Why Mom Deserves a Diamond contest

The "Why Mom Deserves a Diamond" contest is an American essay contest founded by Michael "Diamond Mike" Watson in Costa Mesa, California in 1993. The contest was established in honor of Watson's adoptive mother and the birth mother he had never known. In a limited number of words, children are asked to write essays explaining why their mother deserves a diamond.

Hundreds of thousands of American children have participated, and dozens of children have won the grand prize of a diamond to give to their mothers (and other precious gems).[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The first winner was sophomore Margaret Ketchersid, from Edison High School in Huntington Beach, California. On Mother's Day 1993, she was awarded the grand prize of a quarter-carat diamond to give to her mother, Ruth.

Founder Diamond Mike Watson presents the unmounted diamond to the first diamond winner, Margaret Ketchersid, to give to her mother, Ruth. (Mother’s Day, 1991.)

Founder

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Martha Velia Watson
March 15, 1920 – September 14, 2006

Michael "Diamond Mike" Watson was born and adopted in Indianapolis in 1958. He spent his early life in New Albany, where his adopted parents raised him. The foundation of the contest began while Watson was searching for his own birth mother when he was 17.[8]

About the same time he started his quest, Watson entered the jewelry industry as an errand boy for a store in New Albany. He joined a retail chain and worked in jewelry stores in Indiana, Kentucky and Kansas City, then moved to California in 1989.[9] In 1991, Watson opened Gallery of Diamonds Jewelers in Costa Mesa, California.[10]

Watson obtained a copy of his hospital bill from Community Hospital, which showed his mother's name (Betty Price) and age. Armed with this information, he embarked on a search that lasted nearly 20 years. Watson found the judge who had presided over the adoption only to learn that the records were sealed. The judge did, however, give Watson the report by the Department of Public Welfare, which contained information about his birth mother.[11] The report listed names and a wedding date, and he contacted every county in Indiana to locate a wedding license. In mid-1994 he heard from the courthouse in Coatesville that the information on the license matched. He found that his birth mother's maiden name was Stewart, and also discovered her parents' address and telephone number.[12] When calling his biological grandmother, she said that no one knew he was alive because his birth mother told the family he was stillborn. He learned that his mother had died in 1981.[13]

Watson then learned he had an infant sister that vanished before he was born. Thus began a new journey to find his missing sibling. With the help of five genealogical researchers in which Watson named the Fabulous Five,[14] Watson finally found his missing sister alive and well in 2017.[15] That same year, with the miracle of DNA matching, Watson discovered his paternal Syrian Jewish roots and that he came from a long ancestry of distinguished rabbis from Aleppo, Syria. His great great grandfather was Hakham Mordechai Abadi.[16][17][18]

From 1993 to 2012, Watson published the winning entries in an annual book to raise money for the local county's library.[19] Over the years, thousands of children submit their essays to the company's headquarters in Santa Ana, California, and come to Gallery of Diamonds Jewelers every year.[20]

Watson earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Indiana University Southeast and is a gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America. He is the author of Moon Over Mountains- The Search for Mom, The Legend of Why Mom Deserves a Diamond, Tales of Imagination- Everything is Real, In Search of Mom- Journey of an Adoptee, and Adopted Like Me- Chosen to Search for a Birthmother.[21]


