£3,000 diamond ring thief faces prison

A mum who stole a £3,000 diamond ring from an Uppingham jewellers by swapping it for a "worthless" substitute has been warned she may face jail.

Kimbra Rees made the audacious switch in PG Fine Jewellery, in High Street East, after asking to look at engagement rings.

The 41-year-old then tried the same trick three weeks later with a diamond crucifix – but was caught red-handed by staff.

Rees, of Wilkes Gardens, Uppingham, was found guilty of theft and attempted theft by a jury at Leicester Crown Court.

Recorder Geoffrey Solomons told her: "I make it clear these are serious matters and all sentencing options remain open."

Sentencing was adjourned until March 16 for reports. Rees was released on bail.

Her trial had been told how she walked into the store on March 22 last year and asked to view rings worth between £5,000 and £6,000.

She was told the store didn't have any in that price bracket, but when sales assistant Natalie Burdett called another branch to see if they did, Rees made the switch using a ring she had in her pocket.

Even though Miss Burdett realised almost instantly that the rings had been exchanged, she was unable to stop Rees leaving the shop in time.

Miss Burdett told the jury how Rees must have exchanged the rings when she turned her back for a "split second" during the call to another branch.

She said: "I turned around and said that the other branch didn't have anything of the value she requested.

"She thanked me for my help and walked out of the shop. Instantly, I noticed the most expensive ring, which was white gold with diamonds all the way around the band, and worth about £3,300, was missing and had been replaced by something completely different. I was shocked."

The court heard the substitute ring appeared to be a white gold or silver sovereign ring with a stone set in it.

Miss Burdett said she panicked and ran out of the shop to try and catch up with Rees. But when she was unable to spot her, she went
back into the store and called the police.

Miss Burdett added that she was shocked when Rees walked into the store two weeks later, on April 5.

She left without asking to view anything, but returned six days later, asking to look at a selection of diamond crucifixes.

Miss Burdett asked colleague Claire Morrissey to serve Rees, then kept watch.

Miss Burdett told the jury she heard Miss Morrissey shout, "What are you doing, put that back", and saw Rees "fumbling" with something.

Miss Burdett said she and her colleague confronted Rees and asked to search her coat because they weren't sure if one of the crucifixes belonged to the shop or not.

In a pocket they found three items of jewellery, including a "low value" diamond crucifix similar to the one Rees had viewed.

The jury heard Rees was allowed to leave the shop but was arrested nine days later.

She claimed the costume jewellery had been left in her pocket by her daughter.

LTX-Credence Diamond Test Systems Achieve Superior Results for Sunplus

LTX-Credence Corporation (Nasdaq:LTXC), a global provider of focused, cost-optimized ATE solutions, today announced that Sunplus Technology (TSE:2401) (LSE:SUPD), one of the world's leading suppliers of multimedia IC solutions, has realized significant advantages from its deployment of the Diamond platform from LTX-Credence for test of its leading-edge consumer SoC and other device solutions.

Sunplus selected the LTX-Credence Diamond based on the platform's proven performance in testing complex, highly integrated devices with digital and analog cores at very low cost, and has deployed multiple systems at its facility and utilized additional systems at its subcontract test partners.

"We chose the Diamond from LTX-Credence to be one of our major test platforms for mixed signal and digital testing of our IC solutions for DVD players, DVB and DPF because it delivers outstanding performance and the right cost of test metrics for our product portfolio," noted Thomas Yeh, test engineering manager at Sunplus. "The results we have achieved with Diamond in the past year validate that decision. The Diamond platform, coupled with the application development and support services provided by Spirox, has demonstrated cost-effective solutions for our devices and superior throughput than our previous test solution."

"The results achieved by Sunplus clearly demonstrate the powerful combination of LTX-Credence's focused, cost-optimized ATE solutions and the unmatched application development and support services provided by Spirox," said James Wu, vice president of Spirox. "We are committed to working closely with LTX-Credence to continue to deliver advanced, cost-effective products and services that enable our customers' success in their markets."

