Moonlighting Police Officer Uses Plumbing and Social Media Skills to Reunite Lost Engagement Ring With Owner

A moonlighting Alabama police officer toiled through the night and into the early morning hours — using his plumbing and social media skills — to reunite a diamond engagement ring with its distraught owner.

Leslie Shannon was washing her hands at Al's Deli and Grill in Birmingham when her fun ladies' night out turned into a house of horrors. The 32-year-old newlywed told AL.com that she usually places her bridal jewelry in her mouth when she uses the sink so she won't forget to put the set back on. But this time the rings fell out of her mouth and spun right down the drain.

"It's a sickening feeling," Shannon said. "I immediately started ripping apart the sink and the pipes. If you can only imagine losing your wedding ring — you can do anything with the adrenalin going through your body."

Before long, the women’s bathroom and the adjoining men’s bathroom were filled with a frenzy of friends and restaurant patrons looking for ways to extricate the precious keepsake from the plumbing system.

They reluctantly gave up after 2½ hours, with Shannon accepting the fate of her cherished ring. It was most likely lost to the Jefferson County sewer system.

What the devastated Shannon didn’t know was that Birmingham police officer Travis Hendrix, who moonlights at Al's, had witnessed the wild bathroom activity and wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"I didn't want it to end there for her,'' Hendrix told the New York Daily News. "I knew deep down she is a very kindhearted, very sweet person. It's just something I had to do."

Hendrix, the restaurant’s manager and another friend pooled their talents, working through the night and into the early morning hours to fish the ring from the bathroom pipes. It was a small miracle, Hendrix told Al.com, when the trio heard the ring jingling somewhere deep down in the pipes.

After the ring was saved, there was one more big task at hand. Hendrix didn’t know Shannon’s full name or how to contact her.

Hendrix remembered that during the restroom commotion the woman’s friends had called her “Leslie.” He also knew that her group paid its tab that night with a credit card.

The officer located a credit card receipt of the woman he believed to be Shannon’s friend, and then trolled various social media to get more info.

"I went through LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram,'' Hendrix said. "I was looking up all types of crazy things."

"I made 20 to 30 calls from 4 a.m. until 5:30 a.m.,'' Hendrix said. "I ended up finding the friend she was with on Instagram."

A few hours later, he was able to get a message to Shannon via her Instagram-connected friend.

When Shannon heard that her ring had been found she immediately started crying. "It was tears of joy,” she said. “I couldn't believe it."

“In the past year when it seems all you hear and see on TV are negative things about police officers,'' Shannon's husband, Ken, wrote to AL.com, "I had a Birmingham police officer go above and beyond his call of duty."

"I'm just glad she's OK now,'' Hendrix said. "I knew how much it meant to her. If it was me, I'd want her to do the same thing. I was just doing my job."

Images: Courtesy of Leslie Shannon, Facebook, Birmingham Police Department

Super-Rare 30.80-Carat Purple Diamond Found in Refuse Pile by South African Tailings Processor

A super-rare 30.80-carat purple diamond with “exquisite gemological characteristics” was salvaged at a diamond tailings plant in Kimberley, South Africa.

Tailings are the residue of the diamond-bearing ore that was processed during the original mining operation.

Oftentimes, the tailings will contain viable gems and this is why Batla Minerals’ Superkolong recovery plant has been set up near DeBeers’ famous Kimberley Mine. The tailings plant recovers 15,000 carats of mostly lower-quality diamonds each month.

However, while sorting through tons of waste material, the company spotted the massive purple rough diamond, which they named the “Kimberley Purple.”

Batla Minerals CEO Jean Retief told NationalJeweler.com that the discovery of the Kimberley Purple is a “clear statement of the (Superkolong’s) viability and its ability to produce something special.”

The Kimberley Purple is currently on display in Antwerp and will be tendered later this month.

Due to their rarity, purple diamonds demand the highest premiums and can yield more than $1 million per carat.

