Jewelry Worth Millions Stolen from Brink’s Truck

Brinks

US authorities are investigating a massive theft of jewelry from a Brink’s armored vehicle in California last week.

The truck was transporting goods to the International Gem & Jewelry Show in Pasadena, California, exhibition director Brandy Swanson told Rapaport News on Tuesday. The victims were 16 to 18 vendors. The contents included “high-end jewelry, watches and diamonds,” Swanson said.

The executive estimated the losses at $100 million to $150 million. Brink’s put the value at less than $10 million, according to media reports — a discrepancy explained by the practice of vendors underinsuring goods, Swanson noted.

“They all have invoices and paperwork to show the higher value,” Swanson said.

The theft occurred early on July 11, according to a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Los Angeles, which is investigating the case together with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

On that day, deputies from the Sheriff’s Department station in Santa Clarita, California, were called to the “Flying J” rest stop and gas station in the mountain community of Lebec in response to the burglary of a cargo container.

They “learned that several pieces of jewelry and gemstones valued at several million dollars were stolen from a locked ‘Brink’s’ tractor trailer by unknown suspects,” the department said Monday in a report.

“According to the information the customers provided to us before they shipped their items, the total value of the missing items is less than $10 million,” Brink’s said in a statement quoted in the US media. “We are working with law enforcement, and we will fully reimburse our customers for the value of their assets that were stolen, in accordance with the terms of our contract.” The company did not respond to a request for comment from Rapaport News.

Source: Diamonds.net

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

Engagement Ring Diamond Serial Number

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.This code in turn makes your ring a ‘low risk’ theft item because it’s easy for police to trace it. But don’t go pulling your ring off your finger to check for that little serial number just yet.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.

The laser inscription can only be seen under a microscope. Image: Supplied

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.”It cannot be removed unless the diamond goes back to a diamond polishing factory where it is put back on the wheel and polished off. I mean, there are very few diamond polishing factories in Australia so the chances of that happening are very remote,” Cohen said.”It’s even harder than for example, the engine number of a motor car. They could just machine it off. I mean, anyone could do that. But with a diamond? No. Only diamond cuts diamond.”

A close up of a laser inscription code. Image: Supplied

This process of inscription is completed by Certified Diamond Insurance (CDI) who are in partnership with a Australia’s leading diamond certifier, Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia (DCLA), as well as the Woodina Underwiting Agency.Together they’re working towards driving the costs associated with insuring diamonds down for Australians, with new research finding almost half of Australia diamond engagement rings aren’t insured. If they are, 70 percent of these have inadequate insurance as they’re usually lumped with other items as part of home contents insurance.”If you go and get household insurance, you’ll be paying a standard kind of rate and because they cover everything, you’ll be paying slightly higher premiums,” Cohen said.”What we’ve done is we’ve pulled out all certified diamonds that are laser inscribed and we only ensure those diamonds. These are the lowest risk diamonds.”

Laser inscribed diamonds are considered ‘low risk’ diamonds. Image: Supplied

According to Cohen, these diamonds are a ‘thief’s worst nightmare’ because they often aren’t able to tell if it has been laser inscribed or not.”Thieves can get caught so much easier with this type of diamond. If they go and sell that to a hock shop and it has the laser inscription on it, it is very easy to identify that that diamond has been stolen,” he told 10 daily.So how can you check if your diamond has the laser inscription on it or not? According to Cohen, it’s as easy as checking your diamond certification certificate.”Most diamonds that are of value are sold with diamond grading certificates in Australia and most of those are laser inscribed,” he said.The certificate will make note that the diamond has been laser inscribed and it will have the number that’s on the actual diamond.Yet while most diamonds now have the laser inscribed code on them, if your engagement ring happens to be an heirloom or has been passed down through the family, it likely doesn’t. The upside is CDI are offering complementary diamond grading and laser inscription for diamonds owners in this situation.”So if anybody wants take advantage of the lower premiums that CDI is offering and the diamond is not certified and not laser inscribed, we will actually do that for them,” he said.”The diamond gets removed from the setting, the diamond is graded, laser inscribed and then set back in the setting. Then it is eligible for CDI insurance.”

Roy Cohen. Image: Supplied

CDI are further working on establishing a nation wide data base where individuals can register their ring along with it’s details and pictures. Should the ring ever be lost or stolen, it can then be flagged in this system, making it easier to locate.”Then wherever it ends up or if it’s ever checked against that data base or it ends up at a diamond grading laboratory, it will be identified,” Cohen said.”So the benefit is, let’s say it was a heritage diamond from your grandma or something like that, you actually have a chance of getting the diamond back.”