Diamond Winners

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Year Winner Grade School City State
1993 Margaret Ketchersid 10 Edison HS Huntington Beach CA
1994 Alison Murphy 10 Capistrano Valley HS Mission Viejo CA
1995 Scott Kircher 6 Harbor Day Corona del Mar CA
1996 Megan Darakjian 4 Cordillera Mission Viejo CA
1996 Lauren Kiang 7 La Paz Intermediate Mission Viejo CA
1997 Jessica Barraco 4 Eastshore Elementary Irvine CA
1997 Genevieve Slunka 11 Irvine High Irvine CA
1998 Jason Kirstein 3 Westwood Basics Irvine CA
1998 Tawnya Ravy 7 Bernardo M.S. Yorba Linda CA
1998 Vicki Ann Blood 4 St. Pancratius Lakewood CA
1998 Jennifer Plankenhorn 8 Arroyo Seco Valencia CA
1999 Blair Perkins 5 Taft Elementary Orange CA
1999 Paula Kim 7 Los Alisos Mission Viejo CA
1999 Roberto Ruiz 5 St. Malachy Los Angeles CA
1999 Chris Olsen-Philips 6 Binford Elementary Bloomington IN
1999 Brice Tomlinson 6 Trinity Christian Academy Addison TX
2000 Sandy Enriquez 5 Gilbert Elem. Garden Grove CA
2000 Tiffany Lamanski 7 St. Pius V Buena Park CA
2000 Rachel Tomberlin 7 St. Timothy Episcopal Apple Valley CA
2000 Victor Taylor 5 St. Mary New Albany IN
2000 Ashley Goodell 8 Chippewa M.S. Okemos MI
2000 Laura Cataldi 10 Nardin Academy Buffalo NY
2000 Ashley Kreidler 11 St. Johns Delphos OH
2000 Jennifer Scruggs 5 Sleepy Hollow Elementary Amarillo TX
2001 E. J. Debowski 4 John Malcolm Laguna Niguel CA
2001 Alyssa Connella 7 La Paz Mission Viejo CA
2001 Jesus Hernandez, Jr. 12 St. Thomas High Houston TX
2002 Harry Hudson 2 Bathgate Elem. Mission Viejo CA
2002 Amanda Wheeler 7 Los Alisos Mission Viejo CA
2002 Matthew W. Scott 11 Heartland High Belton MO
2003 Aris Simsarian 2 De Portola Elem. Mission Viejo CA
2003 Logan Cluttey 8 Los Flores M.S. R. Sta. Margarita CA
2003 Travis Dziad 6 St. Mary's Greenville SC
2004 Tyler Buttle 5 Reilly Elementary Mission Viejo CA
2004 Erica Haggerty 8 St. Angela Merici Brea CA
2004 Lindsey Croft 12 Nevada Union High Grass Valley CA
2005 Analyse Groton 4 Linda Vista Elem. Orange CA
2005 Jason Punzalon 8 Servite High Anaheim CA
2005 Emily Magers 6 Timberview M.S. Colorado Springs CO
2006 Kevin Banifatemi 5 De Portola Elem. Mission Viejo CA
2006 Laura Chae 7 Sierra Vista M.S. Irvine CA
2006 Sera Choi 7 Becker M.S. Las Vegas NV
2007 Grace Penner 5 Brookhaven Ele. Placentia CA
2007 Michael Glidden 11 Capistrano Valley HS Mission Viejo CA
2008 Sophia Vazquez 2 Jim Thorpe Fund. Santa Ana CA
2008 Linda Huynh 7 Fred Moila Fountain Valley CA
2009 David Duplissey 4 Ambuehl Ele. San Juan Capistr. CA
2009 Cheryl Bond 7 Oak Middle School Los Alamitos CA
2010 Harvey Zhou 4 Canyon View Elem. Irvine CA
2010 Thomas Loi 8 Bethel Baptist Santa Ana CA
2011 Leah Korenberg 1 Los Coyotes La Palma CA
2011 Charlie Xu 8 Rancho San Joaquin Irvine CA
2012 Makenzie Kaufman 4 Vista Verde Irvine CA
2012 Lauren Lee 8 Fairmont Private Santa Ana CA
2013 Gage Butterfield 6 Crescent Intermediate Anaheim CA
2013 Tony Scarsciotti 4 Benson Elementary Tustin CA
2014 Nikki Young 7 MacArthur Fundamental Santa Ana CA
2014 Sarah Stern 11 University High Santa Ana CA
2014 Benjamin Pham 3 Roch Courreges Elementary Fountain Valley CA
2015 Gavin Mosher 7 California Virtual Academy Trabuco Canyon CA
2015 Neha Abbas 5 John O. Tynes Placentia CA
2016 Danali Olivares 7 Mendez Fundamental Santa Ana CA
2016 Gina Kim 5 Margaret Landell Elementary Cypress CA
2017 Joseph Hamby 6 Emery Elementary Buena Park CA
2017 Lauren Morgan 3 Gilbert Elementary Garden Grove CA
2018 Katelyn Oho 4 Robert Fisler Elementary Fullerton CA
2018 Leah Korenberg 4 Christ Lutheran School Costa Mesa CA
2019 Mai Han Tran 5 Eastwood Elementary Westminister CA
2019 Allison Kim 6 Margaret Landell Elementary Cypress CA
2020 Genevieve Raphael 5 Vista Verde School Irvine CA
2020 Brayden Nguyen 8 Bethany Christian Academy Westminster CA
2021 Giselle Nguyen 2 Northcutt Elementary Fountain Valley CA
2021 Dylan Tran 6 Eastwood Elementary Westminster CA
2022 Jason Ross 6 St. John’s Episcopal Rancho Santa Margarita CA
2023 Claire Cho 6 Landell Elementary Cypress CA
2024 Zennia Achouri 5 Westpark School Irvine CA

