OIC information
Owner Change Code (OCC)
Transfer process for private goods
Prior to delivery, each osmium piece is certified and receives as part of this process an Osmium Identification Code (OIC) that refers to the photographic documentation of its unique crystal surface.
All information specifying the osmium piece, including dimensions and weight, is stored in the International Osmium Database. This information does not only support identifying osmium, but can also be used to retrieve the owner of a piece or to prove and confirm ownership on behalf of the owner.
Storing this information along with personal information of the owner in the database is therefore optional. The latter is available to the institute, but not publicly visible when an OIC query is submitted. This is useful, for example, if an osmium piece is available for sale and the owner needs to be identified to receive a purchase offer.
Status reports on the whereabouts of osmium
The database also stores several status indicators which are important in the process of transferring ownership. For a given osmium piece, this includes in addition to the personal information of the owner also the personal information of the possessor. A possessor can be an intermediary or a processing company.
Additional status indicators which are documented in the database include packed, unpacked, shipped, insured, duty paid. For dispatched goods, the tracking number can be stored and automatically forwarded by the system to the new possessor or owner to enable online tracking of the current location.
The Owner Change Code (OCC)
In several circumstances, the possessor or owner of an osmium piece may change, necessitating updates to the information stored in the database. For this purpose the OCC is issued with each osmium piece. It consists of a combination of six letters and numbers. The OCC expires once it is used to change the owner. In this case, the new owner will receive a new OCC. Possessors can be changed multiple times by using the same OCC.
An OCC is not issued until an owner is registered in the osmium database. This happens at the time of sale or later upon request of the customer in the osmium database. If an osmium piece is sold and ownership or possession is registered, the current owner must prove ownership.
Scenario 1: An owner intends to hand over the goods to someone else while remaining the owner. In this case he or she uses the OCC to open the corresponding database entry of the osmium piece and updates the information pertaining to the possessor. This can be particularly useful if goods are stored in a different location, e.g. in a safe deposit box at a bank. Private individuals are also able to document the shipping status. This makes transactions between private individuals as safe and straightforward as buying from an Osmium-Institute or a wholesaler. Because the information of past possessors is permanently archived, the path of an osmium piece is traceable, provided that owners consistently document status updates.
Scenario 2: An owner intends to sell an osmium piece (as a transaction between two private individuals). For this owner it is important to have an accurate record of the date of the previous transfer of ownership to determine tax implications of the sale, in particular his or her eligibility for exemptions from capital gains tax (dependent on the applicable legislation). It is therefore critical to document any changes of ownership right at the time of the sale. Information which can be saved, if desired, includes personal information of the new owner (full name, country of residence, address, phone number, email address) as well as the price. The local Osmium-Institute can provide this information upon request to support, for example, substantiating discussions with taxation authorities.
The current owner changes the owner online after the transaction has been completed (monies received and goods handed over). This is done by calling up the osmium piece on this website and entering the OCC for that osmium piece. First, the current owner needs to enter and check the personal information of the new owner, including in particular the email address of the new owner. The new possessor can be registered at the same time. In case of a transfer of ownership, the new possessor usually corresponds to the new owner, but there may be cases where the purchased goods are in possession of e.g. an intermediary or a jeweler.
From the moment of activation of the OCC by the transfer of ownership, the former owner has no longer any possibility to dispose of the entries of the possessor. The new owner receives a new OCC from the system and can now independently make changes in the ownership entry and change the possessor. However, the name of the new owner cannot be changed unless a new owner actually takes the place of the old owner. For example, the owner can change his address, but not his name. In the event of marriage or inheritance, a transition process is initiated which begins with a direct request to the Osmium-Institute. Proof of the name change or inheritance must be provided to change the owner's name. The final change of name can only be authorized by the local Osmium-Institute.
In addition, goods may need to be recertified:
Scenario 1: An osmium piece, e.g. a star-row, has broken into two or more pieces which are now planned to be resold. These pieces are sent to the Osmium-Institute, which invalidates its Osmium Identification Code (OIC), tags them as split osmium pieces and re-enters these pieces with two or more new OICs into the osmium database. The origin is still clearly traceable and documented in the history of the individual pieces. It is also possible to recertify osmium pieces which originate from the early days of the trade of crystalline osmium and which do not have an OIC yet. Likewise, recertification of osmium pieces can be carried out to improve the photographic documentation or if a piece cannot be found in the database, although it is clearly crystalline osmium.
