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MISSOULA - If diamonds are forever, then a local organization has an eternity of good fortune after receiving a ring with 91 of them. But the gift of a lifetime doesn't quite translate into a nonprofit's best friend.

"We've never gotten a gift like this," The Parenting Place executive director Teresa Nygaard said. "We were just overwhelmed."

The Parenting Place, like many nonprofits, is going through hard economic times and is faced with cutting services. But a gift appraised at nearly $14,000 could change that, if staff could just put a finger on how to make it work for them.

"General consensus in the jewelers' community was that a ring of this value probably wouldn't see a great deal of return if we sold it outright," Nygaard said. "It just did not have the same value as the appraisal."

The appraisal value would translate into a year of intensive services for 10 families for The Parenting Place.

"We wouldn't have to cut back services if we could just exchange diamonds for funding," Nygaard said.

And whoever steps forward to help with the transaction would not only get a diamond ring, but a chance to invest in a cause.

"I'm hoping that someone out there is looking for something just like this," Nygaard said.

And that would be worth its weight...in diamonds.

The Parenting Place hopes the one-of-a-kind piece generates close to the appraised amount. If you have any questions, contact Teresa Nygaard at 728-543(KIDS).