Month: September 2019

Princess Beatrice, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, is rocking a new 3.5-carat diamond engagement ring from Italian real estate tycoon Edoardo Mapellu Mozzi. The ring, which reflects "Victorian and Art Deco fusion," features a round center stone flanked by smaller diamond baguettes in a platinum setting.

Unlike her sister, Eugenie, who got engaged nearly two years ago with an avant-garde padparadscha, Beatrice's bling is said to be inspired by her grandmother's platinum engagement ring, which also has a large white center stone flanked by smaller white diamonds.

The 93-year-old queen has been wearing her ring since the day she accepted Prince Philip's marriage proposal in July of 1947. The prince celebrated his 98th birthday in June.

Eugenie’s ring — an oval padparadscha surrounded by a halo of white diamonds — was strikingly similar in design to the engagement ring of her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, whose ruby center stone complemented her red hair.

Eugenie’s choice of center stone had sparked the obvious question: What's a padparadscha? Followers of the British royal family soon learned that the beautiful gemstone is one of the rarest and most valuable varieties of sapphire, boasting a rich salmon color.

Beatrice's more traditional engagement ring was revealed in a series of photos posted to Eugenie's official Instagram page. The post included a congratulatory message from Eugenie, along with a comment from the new bride-to-be. The photos were taken by Eugenie on the grounds of Windsor Great Park.

Eugenie wrote, "Beabea – wow! I'm so happy for you my dearest big sissy and dear Edo. It's been a long time coming and you two are meant to be. [Photo] by me!!"

Beatrice added, “We are extremely happy to be able to share the news of our recent engagement. We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together and can’t wait to actually be married. We share so many similar interests and values and we know that this will stand us in great stead for the years ahead, full of love and happiness.”

Beatrice's new fiancé collaborated with British jeweler Shaun Leane on the ring's design. Jewelry experts believe the ring's value is approximately £100,000 ($122,000). The two have known each other for many years, but began dating about a year ago. The couple is expected to walk down the aisle some time in 2020.

Credits: Princess Beatrice images by Princess Eugenie/Instagram. Padparadscha ring screen capture via YouTube.com/The Royal Family Channel.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, lead singer Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive delivers some sassy, unambiguous straight talk to aggressive males in the group’s 2014 ditty, “Wedding Band.”

When introducing the song during live performances, Price jokes that what they’re about to perform is a PSA (public service announcement) — from the gals in the band to a select group of guys in the audience.

She sings, “If you’re married, wear a wedding band / There’s no need for you to whisper in my ear / When you can say it with your hand / If you’re gonna go breakin’ my heart / There’s no need for you to let it linger / When you can say it with your finger / If you’re married, baby, wear a wedding band.”

Written by bassist Bridget Kearney, “Wedding Band” is an amusing sub-two-minute sing-along that showcases Price’s rich and sultry voice. Her stylings have been favorably compared to those of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. A reviewer for chicagoreader.com went a step farther, characterizing Price as “one of the greatest American singers alive.”

Founded at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 2004, Lake Street Dive gets its name from a specific area within the hometown of trumpeter Mike “McDuck” Olson. In his hometown of Minneapolis, Lake Street is famous for its dive bars.

The band members of Lake Street Dive were all influenced by classic pop, soul and jazz. Noted drummer Mike Calabrese, “We want it to sound like the Beatles and Motown had a party together.”

The band got its big break when a bluesy cover of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” was posted on Reddit by an anonymous fan. Soon, the video earned more than a million views and actor Kevin Bacon was tweeting about it.

“There’s a nameless faceless hero of our band, who put it on there and everything changed overnight,” Price told pastemagazine.com. “The Internet is a rocket ship to fame.”

The Brooklyn-based band will be spending the next few months touring New Hampshire, Upstate New York, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ontario.

Please check out the video of Lake Street Dive’s live performance of “Wedding Band.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Wedding Band”
Written by Bridget Kearney. Performed by Lake Street Dive.

If you’re married, wear a wedding band
There’s no need for you to whisper in my ear
When you can say it with your hand
If you’re gonna go breakin’ my heart
There’s no need for you to let it linger
When you can say it with your finger
If you’re married, baby, wear a wedding band

You’ve got somebody
That’ll love you forever already (already)
And you owe it to her, and you owe it to me
To hold steady

If you’re married, wear a wedding band
There’s no need for you to whisper in my ear
When you can say it with your hand
If you’re gonna go breakin’ my heart
There’s no need for you to let it linger
When you can say it with your finger

If you’re married, baby, wear a wedding…
Married, baby, wear a wedding…
Married, baby, wear a wedding band

Credit: Photo by Steven Pisano [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

When Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry collection hit Christie’s auction block late in 2011, one of the 24 lots selling for more than $1 million was a rare 19th century sapphire-and-diamond brooch — a surprise gift from actor Richard Burton during their marriage.

