Your Engagement Ring Probably Has A Hidden Serial Number You Didn't Know About

CLIENT: CERTIFIED DIAMOND INSURANCE

OUTLET: 10 DAILY

If you've ever gone through the process of shopping for an engagement ring, you'll know there can be an overwhelming number of things to consider.

Aside from the look and style of your ring, you quickly start to learn an awful lot about diamonds, from the cut, to the colour and clarity.

What you may not know is most diamonds in Australia over the last 10 years have been laser inscribed with a serial number likened to a 'fingerprint' -- which makes it easier to trace should the unfortunate event that your engagement ring is lost or stolen ever take place.

The code is inscribed directly onto the girdle of the diamond which is quite difficult to get to when it's in a setting and it can't be seen with the naked eye either, having to be checked under a microscope instead.

Speaking to 10 daily, Roy Cohen, a diamond expert from Certified Diamond Insurance, said this spot was specifically chosen instead of on the engagement ring band as this could be lost if it was melted down. Yet removing the code from the diamond itself is near impossible.

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A laser code could protect your diamond ring and save you thousands

CLIENT: CERTIFIED DIAMOND INSURANCE

OUTLET: NEWS.COM.AU

Replacing a diamond ring can be an expensive prospect, but that’s the reality for the majority of Australians who don’t insure their heirlooms.

Insuring diamond rings is expensive, which is why 44 per cent of Australians’ diamond rings remain uninsured. Of those that are insured, 70 per cent are inadequately insured.

Certified Diamond Insurance (CDI) etches the secret antitheft serial number onto the diamonds and makes them traceable.

CDI founding partner and head of speciality risks at Woodina, Isaac Garson, said the code was a game-changer.

“We are putting thieves and fraudsters on notice,” he said.

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Sequins and lessons as drag queen storytime taken to Sydney streets

CLIENT: EASTSIDE SYDNEY

OUTLET: SBS NEWS

Sydney's Oxford Street was even more colourful than usual on Saturday as one of Australia's largest-ever drag queen storytimes was held on the iconic strip.

Dozens of parents and children listened to Hannah Conda and Maxi Shield read stories and play games, as part of the Mardi Gras' Oxtravaganza festival.

But behind the glitter, there was a message of inclusivity and LGBTIQ+ visibility.

"It's very much allowing the kids to see there is no box that they have to fit in when they grow up. They can be anything that they want," Ms Conda told SBS News.

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Drag Queen StoryTime To Set World Record During Sydney Mardi Gras

CLIENT: EASTSIDE SYDNEY

OUTLET: 10 DAILY

Maxi Shield and Hannah Conda will lead an attempt on Saturday to break a world record for the biggest ever 'drag queen storytime'.

They're hoping hundreds of children will flock to Sydney's iconic Oxford Street to participate in the storytelling record attempt, as part of the Mardi Gras event dubbed 'Oxtravaganza'.

The pair say storytime events -- hosted by drag queens who read children's books in community libraries across the country -- are more than just fun for kids.

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The invisible engraving that could see you save hundreds of dollars on wedding ring insurance

CLIENT: CERTIFIED DIAMOND INSURANCE

OUTLET: THE DAILY MAIL

  • Diamond grader Roy Cohen is urging Australians to get diamond rings engraved

  • He argued a serial number on diamond girdle could stop illegal pawn shop sale

  • Insurance premiums can also be reduced for jewellery inscribed with a code 

Jewellery experts are urging engaged couples to get the girdle of the diamond engraved so they can't as easily be pawned.

This microscopic serial number could be enough to get the ring returned, and save newlyweds potentially hundreds of dollars a year in insurance premiums.

Mr Cohen, the director of Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia, said engraved serial numbers on diamonds could be checked against a database, arguing this was more effective than leaving a diamond un-engraved and relying on police detective work to find a stolen item.

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'Are you a man or a woman?' Drag queen used to kids' curly questions

CLIENT: EASTSIDE SYDNEY

OUTLET: THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Chris Collins loves telling children's stories. But before he can begin he prepares to be bombarded with "lots of questions" from curious kids.

Collins, better known by his drag name Hannah Conda, is one of about a dozen artists who make a full-time living as a drag queen in Sydney.

Conda has been doing story time in costume for kids at childcare centres and libraries for about three years and says she was one of the first drag queens to bring the phenomenon to Sydney. And this weekend during the Oxtravaganza festival in the lead up to Mardi Gras, Conda will attempt to establish a world record for the largest drag queen story-time.

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The Aussie company with world-first wearable tech preventing back pain in the workplace

CLIENT: POSTURE360

OUTLET: ANTHILL

A smart t-shirt that collects posture data and alerts the wearer when they are not sitting correctly could help Australian employers monitor their workers with innovative wearables technology that also helps correct posture and reduce the billions lost each year in productivity as a result of back pain issues.

“Australia has an out of control back pain problem that is costing employers billions, ruining the lives of employees, and is only set to get worse with our mobile phone addictions,” says CEO & Founder William Choi of Australian company Posture360. 

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Some of the remarkable Canberrans we spoke to in 2019

CLIENT: WANDERSAFE
OUTLET: THE CANBERRA TIMES


How great are Canberrans? 

We might be biased (as we do write about them every day) but there are plenty of people who live right here in the capital, doing remarkable things.

Take Stephenie Rodriguez for example, who is the woman behind the WanderSafe Beacon.

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