Intellectual property

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The trademark Why Mom Deserves a Diamond was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark office on July 27, 2001, registration number 2,620,840. The trademark, The Legendary Contest, received registration on April 17, 2007, as "A writing contest in which kids can honor their mothers and have the chance to win a diamond or gemstone." Reg #3229618.

Anthologies

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From 1993 to 2012, Gallery of Diamonds Jewelers, the founding sponsor of the contest, published an annual anthology of the winners. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these books were donated to the Orange County Library system in Orange County, California. Following are the book titles and the years they were published.

  • 2012. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - A Gift of Love
  • 2011. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - Legacy Edition
  • 2010. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - Discovered With Great Bliss
  • 2009. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - The Encouraging Branch
  • 2008. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - The Crystal Heart
  • 2007. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - Sparkling Treasures
  • 2006. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - Beyond the Goddess Venus
  • 2005. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - Words of Love
  • 2004. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - Twelve Years of Love
  • 2003. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - The Legendary Contest
  • 2002. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - 10th Anniversary of the Greatest Contest on Earth
  • 2001. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - The Greatest Contest on Earth
  • 2000. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - A Millennium Mother's Day Tribute
  • 1999. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - Seventh Anniversary Edition
  • 1998. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - 1,500 Essay Winners for 1998
  • 1997. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - 1,002 Essay Winners for 1997
  • 1996. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - 732 Essay Winners for 1996
  • 1995. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - 391 Essay Winners for 1995
  • 1994. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - 1994 Essay Winners
  • 1993. Why Mom Deserves a Diamond - 1993 Essay Winners

References

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  1. ^ "Not Found". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
  2. ^ "Error".
  3. ^ "Kids Say the Darndest Things". Professional Jeweler Magazine online. April 2002.
  4. ^ "Seventh Grader Wins 'Why Mom Deserves a Diamond' Contest". January 8, 2004.[dead link]
  5. ^ Sheppard, Harrison (1999-05-07). "LA PALMA". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  6. ^ Register, Orange County Register | Orange County (2007-03-19). "Words worth a diamond". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  7. ^ "Stories".
  8. ^ "For the Love of Mom". Daily Pilot. 30 April 1992.
  9. ^ "Watson Strikes Gold with Diamond Shop". Tribune. 6 August 1992.
  10. ^ "Mother's Day Contest Builds Business and Goodwill". Jewellers Circular Keystone. April 1996.
  11. ^ "One Man's Search". New Albany Tribune. 1995.
  12. ^ "The Search is Finally Over". Newport Beach/Costa Mesa Daily Pilot. 16 September 1994.
  13. ^ "Surprising Twists in Two Searches for Family Roots". Los Angeles Times. 28 January 1998.
  14. ^ Pemberton, Michelle. "A 'vanished' sister, adopted brother and four siblings finally together". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on 2019-10-07. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  15. ^ "He found his birth family 35 years later. Then he helped them find a 'vanished' sister". Archived from the original on 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  16. ^ "Sakkal Design & Branding Co. - Hacham Mordechai Abadi". leonsakkal.myportfolio.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-15. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  17. ^ "Pizmonim.org - Mordechai Abadi". www.pizmonim.org. Archived from the original on 2021-10-15. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  18. ^ "Hakham Matloub Abadi: The Most Important Rabbi in the History of the Brooklyn Syrian Jewish Community". Archived from the original on 2021-10-15. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  19. ^ "Area Library Shines from Essay Sales". Costa Mesa Daily Pilot. 2 September 1997.
  20. ^ "Why Mom Deserves a Diamond Expands Contest to Jewelers". Diamond News. 30 January 2012.
  21. ^ "Search for Birth Mother Results in Special Book for Watson". New Albany Ledger Tribune. 10 May 1998.
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