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The Diamond Room in Austin sells some of the world's largest laboratory-grown diamonds. (Diamond Room)

"Everything in Texas has become bigger", a private jeweler based in Austin, after selling the world's largest laboratory-grown round diamond, is more authentic than ever.

G VVS2 diamonds are made by Diamond Room, a private "upstairs jeweler", conceived by founder and owner Matt O'Desky and a team of scientists. The 11.21 carat gem is now being shipped to a couple living in the UK.

In the past few decades, ethical issues in the diamond mining industry have been circulating in the campaign to end the sale of "blood diamonds" or diamonds usually mined in conflict zones in Africa. By solving the human rights issues brought about by natural diamonds, the technology of synthetic diamonds may be the best of both worlds.

When O'Desky moved to Austin, his task was to take the "Diamond District" where he grew up in Chicago and sell "obviously better diamonds at significantly better prices." The company started in Austin and has since expanded to Dallas.

"When I started working 20 years ago, I worked in a retail store. People in the suburbs of Chicago walked into the store, bought rings, and then went to the diamond district in the city center to buy diamonds," Odsky said. "When I started this job in Austin, nothing came closer."

The laboratory-grown diamonds in the Diamond Room contain the same chemical structure and properties as natural diamonds, so it is almost impossible for even gemologists to distinguish between the two. Lab diamonds are also much cheaper—O'Desky said that a one-and-a-half carat mined diamond is about the same price as a three-carat lab diamond.

The world's largest round laboratory grows diamonds. (Diamond Room)

In contrast, supermodel Emily Ratajkowski's five-carat stunner is estimated to cost more than US$90,000...

Actress and model Emily Ratajkowski touted a diamond ring weighing 5 carats. (Emily Ratakowski/Instagram)

If this record-breaking diamond were mined on the earth, its cost would exceed $1 million. But because it was created in a laboratory, the couple bought the stone for only $150,000.

This is not O'Desky's first record-breaking diamond. In addition to this round gem, he also sold the largest laboratory-grown diamond ring in March last year-a 15.32 carat diamond, priced at $132,000.

Although the Diamond Room sells mined and laboratory-grown diamonds, O'Desky said that because he sees flaws in the Kimberley process that regulates diamond certification, he does not want to make any guarantees about the mined diamonds. However, O'Desky’s synthetic diamonds are made from a seed or a real diamond in the laboratory for three months, which greatly reduces the possibility of conflict.

"Everyone has their source guarantee, written guarantees that there is no conflict in the Kimberley Process. I won't guarantee anything because I'm not there," Odsky said. "I'm not mining it. I didn't see those things with my own eyes. But I like people asking me this question with a cup of coffee in their hands."

To O'Desky's surprise, his customer base is not just people who want to save a few dollars. The Diamond Room only accepts appointments and welcomes people from all walks of life-from wealthy retired couples to millennials looking for their first engagement ring.

"Wealthy couples came here on the 20th to 25th anniversary, starting with a mined diamond, thinking they would start with 1 carat and end up with 4 carats," Odsky said. "I think it will be more low-end, but it is for everyone."

It is now easier than ever to get that veritable engagement ring!

The Federal Aviation Administration has published a list of fines for unruly passengers on flights, the largest of which is a fine imposed on a woman who flew out from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The woman is one of 5,114 FAA reports of unruly behavior so far this year. She was fined $32,000 after flying from Austin to San Francisco on Horizon Airlines on May 18. This passenger was one of more than 100 passenger harassment involved in personal attacks.

