The 2.01 carat, round brilliant-cut diamond is listed on eBay.com. All proceeds will go towards charity.
They say, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” especially those girls who happen to love Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning.
For two months, the Hidden Valley Ranch company cooked a 2.01-carat, round brilliant-cut diamond in a lab using the famous seasoning. The diamond was burned in an oven at 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit then pressed under 400 tons of pressure.
Geologist Dean VandenBiesen, the vice president of LifeGem, a company that creates memorial diamonds from the ashes of a person's loved ones, created the man-made diamond.
It took approximately five months, for “The Ranch Diamond,” to come to life.
Typically, a diamond takes millions of years to occur naturally, however, VandenBiesen’s diamond production lab is able to duplicate the process by placing carbon, the primary element of all diamonds, in conditions that recreate the forces of nature, according to the LifeGem site.
Diamonds are formed in nature when graphite, the crystalline form of pure carbon, is put under intense heat and pressure, In Store magazine reported.
For this project, ranch dressing is made primarily from buttermilk, which contains two essential ingredients, butter, and milk, which are chemical signatures and high in carbon, the publication reported.
By heating the seasoning to an extremely high temperature, VandenBiesen was able to derive the graphite for his diamond press.
On Thursday, the man-made diamond was unveiled by the company during National Ranch Day.
Since it was introduced, the diamond ring is causing quite a buzz, with nearly 500 people watching it since the diamond went up on eBay.com on Friday.
As of Tuesday evening, there were 82 bids, with the most current bid at $13,500.
Bidding will close March 17 at 9 a.m.
The white-gold band also has engraved initials HVR LVR (short for “Hidden Valley Ranch Lover”), another perk for the winner.
The money earned will be donated will go towards the non-profit, Feeding America. Every dollar raised will help provide at least 10 meals, the company said, In Store reported.