About Sunplus

Sunplus Group, headed by Sunplus Technology Company Limited established in 1990, is devoted in IC design for electrical consumer applications. Sunplus offers not only IC design but also system solutions to customers with more added-on features by differentiating each design. Sunplus' reusable IPs such as audio/video, microprocessor and digital signal processor technologies are applied to numerous IC solutions for multimedia home applications and ASICs that contributed to our quality life. Due to the expansion of business scope, Sunplus split its BUs into several fabless IC design companies by different applications in 2006. The parent company, Sunplus Technology, now focus on developing Home Entertainment IC solutions such as DVD/VCD, DVR, DVB, LCD TV and DTV. The consolidated revenue of Sunplus reached N$20.1billion in 2007. For more information, please visit the Sunplus website: www.sunplus.com.

About Spirox Corporation

Spirox Corporation is a leader in providing advanced solutions from IC design and fabrication through assembly and test for the semiconductor and TFT-LCD high-tech industries. The company offers total turn-key processes by integrating professional distribution and value-added solutions with Spirox manufactured products and information systems. Spirox was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Taiwan. The company also has operations in the USA, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong with advanced technical centers in Hsinchu, Taiwan and Shanghai, PRC. More information is available at http://www.spirox.com.

About LTX-Credence Corporation

Formed by the 2008 merger of LTX Corporation and Credence Systems Corporation, LTX-Credence is a global provider of focused, cost-optimized ATE solutions designed to enable customers to implement best-in-class test strategies to maximize their profitability. LTX-Credence addresses the broad, divergent test requirements of the wireless, computing, automotive and entertainment market segments, offering a comprehensive portfolio of technologies, the largest installed base in the Asia-Pacific region, and a global network of strategically deployed applications and support resources. Additional information can be found at www.LTX-Credence.com.

MAGNIFICENT MOMENTS,Waist-long diamond necklaces among the surprises

Waist-length necklaces, yellow diamonds and gold, and diamonds worn in unexpected ways emerged as the top jewelry news at the 2009 Screen Actors Guild awards.

Christina Applegate draped two strands of Lorraine Schwartz diamonds reaching down to her navel over an emerald green Ungaro gown. Jenna Fischer also doubled up on diamond strands. Hers were by Neil Lane, and worn with one chain shorter than the other. A huge diamond pendant swung from the longer strand.

Several stars went for colour including Penelope Cruz whose black velvet Azzedine Alaia gown got a kick from 6 carat orange spinel earrings and a rare sugarloaf ruby square cut ring, both by Chopard. Chopard also outfitted Kate Winslet with 22 carat pear-shaped diamond drops and a 39 carat three row diamond bracelet.

But by far the most popular colour news was yellow, both in diamonds and gold.

Saffron Burrows of Boston Legal sported fancy yellow pear-shaped diamond chandelier earrings by Chopard that totaled 17 carats.

Taraji P. Henson wore a citrine bracelet in shades varying from golden yellow to dark amber. The style is aptly named "Sunrise" and is by H. Stern.

Claire Danes decorated one wrist with a yellow gold and diamond 19th century bracelet from Fred Leighton.

Olivia Wilde chose a yellow gold and gemstone Panther suite from Cartier to go with a Ralph Lauren gown. The suite was made up of yellow gold, onyx and diamond earrings with emerald eyes ($31,900), and a bangle ($21,700) and ring ($20,300), both with peridot eyes.

Nicolette Sheridan sported a life-size gold fish cuff that looked like it had swum up and wound itself around her wrist.

Kristen Scott Thomas layered multiple 18 kt gold necklaces from Tiffany & Co. over a vintage Yves Saint Laurent tuxedo. They included Elsa Peretti Diamonds by the Yard necklaces with several pieces from the Tiffany key collection.

Several actresses wore jewels in less than expected ways.

Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto had a 53 carat rectangular diamond bracelet from Martin Katz worked into her coif. She also sported 8 carat cushion cut diamond earrings, a 7 row diamond bracelet, and a blue and white diamond crossover ring, also from Katz.

