South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Bling ka-ching!
28.8-carat diamond bracelet donated to Orlando charity
There’s the Hope Diamond. And then there’s the “Hope Diamond Bracelet.”
The former is a 45.5-carat world famous jewel that dates to the 1600s and comes with an alleged curse. The latter is a new 28.8-carat piece of high-end bling that will be auctioned to benefit Shepherd’s Hope — —a Central Florida medical clinic for the poor and uninsured.
It’s also one of the most expensive auction items ever donated to an Orlando-area charity.
“It is a thing of beauty,” said Rita Hinson, who is giving the bracelet to Shepherd’s Hope in honor of her late husband, philanthropist Jim Hinson, the former president and chairman of the board of Dr. Phillips Charities. “I think I’m going to have separation anxiety.”
The bracelet will go up for auction at the charity’s Famous Faces Masquerade Ball on Oct. 2, with bidding both online and in person. It’s 7 inches long and has 120 white diamonds, each about a quarter of a carat, set in 18-karat white gold.
Appraised value? $103,000. Bidding will start at $50,000.
The bracelet is available for viewing through Sept. 30 during regular business hours at Gianni Vincent Jewellers in Windermere. Hinson said she had it made with the intention of donating it to Shepherd’s Hope.
She also made a $50,000 cash contribution to the charity.
“I am blessed to be able to do this,” she said. “And I love what Shepherd’s Hope is doing. They have these doctors and nurses and healers who work at their [paying jobs] and then have enough compassion still in their heart to go do it again for the uninsured.”
Shepherd’s Hope, opened in 1997, serves Central Florida patients who are uninsured, not eligible for government-assisted healthcare programs and have income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level (equal to $25,760 a year for an individual). It has four clinics in Orange and Seminole counties and also sees patients via telemedicine.
Pam Gould, president and CEO of Shepherd’s Hope, said Hinson’s donations come at a desperately needed time. The pandemic’s economic devastation has left thousands of Central Floridians without employer-sponsored health insurance or the ability to pay out of pocket.
“We’re seeing about 35% of our patients are new people right now, a lot of them seeking help for the first time in their adult lives,” Gould said. “And we’re seeing them come even sicker than we normally do because they have delayed care.”