“I never win anything.”

How one woman won a real diamond necklace — with one $20 raffle ticket.

Nothing can quite compare to the agony of banking on your handful of raffle tickets to win you awesome gifts…only to find that you win nothing. Diane Yannick, a West Chester resident, was just like the rest of us. She was accustomed to the omnipresent disappointment of briefly hoping she would win a prize, only for those hopes to be quickly dashed.

That is, until she won a diamond necklace from Sunset Hill Jewelers valued at $2,500.

The night was this past New Year’s Eve. Diane spent her evening volunteering to help out at the Diamonds & Denim Gala at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center. Because she was volunteering there, she was offered a reduced rate to attend the gala, so she took advantage of it and brought her husband. Simply being in Uptown! and spending the night in town was special enough for this couple.

Against her better judgement, her husband bought just one raffle ticket for the diamond necklace. Valued at $20 per ticket, Diane assumed this to be a waste of their money, especially since she was used to the tragedy of never winning a raffle.

For that evening, Diane had borrowed diamond jewelry to wear for the Diamonds & Denim theme for the gala to save money.

“That was so foolish of you,” Diane told her husband. “I never win anything.”

Her life has now been changed forever! Diane is now the proud owner of a real diamond necklace, and has been wearing it every day since the gala.

After all, it’s the first prize she’s won at a raffle. It’s her lucky necklace.

After the gala, Diane also won another competition for the first time on January 9th, the West Chester Story Slam, by submitting a great story for the competition. She has credited her win to her lucky diamond necklace.

May the raffle odds be ever in your favor.