America Ferrera pinned a 19th century bow brooch from Fred Leighton in her romantically sideswept ‘do. The draping of her hair was echoed in her dress which was dramatically finished with 19th century diamond earrings, cluster ring and a ‘20s diamond bracelet, all from Fred Leighton.

Rachel Wood pinned a jeweled eagle pin by Neil Lane near the strap of a one-shoulder gown by Monique Lhuillier.

And Anne Hathaway steered away from wearing rings on her ring fingers, with Cartier’s diamond ballerina ring circa 1953 on her index finger, and a Cartier Couronne pave diamond cocktail ring on the middle finger of her other hand. Cartier’s platinum and diamond clip earrings and double brooch clip bangle, both vintage pieces from the '30s, completed the look.

Buried ‘treasure’ found at state park

A contractor clearing hurricane debris from Galveston Island State Park unearthed a box containing a small fortune, and with it, two mysteries — who owns the cash, jewelry, antiques and personal effects and how did they come to be buried on the beach?

Michael Pate, with Atlanta-based Byrd Disaster Relief, has worked in Galveston since Hurricane Ike.

On Jan. 7, Pate, 43, was working on a Bobcat tractor equipped with a grappling arm snatching storm debris from the sand.

“I was on the beach side about 100 to 150 feet from the water,” Pate said Monday. “I was raking the sand and saw this snake come out of the pile ... It went right down beside this box.”

The green steel U.S. Army ammunition canister caught Pate’s eye because the boxes are good for storage, he said.

“It was heavy, and I said, ‘This thing is full of sand,’” Pate said. “I shook the sand off and opened it up. It was unreal!”

The ammo can’s rubber seal preserved perfectly the treasures inside: a pair of diamond rings; dog tags; military medals, possibly from the Vietnam War or World War II; an 1863 Confederate $50 bill; silver certificates with serial numbers in consecutive order; silver bracelets; watches; an Art Donovan football card; and a mint condition, glass, Model A Ford radiator cap.

Pate also found family photographs, along with what he thinks is the owner’s wallet with a $20 bill, driver’s license and Social Security card stuffed inside.

Pate said his upbringing prevented him from keeping the loot.

He figured the owner lost everything in the storm, and learned the man was incarcerated.

Pate said the name listed on the license is John A. Sidwell.

The name is the same as that of a 59-year-old island man serving a two-year state jail sentence following a conviction on intoxication assault charges. The ages, as reported by Pate, match up, too.

On Aug. 7, 2004, Galveston police said one John A. Sidwell struck three pedestrians walking on the seawall. His truck was said to have been traveling about 60 mph when it swerved onto the sidewalk, hit a man and two women and a parked surrey.

The driver reportedly tried to back up and leave the scene with a 41-year-old Pasadena woman still trapped underneath, according to a Daily News article published the following day. A New Orleans man was critically injured.

Bystanders pulled the driver from the truck and detained him until police arrived.

Sidwell’s release date from a Dayton prison is April, according to state records.

Pate spoke to a friend of Sidwell, who was thrilled with the news.

“I thought it would be an encouraging story for the community,” Pate said. “We’ve seen so much destruction.”

It is unclear what Pate intends to do with the box and its contents.

It is also unclear whether someone buried the box or if the storm demolished a West End house and sunk it in the sand. It is unlikely the box washed from Sidwell’s listed address on 31st Street to the park.

Fergie dons $5 million in H. Stern jewels for her wedding day

Forget diamond tiaras. Singer Fergie made a special day all the more memorable with a rope of diamonds in her hair.

And that’s not all. The singer donned a total of $5 million U.S. worth of H. Stern jewelry to walk down the aisle, including custom-designed wedding bands.

Fergie, who married actor Josh Duhamel on January 10th in a lavish rock and roll wedding in Malibu, was outfitted in a sexy ruched gown by Dolce & Gabbana.