According to the FAA, the passenger “failed to fasten the seat belt as instructed by the flight crew. She repeatedly punched, kicked and screamed at her husband and son, making the flight attendant unable to perform her duties. She threw garbage at the flight attendant, And snatched cookies from a flight attendant." Passengers nearby. "

This is not the only case in Texas-a woman who travelled from Dallas-Fort Worth to Aspen was fined $23,000 on March 11 because she was "realizing that her assigned seat could not be reclined." Later, verbally insulted the flight attendants." Although "several passengers offered to change seats with her" and she eventually changed seats with another passenger, the woman continued to insult the flight attendant and then "hit a flight attendant in the right forearm and tried to do so again." The woman refused to comply with the mask policy and was received by law enforcement officers at the door. "

The FAA stated that interference has been decreasing since the “zero tolerance” campaign was implemented in March to curb misconduct on flights in January, but it is still “too high”. After American Airlines had to ban at least 3,000 passengers since last May, the agency chose to fine the passengers in question.

The agency announced that a total of 10 passengers were fined more than US$225,000, ranging from US$9,000 to US$32,000.

Bharti Shahani became the ninth person to die after the Astroworld tragedy after using a ventilator for nearly a week. (Astroworld Recovery Fund by Bharti Shahani)

Bharti Shahani is a 22-year-old computer science student at Texas A&M University. After being in a critical state for nearly a week, he is the 9th person to die at the Astroworld festival due to a surge in crowds .

According to her lawyer James Lassiter, Shahani died Wednesday night from injuries at a Travis Scott headline concert on Friday.

More than 300 people were treated in a nearby field hospital, and 23 people were later hospitalized. Eight people died within 24 hours of the concert. A 9-year-old boy was still in a medical coma after a brain injury at the concert.

Shahani attended the concert with his surviving sister and cousin. Her cousin, Mohit Bellani (Mohit Bellani) said that roadblocks blocking people in the concert audience could increase the number of casualties in the crowd.

Bellani said: "If they hadn't set up obstacles in all three areas, maybe this wouldn't happen."

Rasit said Shahani died of "serious injuries" at the concert and was on a ventilator until his death on Wednesday. Houston police are investigating incidents surrounding the concert "mass casualties". Many people, including Lassiter, are accusing Scott — he performed for more than half an hour after the police declared a state of emergency — and the concert organizer Live Nation was at least partially responsible for the tragedy.

"We want to make sure that those who decide to put profits above the lives of children take responsibility," Lassiter said at a press conference.

Shahani's sister Namrata Shahani organized GoFundMe to raise funds when Shahani was in critical condition. As of Thursday, the fund has exceeded $65,000.

1-800-Contacts founder Jonathan Coon (Jonathan Coon) and Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts (Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts) ideas will soon be realized, plans to build a lakeside residence worth millions of dollars on Austin Lake.

The latest news about the project was first proposed by Coon three years ago and was released on Tuesday, confirming that Coon and his development team are cooperating with Four Seasons to create The Four Seasons Private Residences Lake Austin. This is Four Season's first independent residential development in the state, joining existing locations in London, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The development covers an area of ​​145 acres and will build 179 units, ranging from small holiday homes with an area of ​​less than 2,000 square feet to 7,000 square feet penthouses.

The luxury residence will straddle a picturesque hillside overlooking Lake Austin. (DBOX of Austin Capital Partners)

Luxury homes start at US$4 million and will emphasize comfort, beauty and privacy. In addition to units with views from multiple directions, the development will also include an indoor garden, a sports center and spa, a private two-story restaurant, clubhouse and theater.

Half of the cliffside scenery will also become a public landscape above the lake, including free parking, similar to the nearby Pennybacker Bridge landscape on the west side of the property.

According to Austin Business Magazine, Kuhn stated that the developer will break ground in early 2023 and should be completed by the end of 2025.

In addition to the developers of Coon and Four Seasons, others involved in the project include the executive architects Handel Architects LL P and Page Southerland Page, Inc., the project engineer Arup Group Ltd., and the sales and marketing team Eric Moreland Group.

Kuhn said that for special reasons, these houses will be carefully built-he and his wife will also live on this property.

"Our goal is actually to maximize the customer experience, probably because we plan to be a customer," Coon told ABJ.