Scenario 2: One or more osmium pieces have been combined into one single osmium jewelry piece. In this case, the respective jewelry manufacturer or jeweler provides his or her local Osmium-Institute with high-resolution photographs of the entire osmium jewelry piece with the osmium surfaces clearly visible. Also, the OICs of the individual osmium pieces and their arrangement in the osmium jewelry piece need to be indicated. The local Osmium-Institute merges for a small fee these OICs into one new OIC for the osmium jewelry piece. This new OIC is saved together with the full name, country of residence, address, phone number and email address of the possessor, the owner and the jeweler in the osmium database. This information is also used to issue certificates for osmium jewelry pieces. When at some stage the individual osmium pieces are removed again from an osmium jewelry piece, the original OICs are reactivated and the osmium pieces can be sold again, provided they have not been damaged or otherwise modified.
Migration of OICs and OCCs for osmium jewelry pieces
If several osmium pieces are combined into one single osmium jewelry piece, new codes need to be assigned for that osmium jewelry piece.
This task is usually carried out by a jeweler. Typically, the jeweler receives the individual osmium pieces from a client. The client registers the jeweler as a temporary possessor by means of the OCC but retains ownership.
The jeweler can now enter several joint pieces with the customer's OCC, this results in generating new superordinates OICs and OCCs. They apply to the osmium jewelry piece as a whole and comprise all individual osmium pieces which have been worked into the osmium jewelry piece!
As this new piece also contains other materials such as platinum, silver, gold or other gemstones, jewelers can specify their own sales price here.
Possessor or owner
Definition of possession and ownership:
The possessor is the person or institution holding the goods in his or her hands, but has only received them on consignment. The possessor holds the goods only temporarily for processing, storage or sale.
On the other hand, the owner is the person or institution having all rights to the goods. The owner has purchased the goods and paid for them. He or she is usually also in possession of the goods and can transfer possession to third parties.
New things you can do:
- You can change the possessor of goods which you own at any time. If you transfer the goods to a broker or a manufacturer, you can enter this in the database and change it at any time. It is possible to do multiple changes since the possessor may change more than once. If the goods are both in your ownership and possession, please register yourself as possessor.
- In the event of a sale, you are able to transfer ownership of the goods once and irrevocably to another owner. If you do this, your Owner Change Code (OCC) will be rendered invalid. The new owner receives a new OCC at his or her specified email address. If you are in doubt, please contact our hotline: +49 (89) 744 88 88 88.
Please note that due to the country-specific holding periods for tax exemptions, capital gains realized upon the sale of osmium may result in tax liabilities. It is your duty to keep the competent authorities, e.g. the taxation office, informed of your transactions in due course.
Certification process
All our osmium products undergo a defined authentication process and are delivered together with a certificate of authenticity issued by the Osmium-Institute Germany, headquartered in Baierbrunn, Germany.
Osmium is crystallized exclusively in Switzerland. All first deliveries go to Germany, where the Osmium-Institute Germany authenticates every single osmium piece with a certificate. Every certificate bears a unique identifier, the Osmium Identification Code (OIC).
The OIC contains a combination of letters and numbers, for example K - LM3D - T93G, and is structured as follows: The first letter refers to the article number (K in the above example represents an osmium disk), whereas the following fields are randomly generated by the system.
Parties involved in the osmium trade, including customs authorities, jewelers, wholesalers and private individuals, use the Osmium Identification Code to verify the supplied certificates. The certificates can be accessed online any time and downloaded as PDF file. Information such as dimensions, weight, price and high-resolution photographs can only be accessed by entering a valid OIC.
The Osmium Identification Code provides a secure method to protect and ensure authenticity for both sellers and buyers of osmium: Sellers can be assured of an accurate sale price, just as buyers are assured of the certification and authenticity of their osmium piece.
Osmium Sales Process
The most important function is the activation for sale. If you are thinking about selling your osmium, you can use the OCC to indicate your intention to sell simply by ticking a box.
If your code is then searched for online, prospective buyers are notified of your intention to sell. Interested buyers will be able to write to you anonymously using the tool.
In addition, your osmium will also be listed for trading partners of the Osmium-Institutes. Trading partners are able to search online for osmium pieces which are available for sale by private individuals.