idea for the Hidden Valley Ranch diamond started last year, when a couple used one of the company’s custom Valentine’s Day bottles to propose, Crandall says. This year, Hidden Valley Ranch decided to up the ante, seeing a way to turn people’s love for ranch dressing into another beautiful life moment.
The man-made ring is a work of art and science. A professional diamond maker the company did not identify created the diamond in a lab, Crandall says. The process, which took five months, began with the diamond maker heating Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning.
“A sample of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning was burned up to 3,000 degrees centigrade, so that only graphite remained. The graphite comes out in chunks and grit,” Crandall says.
Those chunks and grit were shaken in a tube with ball bearings, which ground it down to a powder. That powder then went into a closed chamber that applied “an extraordinary amount of pressure and heat,” Crandall says.
Once that powder came out of the chamber, the diamond maker broke it apart and removed the hardened graphite to find a rough diamond inside, Crandall says. Next, the rough diamond was sent for polishing and cutting to create the look and shape of a diamond anyone would be proud to wear—especially someone who loves ranch dressing.
Finally, the ranch diamond was set in a 14k white gold band with “HVR LVR” engraved on the inside. Crandall says she hopes the lucky recipient is happy to receive a diamond—and that they love that it was made from ranch.
“This diamond is truly one of a kind, and nobody else will have anything quite like this. We hope that they will be able to tell the story behind this diamond for the rest of their lives,” Crandall says. “We know there are a ton of Hidden Valley Ranch superfans out there, and we are hoping that the couple who wins the diamond will really cherish this unique diamond for years to come.”
Hidden Valley Ranch, which calls itself “the nation’s original ranch dressing brand,” was founded in 1954 by Steve Henson. It is now part of the Clorox Co.
Top: Hidden Valley Ranch created a 2 ct. diamond out of its specialty seasoning to commemorate National Ranch Day and celebrate a special couple’s love for its dressing with this ring. All proceeds from the ring’s auction will go to Feeding America (photos courtesy of Hidden Valley Ranch).
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