But the real story is her wedding day gems. Fergie replaced a traditional headpiece and veil with H. Stern’s Rope diamond necklace and Hera diamond earrings worn in her hair. A lariat featuring more than 80 carats of diamonds graced her neck. Her earlobes sparkled with Zephyr diamond studs, and a Lizard diamond cuff was clasped around her wrist. The design is a favourite of Fergie’s because the lizard is the Native American symbol of wisdom.

The groom wore 18kt white gold cufflinks invisibly set with black and white diamonds from H. Stern’s men’s line.

Although Duhamel popped the question in Dec. 2007 with a 3 to 4 carat solitaire, the couple took the time prior to their wedding day to create one-of-a-kind wedding bands. H. Stern's signature Stars ring was widened to accommodate a round 4-carat brilliant cut diamond set amongst an array of coloured diamonds ranging from white to cognac. A narrow colored diamond wedding band was created to match.

Both pieces are crafted in H. Stern’s 18kt Noble Gold, an exclusive alloy with an antiqued patina.

Duhamel’s wedding band was custom-made in 18kt white gold with asymmetric edges and a brushed finish.

Each band is engraved with personal message by the bride and groom.

The bridesmaids got their share of bling, too. Each of the seven female attendants received two Zephyr diamond hair clips priced at $3,000 each as gifts from the bride and groom.

Theo Fennell sales fell 21%

Luxury jeweller Theo Fennell said sales fell 21% in December as the economic downturn hit demand for high-end gems and trinkets.

The company - popular with celebrities and known for its diamond-encrusted skulls and solid silver Marmite lids - blamed the "very depressed" consumer market in the UK for the like-for-like sales drop and warned it would make a loss for the year to the end of March.

The designer jeweller, which opened a concession in the Brown Thomas department store in Dublin last year, has two stand-alone London shops and concessions at locations in Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham.

The company also revealed it would no longer run the luxury watch counters at the London department store Harrods, a decision it said was reached by both parties.

Theo Fennell said it would restructure and downsize as a result of current trading, adding there would be a "significant reduction" in overheads.

A spokeswoman could not give a figure for the number of jobs involved, but said the business was already streamlined and there would not be "many" posts cut.

The company said sales at its flagship and City stores were significantly down year on year while international sales were flat.

Sales from Theo Fennell's department store outlets which have a strong international customer base were in line with 2007 sales figures and in some cases ahead.

Theo Fennell, founded in 1982, has its flagship store in South Kensington, with items on offer including a £13,800 white and black diamond ring in the shape of a skull entwined by a snake.

Gemesis launches grassroots marketing effort

Gemesis is getting the word out about its lab-grown diamonds at the local level, starting with jewelers in Cleveland.

According to a release from the Sarasota, Fla.-based company, it launched the ground-level campaign in December at Chagrin Fine Jewelers, Kleinhenz Jewelers, Rinaldi Jewelry and Sheiban Jewelers.

The retail jewelers held in-store events showcasing the Gemesis lab-grown fancy-color yellow diamonds.

"Part of the success of this program was to get each store to carry an assortment of fancy-color cultured-diamond jewelry from our partners to make an impact in the store," Gemesis Marketing Director Martin DeRoy said in the release.

Each store invited customers to the event using a direct-mail piece that stated: "Transform the way you think of diamonds." The direct-mail piece also included information about Gemesis, an explanation of the term "cultured" as it relates to diamonds and a list of similarities between lab-grown and natural diamonds.

Supporting the in-store events was a cover ad on Cleveland magazine and local television appearances by Gemesis brand ambassador Joan Parker, both on the Channel 5 news and on WKYC's "Trendy Tuesday" segment.

In addition, two local newspapers, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Chagrin Valley Times, ran an article on the event.

According to the release, Gemesis plans to have public relations play a strong role in its local grassroots marketing efforts, which the company is planning to bring to more markets.

"We believe that supporting the local retailers is a direction that Gemesis will follow in the future as several markets are already under consideration," Gemesis President and CEO Steve Lux said in the release.

Diamonds stolen from JC Penney store in Great Falls

Great Falls Police are investigating the theft of nearly $10,000 worth of jewelry from JC Penney in Holiday Village Mall.

