With the most romantic day of the year upon us, who wouldn’t want this engaging prize?
In an imaginative waiting game, Inverness Victorian Market is hosting a competition to win a diamond ring worth £1,000.
The Diamond Meltdown initiative, supported by The Press and Journal, will see a sheer block of ice, currently being live-steamed from the Market Hall, gradually begin to melt until the diamond ring frozen inside is released.
The ring is attached to two helium balloons, designed to lift the ring out once its icy prison has melted.
To win the prize, entrants must guess the exact the date, hour, minute and second they believe the diamond will be released.
Market manager Jo Murray said: “I was looking for a promotion that would drive footfall into the market; something a bit different, something that the market hasn’t seen before. I have been working with Neil McGregor from the P&J to come up with some new and different initiatives.
“We got very creative a few months ago and we came up with this idea. We had a think at the end of last year about doing something a bit different and we decided to kick off the year on Valentine’s week and go forward with a very robust promotion.
Diamond Meltdown: Click here for your chance to win a ring worth £1000
“People should really have a look at the ice and take an educated guess as to when the ring will be released from the ice. Whoever guesses the second closest to that moment wins a ring to the value of £1,000. I’m hoping it gathers a bit of interest, possibly among younger people who may have never been in the market before who might be interested to see it.”
The competition is being staged in association with the Press and Journal, Inverness Common Good Fund and four in-house market jewellers.
All competition entries can be submitted for free here.
Mrs Murray says the aim of the campaign is to showcase the market’s potential.
She added: “The thrust of the promotion is to encourage customers to come in have a look at something a bit fun and different but showcase the businesses we have here in the market; which we know a lot of people don’t realise are actually here.
“So we are really welcoming anyone into the market to come and see the businesses we have got and a lot of businesses we have here have got some great gifts and ideas for Valentine ’s Day.”