Back in September of 2014, we reported on the “Purple Orchid” diamond, a 3.37-carat fancy intense pinkish-purple diamond that was valued at $4 million, or about $1.18 million per carat.

Israeli diamond company Leibish & Co. introduced the Purple Orchid to the world during the 2014 September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair.

We pointed out at the time that what makes purple diamonds purple is still a scientific mystery. It’s been established that a yellow diamond gets its dazzling color from minute traces of nitrogen in the diamond’s chemical composition and a blue diamond gets its color from boron. When it comes to purple, scientists suspect hydrogen as the stray element, but they’re not so sure.

Purple diamonds can be found in only three locations worldwide — South Africa, Russia and Brazil. While Russia’s purple diamonds have overtones of blue and Brazil’s purple diamonds tend to have a hint of orange, the purples and intense pinkish purples from South Africa display the absolute best brilliance and purple sparkle, according to Leibish.

This fact bodes well for the Kimberley Purple, a South African stone. We can’t wait to see what cut is in store for this fabulous find.

Images: Kimberley Purple via nationaljeweler.com (uncredited); Purple Orchid courtesy of Leibish & Co.

Music Friday: Folk-Rock Legend Gordon Lightfoot Sings, ‘She’s More Than Money, She’s 14-Karat Gold’

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today we have folk-rock legend Gordon Lightfoot singing “14 Karat Gold,” a song that uses a precious metal metaphor to convey how much he cares about the woman in his life.

The song’s reprise contains this memorable line: “She's more than money / She's 14 karat gold.”

“14 Karat Gold” is the first track on Lightfoot’s 15th original album, titled Shadows. Prior to its 1982 release, the Canadian singer/songwriter provided radio stations with an interview album that offered his commentary on each of the tracks.

Lightfoot described “14 Karat Gold” as a surrealistic song about human relationships. “What it says is that you don't know everything there is to know, about everybody else, or about each other, or about anything for that matter,” he commented. “But [the song is] saying that you appreciate your lady in very positive terms.”

“14 Karat Gold” was apparently one of Lightfoot’s favorite performance pieces. “The song works extremely well on stage,” he said, “because I’ve sung it many times.”

Often referred to as Canada’s greatest songwriter, Lightfoot's music career has spanned more than five decades. The 76-year-old has produced more than 200 recordings, including the chart topping “If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Sundown" (1974), "Carefree Highway" (1974), "Rainy Day People" (1975) and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976). He has written songs for prominent artists, such as Bob Dylan, Dan Fogelberg, Jimmy Buffett and Jim Croce.

Check out the YouTube audio track of Lightfoot's “14 Karat Gold.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

"14 Karat Gold"
Written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot.

If you see me smile don't think I'm acting strange
I got my just reward for all my pains
If you see me on the TV talking proud
Please understand if I don't talk too loud

Step around and dance a bit
Polish up the dice
Set 'em loose and let 'em roll
This is my advice
Keep your mind a mystery
Running hot 'n cold
She's more than money
She's 14 karat gold

If you wonder why I'm acting up this way
Gonna cash my chips I'm leaving town today
I got more love than I could ever spend
So long, farewell, good-bye, this is the end

Step around and dance a bit
Polish up the dice
Set 'em loose and let 'em roll
Be as cool as ice
Keep your mind a mystery
Running hot 'n cold
She's more than money
She's 14 karat gold

If you get hit by the bug that bit on me
If you get caught with something soft and sweet
If you get found with something you can't waste
Then listen bud, let me give you a taste

Step around and dance a bit
Polish up the dice
Set 'em loose and let 'em roll
This is my advice
Keep your mind a mystery
Running hot 'n cold
She's more than money
She's 14 karat gold. Sold.