Six rings with a combined value of $9,951 were stolen: five were diamond rings, ranging from .75 carats to 1.5 carats.

One person, Aaron Monroe, has been arrested in connection with the theft, but authorities say that other people are involved.

The thefts occurred sometime between Sunday and Tuesday afternoon, and all the rings were stolen simultaneously.

Rio Tinto axes hundreds of jobs at WA diamond mine

Hundreds of workers at Rio Tinto's Argyle diamond mine in WA's Kimberley region have lost their jobs as the miner tries to slash its global debt by $10 billion.

So far 220 staff employed at the mine as contractors by McMahon Holdings have been made redundant but the firm believes 20 of those staff can be redeployed elsewhere.

Argyle spokesman Kevin McLeish says the job cuts will affect staff working on the development of an underground mine.

He says the underground construction will be slowed and Argyle's processing plant will enter an extended maintenance shutdown.

However Mr McLeish says none of Argyle's local Indigenous workers have been laid off.

"We want to continue our local, very successful local education, employment and training programs and we don't see that there'll certainly be a significant local impact on those programs going forward", he said.

Mr McLeish says staff have been informed of the job losses but he will not divulge the extent of the cuts.

hardness

Diamond is the hardest natural material known, where hardness is defined as resistance to scratching.Diamond has a hardness of 10 (hardest) on Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Diamond's hardness has been known since antiquity, and is the source of its name.

The hardest diamonds in the world are from the Copeton and Bingara fields located in the New England area in New South Wales, Australia. They were called can-ni-fare (cannot be cut) by the Cutters in Antwerpt, when they started to arrive in quantity, from Australia in the 1870s. These diamonds are generally small, perfect to semiperfect octahedra, and are used to polish other diamonds. Their hardness is considered to be a product of the crystal growth form, which is single stage growth crystal. Most other diamonds show more evidence of multiple growth stages, which produce inclusions, flaws, and defect planes in the crystal lattice, all of which affect their hardness.

The hardness of diamonds contributes to its suitability as a gemstone. Because it can only be scratched by other diamonds, it maintains its polish extremely well. Unlike many other gems, it is well-suited to daily wear because of its resistance to scratching—perhaps contributing to its popularity as the preferred gem in engagement or wedding rings, which are often worn every day.

Industrial use of diamonds has historically been associated with their hardness; this property makes diamond the ideal material for cutting and grinding tools. As the hardest known naturally-occurring material, diamond can be used to polish, cut, or wear away any material, including other diamonds. Common industrial adaptations of this ability include diamond-tipped drill bits and saws, and the use of diamond powder as an abrasive. Less expensive industrial-grade diamonds, known as bort, with more flaws and poorer colour than gems, are used for such purposes.

Diamond is not suitable for machining ferrous alloys at high speeds as carbon is soluble in iron at the high temperatures created by high-speed machining, leading to greatly increased wear on diamond tools when compared to alternatives.

hardness

Diamond is the hardest natural material known, where hardness is defined as resistance to scratching.Diamond has a hardness of 10 (hardest) on Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Diamond's hardness has been known since antiquity, and is the source of its name.

The hardest diamonds in the world are from the Copeton and Bingara fields located in the New England New England area in New South Wales, Australia. They were called can-ni-fare (cannot be cut) by the Cutters in Antwerpt, when they started to arrive in quantity, from Australia in the 1870s. These diamonds are generally small, perfect to semiperfect octahedra, and are used to polish other diamonds. Their hardness is considered to be a product of the crystal growth form, which is single stage growth crystal. Most other diamonds show more evidence of multiple growth stages, which produce inclusions, flaws, and defect planes in the crystal lattice, all of which affect their hardness.^[10]

The hardness of diamonds contributes to its suitability as a gemstone. Because it can only be scratched by other diamonds, it maintains its polish extremely well. Unlike many other gems, it is well-suited to daily wear because of its resistance to scratching—perhaps contributing to its popularity as the preferred gem in engagement or wedding rings, which are often worn every day.

