Sqkii's $100,000 April Fool's diamond hunt turns out to be real

Raise your hands if you thought it was a joke.

The organiser of island-wide challenge, 'Hunt the Mouse', has announced that their April Fool's diamond hunt is in fact, real. 

In a Facebook post on April 1, Sqkii shared that they planned for $100,000 worth of diamonds to be hidden around Singapore for participants to find.

Turns out, many took the post for an April Fool's prank.

While some were skeptical about the new challenge, titled #HuntTheDiamond, a subsequent post on April 2 confirmed that their diamond hunt is legit. 

Speaking to AsiaOne, Sqkii's co-founder Kenny Choy said that unlike previous years, this year's treasure hunt will have a sparkly twist.

Instead of a golden coin, hunters will be searching for five "diamond quartz" with the words #Huntthediamond engraved on it.

Said Choy: "There were a few fans who jokingly commented on our previous $100,000 cash hunt that we should consider hiding diamonds instead. I guess that was the inspiration for #HuntTheDiamond." Prizes this year have been sponsored by e-commerce company, IUIGA.

What remains however, is that hunters will still have to decipher mind-boggling clues as and when they are released to get one step closer to the bounty.

Last year, two lucky participants won $100,000 after they found the hidden gold coin in Hougang.

Hints on Sqkii's website show that the quartz will be hidden in five different parts of Singapore in the coming weeks. 

Players who find the special gem will then get to exchange it for a one-carat diamond ring from IUIGA. A post on IUIGA's Facebook page suggests that one of their solitaire rings is "valued at $25,000".

News of the hunt have sent budding treasure hunters into a frenzy, with most of them excited to get their hands on the bounty. 

With the first clue slated to drop on April 8 at 10am, let the hunt begin.

kimberlyfoo@asiaone.com