Step around and dance a bit
Polish up the dice
Set 'em loose and let 'em roll
Be as cool as ice
Keep your mind a mystery
Running hot 'n cold
She's more than money
She's 14 karat gold

Image via Gordonlightfoot.com

San Francisco Giants Awarded 2014 World Series Rings; Ceremony Marks Third Championship in Five Years

The San Francisco Giants received their giant-sized, diamond-encrusted championship rings on Saturday night at a festive pre-game ceremony commemorating their 2014 World Series victory over the Kansas City Royals. It was the team's third championship in five years.

The celebration offered tradition with a twist — with four skydivers parachuting into AT&T Park to deliver the first rings to executive vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy.

Giants announcer Duane Kuiper, an emcee for the ceremony, spoke about the significance of the championship rings. "Baseball has many, many traditions. Many are good. Some are great. But this ring ceremony may be the very best of them all. It's the one thing every professional athlete wants — a championship ring. Something they can hold on to, and something they can show off,” he said.

The striking rings were designed and created by Tiffany & Co. to honor the 2014 World Series winners, the 2012 and 2010 championship teams, and the five titles won by the franchise while in New York.

The Giants issued a statement detailing the rings' components. “The face of the 14k white gold championship ring features the San Francisco 'SF’ logo set in 18k yellow gold with 55 round melee diamonds. A bezel reading 'World Champions’ is highlighted along both sides of the ring. The top bezel is set with three round diamonds and the bottom bezel is set with five round diamonds, representing the three championships in the last five years and the eight total franchise world championships. One side of the ring features the player’s name and number with the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. The other side celebrates the franchise’s three recent World Series trophies.”

"We are thrilled to celebrate with the City of San Francisco and the Giants on another championship season," said Victoria Reynolds, group director of business sales for Tiffany & Co. “We are honored to have created the last three championship rings, which pay tribute to the Giants' dedication and performance on and off the field."

Second baseman Joe Panik proudly shared a photo in which he and his fiancée, Brittany Pinto, posed with his 2014 World Series bling. He captioned the photo, "What a special day! So proud to be a Giant!"

"It was a big day today with the guys getting their rings," noted Giants manager Bruce Bochy. “They all loved them, too. They're beautiful rings, it's just a great night. It was good to see these guys smiling, and it reminded them that they are the World Champions."

The team announced that a personalized World Series ring would be raffled off to benefit the Giants Community Fund. Raffle tickets and information are available online at sfgiants.com/ringraffle. Tickets are available until June 21. The winner will be announced on June 23.

Credit: Tiffany; Instagram/Joe Panik

‘Perfect’ 100.20-Carat Emerald-Cut Diamond Fetches $22.1 Million at Sotheby’s New York

A 100.20-carat D-flawless diamond — one of only six 100-carat-plus “perfect” diamonds to hit the auction block in the past 25 years — fetched $22.1 million at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels event in New York yesterday.

The final price was halfway between the auction house’s $19 million to $25 million pre-sale estimate.

The emerald–cut diamond’s per-carat price of $220,558 is a bit lower than the per-carat achievements of two similar behemoths sold in 2013: The 101.73-carat Winston Legacy fetched a record $262,830 per carat, and the 118.28-carat Spectacular Oval Diamond rated narrowly behind at $258,708 per carat.

Still, the $22.1 million selling price of yesterday’s show-stealer was impressive. The winning bid was submitted via telephone, and both the buyer and seller chose to remain anonymous. The bidding process took a mere three minutes.

The previous owner sacrificed exactly one-half of the original 200-carat rough diamond to yield the 100.20-carat flawless gem. The cutting and polishing process took more than one year to complete. The rough diamond was mined by De Beers in South Africa within the past 10 years, according to Sotheby’s.

The diamond is set in a simple platinum ring, size 6 1/2.

“This 100.20 carat diamond is the definition of perfection,” commented Gary Schuler, Head of Sotheby’s Jewelry Department in New York. “The color is whiter than white. It is free of any internal imperfections, and so transparent that I can only compare it to a pool of icy water.”

Before being put up for bid, the diamond starred in a multi-city tour, which included stops in Dubai, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, London and Doha.

Photos courtesy of Sotheby’s.