Our guest today deals in such precious items, we cannot reveal his full name or his face. Sean is a diamond dealer, and an expert in the trade, as well as an incomparably fascinating storyteller. He and Olivia have worked together for years, and share a delight in these natural, sparkling, invincible materials.

He traces a diamond's hidden origins beneath the Earth's mantle, pressurised and pushed by volcanic forces up to the planet's crust. He tells of the most valuable diamonds he ever touched, robberies, and high jinks, and speaks with earnestness and passion about the ethics of the diamond industry.

This week also serves as a practical guide to anyone considering purchasing diamond jewellery: what to look for, how to navigate the complex vocabulary of cut, colour, clarity, and carat, and helps put you on the right track to finding your perfect piece.

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This episode was live-recorded on Wurundjeri country. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by Zoltan Fecso and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva.

Have you ever been caught in a lie?

Maybe just a small one. Borne out of a misunderstanding. Never intended to be told. But one lie leads to another. "It's easier to go along with it than to explain the whole truth," you tell yourself.

That's exactly where the protagonist of Dominic Amerena's debut novel, I Want Everything, finds himself.

Dom is a masterful storyteller. We talked about truth and lies, wild years abroad, plot twists, and just what lengths someone will go to when they're desperate, ambitious, and out of options.

I Want Everything, which has been praised as "the funniest novel of 2025" is available for pre-order here now, releasing on April 30 by Simon & Schuster.

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This episode was live-recorded on Wurundjeri country. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by Zoltan Fecso and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva.

Every day, Edhi lives with the unseen. Spirits hover in daily life, receiving offerings of coffee, rice, even cigarettes. In this episode, Olivia and her friend drive through Bali's lush landscapes, discussing ancestral presence, the philosophy of balance, and why both angels and devils deserve respect.

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This episode was live-recorded in Bali, Indonesia. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by Zoltan Fecso and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva.

For many holidaygoers, visiting beachside destinations like Bali becomes an excuse to harrass locals, buy cheap souvenirs, and see the inside of a local hospital after an inebriated scooter ride. In recent years, TV shows like White Lotus have brought the dark side of tourists' superficial engagement with local culture into the maintstream.

But in my conversation with Tjok Maya Kerthyasa, author, illustrator, and stylist of Paon: Real Balinese Cooking, the local generously revealed to me the more intimate, real, and less often-accessed parts of Balinese culture.

We sat in her family home, and she shared traditional Balinese recipes, the local approach to zero-waste cooking (whose techniques will surprise you!), and what we both love about Bali.

It's a guide for your future visit, a relaxing meditation on food, and a chat that will spark ideas for an adventurous next meal, whether your dinner party is in Denpassar or Dallas.

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This episode was live-recorded in Bali, Indonesia. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by Zoltan Fecso and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva.

Artist Miranda Skoczek transcends the traditional role of painter, creating wall works, co-designing with fashion houses like Gorman and Silk Laundry, and crafting figurines inspired by ancient Pagan traditions of her Slavic ancestry.

We share a love of symbols and amulets, and we discussed how to bring their imagery and power into a contemporary context while honouring these traditions and building a successful artistic practice.

Miranda is represented by Edwina Corlette gallery in Australia. You can find out more about artwork, awash with colour and symbolism, here.

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This episode was live-recorded on Wurundjeri country. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by Zoltan Fecso and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva.

"You're not like other girls, you're not pretty... you look... interesting."

These are the words Syrian-Palestinian model Lana Albeik (born and based in the Emirates) has heard many times throughout her career. In today's episode she shares her story, alongside her advice on overcoming naysayers, nastiness, and prejudice.

Through her career Albeik has combined activism, heritage, and fashion in ways that defy stereotypes. Having worked for Elle, Vogue, Burberry and others, she became a muse for brands while never losing her strong sense of self.

This unreleased episode, recorded in early 2023, was delayed by technical issues. Now resolved, we're excited to finally share it with you.

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This episode was live-recorded on Wurundjeri country. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by Zoltan Fecso and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva.

There was a moment in 2020 when Instagram was suddenly blanketed by black squares as social media users struggled to find a way to express that they supported the justified anger and calls for justice within the Black community. In the years since, as the frenzied media cycle churned on, the spotlight may have shifted away from issues of racial justice and the black squares were quietly deleted, archived, or simply moved down the feed, subsumed by images of holidays, events, and new outfits.

