Modern-Day Explorers Look to Asteroids in Deep Space for Platinum Riches

Five hundred years ago, European explorers embarked on long and dangerous voyages across uncharted seas in a quest to find new trade routes to east Asia — the source of valuable spices, such as pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

This year, modern-day explorers will be targeting deep-space asteroids as a potentially limitless resource of rare precious metals, such as platinum, gold, iridium and palladium.

After securing $13 million in seed funding last April, AstroForge is about to launch two missions that will assess the viability of mining metal-rich asteroids and processing the material in space.

This April, the Huntington Beach, CA, company will be testing its technique for refining and extracting precious metals from "asteroid-like material" in a zero-gravity environment. The samples will be sent into space aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-7 rideshare.

In October, a second mission will be heading to deep space to collect high-resolution images of the surface of an asteroid that AstroForge expects to mine at a future date. That asteroid is 22 million miles from Earth — but relatively nearby in terms of space travel.

If the first two missions are successful, the company has queued up two additional missions — one to land on the asteroid and the next to refine material and bring it back to Earth.

AstroForge CEO Matt Gialich told techcrunch.com that his company is working with advisors from universities, NASA and the research nonprofit Planetary Science Institute to help identify the most promising asteroids to exploit.

“With a finite supply of precious metals on Earth, we have no other choice than to look to deep space to source cost-effective and sustainable materials,” Gialich said in a statement.

Instead of trying to explore the vast number of asteroids in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the AstroForge team will be looking for asteroids closer to Earth. The closest target asteroid would require a journey of only 11 months.

Deep-space mining has the potential to reap trillions of dollars worth of precious metals, vital resources that are critical to various industries, including jewelry. Space mining is also positioned as a way to preserve Earth's declining resources and protect its environment.

According to gizmodo.com, AstroForge will be targeting asteroids ranging in width from 20 feet to 1,500 feet. Instead of landing on the asteroids, it plans to blast them from a distance and then collect the smaller pieces for processing.

The US government has already made legal preparations for the eventuality of space mining. The SPACE Act, which became law in 2015, includes provisions for private companies to extract resources from asteroids with limited government interference. Although the law does not allow for companies to claim, say, an asteroid, for their own, miners may keep anything they obtain from their exploration and mining.

Credit: Psyche illustration by NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU.

Quiz: What Do Kim Kardashian and Princess Diana Have In Common?

Quick quiz: What do American socialite Kim Kardashian and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, have in common?

"The Attallah Cross," of course.

The reality star and Skims mogul couldn't resist the opportunity to bid on the oversized amethyst cross when it was offered for sale at Sotheby's “Royal and Noble” online auction last week. The cross was a favorite accessory of the widely adored British Princess and in many ways symbolized her growing self-assurance and independence.

Kardashian's winning bid of £163,800 ($226,000) was well above the £80,000 to £120,000 pre-sale estimate. Kardashian reportedly snagged the piece within the final five minutes of the auction.

According to Sotheby's, Kardashian is said to be honored to have acquired this exquisite piece of Royal history.

"This is a bold piece of jewelry by its size, color and style which cannot fail to make a vibrant statement, whether it be of faith or fashion — or indeed both," noted Sotheby London's Head of Jewelry, Kristian Spofforth. "We are delighted that this piece has found a new lease of life within the hands of another globally famous name."

According to the auction house, the late ’80s was a time when Diana was making bolder fashion choices and taking more autonomy in her life. It was during this period, in 1987, that British Crown Jeweler Garrard lent her an eye-catching amethyst-and-diamond cross to pair with an exquisite baroque-style purple and black velvet gown by Catherine Walker & Co.

She wore the ensemble to a high-profile event held at Garrard’s London headquarters in support of Birthright, a charity which strives to protect human rights during pregnancy and childbirth. Diana confidently dangled the large 136mm x 95mm (5.35 in. x 3.74 in) amethyst cross from a waist-length strand of pearls.

Designed by British Crown Jeweler Garrard circa 1920, the piece was originally commissioned by a regular customer, but later circled back to Garrard, where it was purchased during the 1980s by the late Naim Attallah (1931-2021), a high-level executive at the jewelry company.

Over the years, Diana would continue to collaborate with Garrard, borrowing her favorite amethyst and diamond cross on many more occasions, according to Naim Attallah’s son, Ramsay.

“When I was growing up, we’d always have it on the table for Christmas lunch,” Ramsay told vogue.com, “but it was never worn by anyone other than Diana and it hasn’t been seen in public since she died [in 1997].”

In an article appearing on Sothebys.com, writer Gemma Champ noted that Diana was a step ahead of one of the defining trends of the 1990s: oversized crosses.

Champ also pointed out that Kardashian's fondness for The Attallah Cross shouldn't be surprising because of the reality star's love for vintage jewelry and classic glamor.

During her appearance at the 2022 Met Gala, for example, Kardashian wore the actual crystal-encrusted dress in which starlet Marilyn Monroe breathlessly serenaded President John F. Kennedy during his Madison Square Garden 45th birthday celebration in 1962.

