Tiger’s Tale
It was a horrifying incident that terrified the diamond community in Belgium. And now it appears to have been faked.
The widely reported “tiger kidnapping” of a diamond company employee last October may have been staged, according to a statement from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre.
On Oct. 11, 2012, three men entered the home of an employee of Kiran Exports, an Indian diamond company. Reports said that while the man’s wife was held hostage, the employee was forced to open the vaults of his company’s office. The total value of the stolen diamonds was estimated at $13 million.
The incident caused widespread shock and uneasiness among Indian workers in Antwerp. “The diamantaires in Antwerp are no longer safe,” the president of the Surat Diamond Association told the The Times of India.
But police now believe the purported victim may have staged the kidnapping, the AWDC said. Recently, five people were arrested in connection with the case, including a Kiran employee. Four of them confessed to their involvement, the group said.
A large portion of the stolen goods, estimated at $8.5 million, was recovered during a raid in Antwerp on July 31, the group said.
Heart History
Fans of the Lady Heart Diamond Collection at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County now will have more time to drool over the colored heart-shape diamonds. The museum has extended the display until Nov. 30. The collection features five diamonds in a rainbow of colors, including red, pink, orange, yellow, and blue. The heart-shape stones—which range from 1.71 cts. to 2.28 cts.—are set in gold jewels that were custom-designed for this exhibit in the museum’s Gem and Mineral Hall Gem Vault.
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Lady Zahira, a 2.26 ct. fancy vivid yellow diamond heart in a rose gold setting |
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The 2 ct. fancy vivid orange Lady Orquidea diamond in a heart-shape bezel with pavé white diamonds |