My guest Darnell L. Moore, a writer and activist, has not stopped agitating, musing, and talking passionately to issues where race and queer issues intersect. He speaks with rightful passion and intensity about his story and how it relates to all of us, in finding his identity as a young, Black, Queer person. This meant dealing with the lies that others told about what it means to be a man of colour, raised in a community of faith.

This unreleased episode, recorded in early 2023, was delayed by technical issues. Now resolved, we're excited to finally share it with you.

Read Darnell's book "No Ashes in the Fire".

Visit his website.

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Content Note: This episode contains a brief allusion to self-harm. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-injury, call Lifeline in Australia on 13 11 14, or your national suicide prevention hotline.

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This episode was live-recorded Wurundjeri country. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by Zoltan Fecso and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva.

Have you ever wondered what connections ancient cultures see between totally disparate parts of the body? How earlobe connects to spleen, and eyebrow to abdomen?

After discovering a breast tumour in her 20s, Zoey Xinyi Gong realised that she needed to make some changes in her life to protect her health. This involved an innovative approach to Western and Eastern medicine. Coming from a "traditional Chinese family" in Shanghai, then studying Western nutrition in New York, she decided to complement this learning with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Today she is a registered dietician and TCM chef, sharing her incredible recipes and learnings with a broader audience. Built on the foundation of thousands of years of knowledge and history, Zoey is dedicated to modernising TCM and bridging the gap between Eastern and Western Wellness.

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This episode was live-recorded Wurundjeri country. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by Zoltan Fecso and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva.

Artist Atong Atem proclaims proudly, "I'm not a subtle girl". In this episode filled with laughter and the sharing of history and creative influences, Olivia and Atong joke about painfully plain interior design trends, the pipeline from large families to the decision to elope, and Atong's view of herself as science fiction character.

The conversation also takes a deep turn towards the history and traditions of the Dinka people, Atong's understanding of her context as a visual artist, and how she has made it as one of Australia's leading photographers.

Atong is represented by MARS Gallery in Australia, where her work is available to purchase.

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This episode was live-recorded Wurundjeri country. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by Zoltan Fecso and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva.

"I love this lack of control." These are the words founder and designer Olivia Cummings used to describe the contrast between becoming a first time mother, and running a business.

On the 18.10.24 our founder Olivia welcomed her most precious creation to date, as she birthed her first child, a daughter, into this world. A few weeks ago, in the final stages of her pregnancy, she sat down with podcasters Lucinda McKim and Lauren Treweek of the hilarious, frank, and informative Ready or Not for an honest discussion about her pregnancy, labour, and the realities of motherhood.

Olivia shares her worries and expectations about the entire process of becoming a first time mum. If you have ever wondered about having a child, feared the prenatal period and birth, or if you, like so many, feel alone, judged, and uncertain in parenting and raising kids, this discussion is a salve to the soul.

Even for those without kids, it's a chance to understand women's perspectives on topics not often dared to be discussed, in Olivia, Lauren, and Lucinda's characteristically honest and open style–to see how the caregivers in our lives are navigating things.

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This episode was live-recorded Wurundjeri country. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by Zoltan Fecso and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva.

Virginia Trioli has won not one, but two Walkleys–the highest prize for journalism in Australia–through her illustrious career which spans decades and many eras of politcal and cultural life.

It's no wonder, then, that you've never heard a more engaging storyteller. Virginia became a household name as the host of the morning news, and famed political panel program Q&A, and currently delves into the essence of creativity in her program on the ABC, Creative Types.

Her book, A Bit on the Side, is out now with Pan Macmillan Australia. In it, Virginia reflects on the "side dishes" that make life really delicious. The sweet and the sour; the salty, the bitter - both literally through the medium of food, and metaphorically when reflecting on her storied life. We talked how she got her start in the newsroom, some of the most difficult stories for her to cover, and much more.

For more of her tales of travel and adventure, as well as some lip-smacking recipes for side dishes, find A Bit on the Side, here.

This episode contains descriptions of sexual harrasment in the workplace and domestic violence.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.

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Discover Bespoke

This episode was live-recorded Wurundjeri country. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by Zoltan Fecso and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva.