Diamond ring fashioned for raffle

Local jeweller and Rotarian Mr Keith Ramsden has turned a unique diamond into a work of art to help poverty stricken children on Sumba Island, Indonesia.

The stone is a yellow 0.6-carat diamond from the Cempaka Alluvial Diamond Mine in South East Kalimantan, an area where diamonds have been found for more than 1000 years.

Keith has worked the stone into a beautiful ring of white gold worth more than $2500.

The ring is the prize in a major raffle being run by the Woy Woy Rotary Club in conjunction with its Indonesian Night to be held on February 25 at the Everglades Country Club.

"This is not only a magnificent prize, the winner will get a ring with a fascinating history," said Woy Woy Rotary Club's international director Mr Ross Pearse.

Two businessmen with interests in the mine, Mr Harry Suharsono and Mr Charles Watson, have donated the diamond in a joint effort with Woy Woy Rotary Club to help the children in Sumba.

"The diamond comes from an area that is the second oldest source of diamonds in the world and is the site of one of the world's biggest diamond finds.

"In 1968, a stone weighing 167 carats was found in the area, " Mr. Pearse said.

Proceeds from the raffle will go towards stocking a cattle farm to provide food and income for a Catholic boarding school in Weetabula, in north west Sumba, that looks after about 260 high school students.

"Most of the local community are living under the poverty line without enough food," Mr. Pearse said.

"If they can get a cattle farm up and running, using locally bred animals, they will be able to improve both the kids' diet and that of the local community generally."

Tickets in the diamond ring raffle are available from Judd's Pharmacy Deep Water Plaza Woy and Umina Pharmacy, Ocean Beach Rd, Umina, at $10 each or six for $50.

Ross Pearse, January 29