Industrial use of diamonds has historically been associated with their hardness; this property makes diamond the ideal material for cutting and grinding tools. As the hardest known naturally-occurring material, diamond can be used to polish, cut, or wear away any material, including other diamonds. Common industrial adaptations of this ability include diamond-tipped drill bits and saws, and the use of diamond powder as an abrasive. Less expensive industrial-grade diamonds, known as bort, with more flaws and poorer colour than gems, are used for such purposes.

Diamond is not suitable for machining ferrous alloys at high speeds as carbon is soluble in iron at the high temperatures created by high-speed machining, leading to greatly increased wear on diamond tools when compared to alternatives

diamond story

A scattering of round-brilliant cut diamonds shows off the many reflecting facets.

In mineralogy, diamond (from the ancient Greek ἀδάμας, adámas) is the allotrope of carbon where the Carbon atoms are arranged in an isometric-hexoctahedral crystal lattice. It is the second most stable form of Carbon. Its hardness and high dispersion of light make it useful for industrial applications and jewelry. It is the hardest known naturally occurring mineral. It is possible to treat regular diamonds under a combination of high pressure and high temperature to produce diamonds that are harder than the diamonds used in hardness gauges.Presently, only aggregated diamond nanorods, a material created using ultrahard fullerite (C₆₀) is confirmed to be harder, although other substances such as cubic boron nitride, rhenium diboride and ultrahard fullerite itself are comparable.

Diamonds are specifically renowned as a material with superlative physical qualities; they make excellent abrasives because they can be scratched only by other diamonds, borazon,ultrahard fullerite, rhenium diboride, or aggregated diamond nanorods, which also means they hold a polish extremely well and retain their lustre. Approximately 130 million carats (26,000 kg (57,000 lb)) are mined annually, with a total value of nearly USD $ 9 billion, and about 100,000 kg (220,000 lb) are synthesized annually.

The name diamond is derived from the ancient Greek ἀδάμας (adámas), "unbreakable, untamed", from ἀ- (a-), "un-" + δαμάω (damáō), "to overpower, to tame". They have been treasured as gemstones since their use as religious icons in ancient India and usage in engraving tools also dates to early human history. Popularity of diamonds has risen since the 19th century because of increased supply, improved cutting and polishing techniques, growth in the world economy, and innovative and successful advertising campaigns. They are commonly judged by the “four Cs”: carat, clarity, color, and cut.

Roughly 49% of diamonds originate from central and southern Africa, although significant sources of the mineral have been discovered in Canada, India, Russia, Brazi, and Australia. They are mined from kimberlite and lamproite volcanic pipes, which can bring diamond crystals, originating from deep within the Earth where high pressures and temperatures enable them to form, to the surface. The mining and distribution of natural diamonds are subjects of frequent controversy such as with concerns over the sale of conflict diamonds (aka blood diamonds) by African paramilitary groups.

diamonds

The diamond ( from the ancient Greek ἀδάμας (adamas) meaning invincible ) is one of the best-known and most sought-after gemstone. Diamonds have been known to mankind and used as decorative items since ancient times; some of the earliest references can be traced to the Indians. Diamond's hardness and high dispersion of light make it useful for industrial applications and jewelry. One of the characteristics of diamonds that make them so desirable as jewelry is their tendency to disperse white light into its component colors, giving the diamond its characteristic "fire." Diamonds are such a highly traded commodity that multiple organizations have been created for grading and certifying diamonds based on the four Cs which are carat, cut, color, and clarity. Other characteristics, such as shape and presence or lack of fluorescence also effect the desirability and thus the value of a diamond used for jewelry. Perhaps the most famous use of a diamond in jewelry is its use in engagement rings. This use became popular in the early to mid 1900's due to an advertisement campaign by the De Beers company, though diamond rings were used to symbolize engagements since at least the 15th century. The diamond's high value has also been the driving force behind dictators and revolutionary entities, especially in Africa, using slave labor to mine blood diamonds to fund conflicts.