Credits: Amethyst cross photo courtesy of Sotheby's. Princess Diana photo by John MacIntyre, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Kim Kardashian photo by The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

High-Profile Celebrity Breakup Has Us Asking: 'Who Gets the Ring?'

A $1 million diamond engagement ring is at the center of the high-profile clash between NBA pro Ben Simmons and British TV personality Maya Jama.

The new Love Island (UK) host, 28, broke off their year-long engagement in December, prompting the forlorn 26-year-old Brooklyn Nets forward to send his ex-fiancée a formal legal notice to get the ring back.

While initial reporting points to an equitable solution, with Jama saying through her representatives that she will return the ring, the bigger question is "Does she legally have to?"

There is no uniform law in the US or Canada regarding the return of engagement rings after a breakup. In fact, the case law regarding this subject is murky, at best.

The Alabama Court of Appeals, for example, recently ruled that an engagement ring given on the condition of marriage must be returned to the giver if the relationship fails.

In Montana, engagement rings are seen as “absolute gifts,” so the recipient can keep it whether the couple goes through with the marriage or not.

According to an article posted by Virginia-based law firm SmolenPlevy, most states view an engagement ring as a semi-contract, or a “conditional gift.”

In this view, the ring is given with the understanding that the couple will get married in the future and symbolizes a verbal contract. Ownership of the ring is not fully transferred until the wedding ceremony is completed.

A few jurisdictions, explained SmolenPlevy, take a slightly different view, calling the ring an “implied gift.”

In this case, ownership of the ring is determined by whomever calls off the wedding. If the giver breaks it off, he or she is not entitled to the ring, and it becomes a gift. If the receiver breaks off the engagement, the giver can ask for the ring back.

Ownership of the ring can also be complicated by whether the ring was a family heirloom, or whether it was given as a “gift” on a holiday or birthday, for example.

The non-legal, but traditional, etiquette calls for the engagement ring to be returned to the giver if the recipient breaks the relationship, or if the breakup was mutual. If the giver is responsible for the breakup, the receiver controls the destiny of the ring.

A 2015 survey conducted by findlaw.com revealed that 78% of Americans believe the person who gave the engagement ring is entitled to get it back, if they want it. Twenty-two percent said the recipient should keep it.

Interestingly, the survey data hardly varied between male and female respondents, or their current marital status of single, married or divorced.

The best way to avoid costly, emotional and drawn-out litigation, according to SmolenPlevy, is to enter into a prenuptial or premarital agreement, which outlines clearly who will get the ring if the wedding never takes place. This agreement also can cover what happens to the ring if the couple gets married but later divorces.

If it's too late for a prenup, consider talking to a local family law attorney, who can explain how courts in your area have ruled regarding the fate of engagement rings.

Credit: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.

Buffalo Bills Players Wear "3" Pendants to Honor Recovering Damar Hamlin

The entire Buffalo Bills squad honored Damar Hamlin during yesterday's AFC divisional playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals by wearing 14-karat gold "3" pendants under their uniforms.

The 24-year-old safety, whose uniform number is 3, was recently released from the hospital after sustaining a scary, life-threatening injury during a Monday Night Football game on January 2. Hamlin had taken a blow to the chest and went into cardiac arrest. Quick action by the team's medical staff is credited with saving his life.

That game, which was paused and then canceled because of the seriousness of Hamlin's injury, was also against the Bengals.

Since then, Hamlin's remarkable and inspirational recovery has touch the lives of sports fans and non-sports fans, alike. He was strong enough to visit his team in the locker room prior to the game and cheer them on from a sky box.

Donations have poured into Hamlin's foundation, which collected $8.6 million to support young people through education and sports.

The "3" pendants were gifted to the team by Gabriel Jacobs of New York-based Rafaello & Co.

Known as the "Jeweler to the Stars," Jacobs told TMZ, "I was extremely moved by all the outpouring of love and donations that came from all across the world. Being a jeweler, I wanted to give back in my own way by gifting these pendants as a way for the Buffalo Bills team to continue to honor Hamlin."

The pendants measure 2 1/2 inches tall and feature a tiny heart applied to the bottom-right of Hamlin's number. Inscribed on the back of the pendant is a quote from Hamlin: "If you get a chance to show some love today do it! It won't cost you nothing."

Jacobs shared pics of the pendants on his company's Instagram page. Players Dion Dawkins and Von Miller posted photos of the jewelry on their respective Instagram Stories.

In addition to the 80 pendants that Jacobs provided to the players and Hamlin's family, he also designed a special white gold and diamond version for Hamlin himself.

NFL players are allowed to wear chain necklaces during the game as long as they do not have a “hard object” attached to them. If there is a hard object attached, that item can not be visible. Players will typically tuck chain necklaces under their shoulder pads to keep them from being yanked off.

Despite the inspirational boost provided by the "3" pendants, the Bills were beaten by the Bengals 27-10. The Bengals will go on to play the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFL Championship game.

Credits: Jewelry images via Instagram / rafaelloandco. Players join in group prayer during rescue efforts to save Damar Hamlin, photo by Schetm, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.