DIAMOND DONATION AIDS DIABETES CENTER

A 2-ct. diamond donated by the E.B. Horn Co., a 161-year-old Boston jeweler, was the centerpiece of a ?High Hopes Diamond Gala? benefiting children with diabetes on March 4 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. Proceeds from the black-tie event supported Joslin Diabetes Center?s High Hopes Fund for Children with Diabetes.

The diamond, worth $20,000, was hidden in a 500-flute ?Diamond Champagne Tower.? Baccarat crystal flutes of champagne were sold for $75 during the event. One of the flutes contained the 2-ct. diamond; the other 499 had a cubic zirconia. An E.B. Horn representative identified the genuine diamond and provided documentation to the winner, Dr. Cochin Ganda. Nicole Johnson, Miss America 1999, who has had type 1 diabetes since the age of 19, was a special host of the event. Honorary chairman was Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez.