Golden bathtub stolen
Forget golden showers, a golden bathtub worth nearly $US1 million was stolen from a resort hotel in Tokyo recently.
A worker at Kominato Hotel Mikazuki in Kamogawa, south of Tokyo, notified police that the tub was missing from the hotel's guest bathroom on the 10th floor, according to local police.
The round tub, worth $US987,000 ($AU1,167,591) is made of 18-carat gold and weighs 79.8kg. Flanked by two crane statues, the tub has long been a main feature of the hotel's shared bathroom and while visitors are permitted to use the it, it is only available a few hours a day "for security reasons," according to the hotel's web site.
Police officials believe the thief cut the chain attached to the door of a small section of the bathroom where the bathtub was placed and made off with the bath.
Shooting in style
A new attraction has excited staff at the Australian War Memorial gallery.
Set for permanent display in the gallery is the gold-plated assault rifle once carried by one of Saddam Hussein's palace guards.
The weapon was bestowed by army deputy-chief Maj-Gen John Cantwell to War Memorial assistant director Nola Anderson.
Found by soldiers of the US Army's 101st Air Assault Division in the city of Kirkuk, the gun is a working, Iraqi-made Tabuk, a version of the Kalashnikov AK-47; however, the real attraction is its bling-factor, according to War Memorial senior curator Nick Fletcher: "The great attraction is that it's gold-plated. It's a genuine, full-on, shiny, gold gun," Fletcher said. "We think it's going to make a good exhibit. I think it says a few things about the excesses of the Saddam regime that will speak to people."
Rent-a-gift
Inhibited by the soaring price of gold, Egyptians are struggling to afford "shabka" - a ritual gift of gold jewellery considered a vital part of weddings across the Arab world - with many choosing to rent the gold rings and bangles they need to wed.
"People cannot stop getting married, so renting jewellery is the best solution for your wallet and the bride's prestige," said Ayman Wahba, a 27-year-old teacher.
The expense of shabka - which must include a gold ring - is borne by the groom who then presents it to his wife-to-be. In Egypt, a bride's family may request a shabka from $600 to $8,000 or more.
If men were unable to hire the shabka for about $40 for their wedding night, marriage would be almost impossible.
"A man can take up two decades to save for this gift and other marriage requirements," said housewife Hayam Ibrahim, who herself used rented jewellery on her wedding night. "Families realise this and are willing to cooperate and break away from the emotional attachment with gold."
Model turns designer
Claudia Schiffer is launching her own range of jewellery. A collaboration between the German supermodel and British high-street fashion chain Topshop, the collection of trinkets is due for release in the UK later this year.
The 36-year-old London-resident joins a line of other supermodels to also design their own fashion ranges.
Kate Moss received a reported £3 million from Topshop to create a range for its stores, and Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson released her own clothing line for similar commercial successes.
Diamonds in pearls
A Californian jewellery designer has created a pearl with a diamond inside. Debuting to excited attendees at US jewellery fair JCK Las Vegas 2007, the diamond-in-a-pearl feat belongs to Chi Huynh, from California Studio.
Known for his carved Akoya and Tahitian pearls, the idea for the diamond-pearl came accidentally when Huynh was carving a Tahitian pearl. When he accidentally carved too deeply, exposing the white mother-of-pearl bead beneath the black nacre, Huynh lamented having just ruined a fine Tahitian pearl.
But this gave him the idea that if he could insert gemstone beads into a black lipped oyster, he could then create a carved pearl that would expose the gem beneath the nacre.
When Huynh expressed his desire to insert gemstone beads into Tahitian black-lipped oysters, pearl experts told him it wouldn't work. But Huynh was undeterred. He took the black-lipped oyster to waters off the shores of Vietnam. After persuading experts in implantation that his idea would work, he attempted to grow black pearls using citrine, amethyst, and turquoise bead nuclei.
Three years later, Chi harvested AAA-quality, Tahitian-like (now Vietnamese) black pearls and carved them to expose the gems at their nuclei.
Dancing thieves
A band of thieves in Lancashire, England have been distracting retailers by dancing in their stores before stealing jewellery and other valuables.
Detectives are hunting a gang believed to be from Eastern Europe after five people distracted the owners of a convenience store while another went into the back and took around $AU28,000 in Asian jewellery. The incident is the latest in a spate of "distraction burglaries".
"A group of five people , described as dark-skinned and speaking little English, have gone into the shop and have bought some items as a distraction while another has gone into the back of the shop and taken the jewellery," said Inspector Dave Croll of Burnley police. In one incident, 12 Romanians used traditional dancing to distract shopkeepers.
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