Valentina Todoroska

10 daily Lifestyle Editor

Insuring Your Certified Diamonds Is A No-brainer

CDI Diamond Jewellery Insurance

Your diamonds are possibly the most valuable item you own. Valuable not just in monetary terms, but because of their sentimental value. It might be your engagement ring, a wedding ring, a pendant gifted by a grandparent or even your favourite set of earrings. These items come with a strong emotional attachment and it can be devastating when they are lost, stolen or damaged.

So, you’d be amazed at the statistics – 40% of diamond owners don’t insure their pieces. They then get incredibly angry at themselves when it’s too late and they’ve lost their special piece for whatever reason. Within this group, one-third consider their engagement ring to be one of the most expensive items they own among other investments like their home and vehicle. Yet they insure their house and vehicle every year, but neglect to consider their diamonds.

The alarming part is how often people find themselves in situations where their diamonds are at risk. The statistics are an eye-opener and should serve as a reminder if you haven’t yet insured your diamonds properly.

In 2015, Australia had the fifth highest rate of burglaries in the world. In 2017, there were 225,900 recorded burglaries in Australia – one every three minutes. Add to this a 2010 study that showed jewellery was the third most common item stolen in a home burglary, behind laptops and cash – and you would have to agree it’s not worth the risk. Theft is more common than you think and no one is exempt from such bad luck.

It’s also important to remember that your diamonds are vulnerable and are susceptible to damage. There are three different classifications a gemologist uses when assessing stones to determine their durability:

  1. Hardness
  2. Toughness
  3. Stability

Hardness is assessed by how easily the diamond can scratch. Toughness is judged by how well the diamond can stand up to breakage or chipping. Stability is measured according to how well the diamond can stand up to thermal changes. It’s worthwhile finding out how vulnerable your diamonds are, or at least keep in mind they’re not invincible.

And of course, there’s the risk that you could lose your special piece. Everyone assumes it will not happen to them, but that is optimistic and you can never be 100% sure of this – at home, or while you’re on holidays.

Some insurance gets murky when you’re out of the country and holidaying overseas. You believe you’re protected until you fly to Bali or Hawaii and suddenly you’ve been robbed or left something in the hotel room and your special piece isn’t covered.

With Certified Diamond Insurance, you can trust you are covered the moment you walk out of the jewellery shop. Just as importantly, you’re free to have your piece repaired or replaced at your chosen jeweller – and we guarantee your replacement will be the same if not better than the original piece. You’ll pay no excess if you ever need to claim, and you’re covered worldwide and at home. Which means whenever and wherever you need to travel, your diamonds are safe.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming it will never happen to you. Cover yourself, protect your diamonds properly, and relieve the stress should anything ever happen.

Source: CDI

Bespoke Certified Diamond Jewellery Insurance launches in Australia

certified diamond jewellery insurance

CDI combines superior knowledge in the insurance and diamond industries to create a market leading product that will provide you with the right cover at the right price.

Like you, we treasure diamonds and believe they deserve the best worldwide cover should anything happen to them.

It’s why we offer a bespoke insurance policy only for certified diamond jewellery.

Specify your single item or items, and let us do the rest. Fill in your details online, register your diamond and receive instant protection against damage, loss or theft. Alternatively, give us a call and we can get the quotation process moving for you.

Your policy is underwritten at Lloyd’s of London, the oldest and most prestigious name in insurance.

And our Worldwide Cover ensures you are covered anywhere in the world for trips up to 30 days.

Our Certified Diamond Insurance team is based here in Australia and are available to help with any insurance questions you may have.

Also, so your diamonds remain as fabulous as the day you got them, we offer yearly complimentary health checks and cleans.

It’s all part of our dedicated service to keep your diamonds in their best shape.

Value Assurance
We combine superior knowledge in the diamond and insurance industries to create market-leading cover at the right price.

Accurate Claims
Your claim is overseen by diamond experts and vetted by a leading diamond laboratory, ensuring your replacement is of the same quality.

World-class Cover
Your insurance is underwritten by certain underwriters at Lloyd’s. Lloyd’s is the world’s specialist insurance and reinsurance market

Identification Recovery
Since your diamond is certified, we’ll also register and ID your diamonds, increasing the possibility of recovering them.

Source: Certified Diamond Insurance