Will You Find the Diamond Downtown?

On June 18, a Hearts on Fire diamond ring worth over $12,000 will be up for grabs, and clues leading to the prize will be hidden all over Downtown Stamford.

has partners with SCVNGR, a location-based game, to give many local couples an opportunity they will never forget. Couples jetting around town on foot will use a SCVNGR application on their cell phones to follow a trail of clues around the downtown area, completing simple tasks to earn points. The couple with the most points at the end of the compeititon will win the ring.

“We’d heard about it and thought it was something entirely different,” Liz Osta, owner of NAGI Jewelers, said.

"It’s an old school scavenger hunt brought into the 21st century,” John Lingos-Webb, Ringmaster at SCVNGR told Patch. “A one-day “Amazing Race” around one downtown area.”

SCVNGR holds over 100 of these events every year in addition to other large events and day-to-day games through smartphone applications. CEO Seth Priebatsch developed the technology while a freshman at Princeton University. He dropped out after his first year and began to build SCVNGR — which he envisioned as “a game layer on top of the world.”

"We tend to partner with jewelers that are very involved in the community, like NAGI, who think this could be a cool thing to bring to their city," Lingos-Webb said.

Couples enter the race by submitting their story on the event's website. While there aren't any strict guidelines, teams tend to be dating couples looking to win an engagement ring or married couples looking for an upgrade for an anniversary. Participating couples with meet at BUtterfield 8 at 10 am on June 18. The event is free, but NAGI Jewelers will be collecting donations and canned goods for the at the start of the event.

“[On the day of Diamond Dash] people play for two hours, they’re sent to a location and given a challenge at that location — there’s a lot of deciphering, math, or it could be as easy as counting or picking something out of a display,” Lingos-Webb said.

The day will include 50—60 different challenges and couples will be sent to them in varying orders trying to complete as many as possible.

When the two hours are up, everyone will meet back at BUtterfield 8 not knowing yet who has won. While there’s no cheat sheet, SCVNGR did have a few tips for participants.

“Everything is done on foot, no automobiles, no bikes,” Lingos-Webb said. “You want to get a good night’s sleep. A good pair of running shoes will help, be ready to move for the two hours. We also encourage people to bring a map and familiarize yourself ahead of time if you don’t know the area well.”

The ring itself is currently on display at NAGI Jewelers along with information about how to participate on the day of the event. They are prepared for 250—300 couples to participate in the Diamond Dash.

"There will be a second and third place prize too, obviously the big prize is the diamond ring — but these will include diamonds too,” Ostra said. “It’s all around that diamond theme. Rain or shine, it will be a lot of fun and the clues will lead someone to the diamond.”