The piece, which features a cushion-cut 37.29-carat sapphire framed with old-mine and old-European-cut diamonds, entered the Christie's action with a pre-sale estimate of $200,000, but exited with a hammer price of $1.3 million. In total, Taylor’s landmark collection of 80 baubles netted $115.9 million.

Now, nearly eight years later, Taylor's sapphire brooch will return to the auction scene at Sotheby's Hong Kong, where it will carry a pre-sale estimate of $1.7 million to $2.3 million. If the piece attains the high estimate at the Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite sale on October 7, it will have appreciated 77% since December of 2011.

The 37.29-carat sapphire is described in its grading report as having Burmese origin, high clarity and a richly saturated "royal blue" color.

Barrons.com reported that Burton surprised Taylor with the sapphire brooch after she had admired it on a magazine cover.

Taylor and Burton were married from March 1964 to June 1974 and then again from October 1975 to August 1976. Overall, she tallied eight marriages to seven men. Recognized as the last great icon of Hollywood's Golden Era, Taylor passed away in 2011 at the age of 79.

Taylor's sapphire brooch and other top lots from Sotheby's October 7 auction are currently part of a traveling exhibition, with stops in Taipei City, Taiwan, and Macau, China, before returning to Hong Kong for the big event.

Credits: Jewelry images courtesy of Sotheby's. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor image by Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York City [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Inspired by the story of a Canadian woman whose lost engagement ring turned up in a vegetable patch 13 years later — cinched tightly around a carrot — fellow Canadian John Neville looked to replicate the phenomenon to surprise his bride-to-be, Danielle (Deejay) Squires.

Neville recounted to The Washington Post how he had purchased the diamond engagement ring four years ago, but hid it in his work shed until he could come up with the perfect way to pop the question.

In June of this year, the resident of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, got to work.

First, he filled a five-gallon bucket with soil. Then he pressed the engagement ring into the center of the bucket to bury it. Using a pencil, he poked a narrow hole aimed right through the center of the ring. He put a few carrot seeds in the hole, sprinkled a bunch of seeds around the perimeter of bucket and hoped for the best.

After tending his secret project for three months, it appeared that the carrots were ready for harvesting.

On Saturday, he invited Squires and their three-year-old son, Eric, to pick some carrots for dinner.

Neville was relieved when Eric pulled a few well-formed carrots from the other edge of the bucket. Then he asked Squires to pull the one in the center.

As she wriggled it out, Neville went down on one knee and said, "I love you very much. Will you marry me?"

At first, Squires was a bit confused, but when she realized her new engagement ring was wrapped tightly around the middle of the carrot, her eyes started welling up and she nodded "Yes."

"I was in complete shock when I saw the ring on the carrot," Squires told CBC News.

Then young Eric took a bite from the tip of the engagement carrot.

Squires's new ring features a raw, uncut diamond. The couple noted that the stone pays homage to their homesteading way of life on Pinchgut Lake near Corner Brook. They have yet to pick a wedding date.

"Of course, he wanted to do something unique and imaginative," Squires told CBC News. "He just wanted the perfect idea to come along, and I guess it was worth the wait."

“The more I think about it, the more amazing it is,” she told The Washington Post.

Neville had been inspired by the story of octogenarian Mary Grams, who lost her diamond engagement ring while gardening at her family’s farm in 2004. After unsuccessfully searching on her hands and knees for days, she gave up, assuming the ring she had worn since 1951 was gone forever.

Grams secretly bought herself a less-expensive replacement ring and never told her husband, Norman, of the mishap. Thirteen years later, her daughter-in-law, Colleen Daley, called with some fabulous news. Daly, who had moved to the farm, found a strangely deformed carrot while plucking vegetables for her family’s dinner. The carrot was squeezed in the middle, like it was wearing a corset. On closer inspection, she saw that the constriction was caused by a diamond engagement ring.

“I asked my husband if he recognized the ring,” Daley told CBC News. “And he said, ‘Yeah.’ His mother had lost her engagement ring years ago in the garden and never found it again. And it turned up on this carrot.”

And the crazy carrot stories don't end there. In December of 2016, the German press first reported the story of an 82-year-old man from Bad Münstereifel, who found his lost wedding ring wrapped around a carrot. The retiree had lost the ring while gardening three years earlier and then discovered it while collecting vegetables from his garden. The man, whose name was not released, had just celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary.

And way back in January of 2012, The Daily Mail and many other news sources covered the story of a Swedish woman named Lena Påhlsson, who pulled up a carrot cinched in the middle with a wedding ring she had lost in 1995. The ring has gone missing in her kitchen and she assumed that it must have gotten mixed up with some kitchen scraps that ended up in her compost pile. That material found its way to her vegetable garden and the rest is history.

Credits: Images via Facebook.com/Deejay Squires. Screen capture via GlobalNews.ca.

PhD student Nicole Meyer of University of Alberta's Diamond Exploration Research and Training School discovered a never-before-seen mineral trapped within the inclusion of a diamond. She named the material "goldschmidtite" to honor Victor Moritz Goldschmidt, the founder of modern geochemistry.

Back in March 2018, scientists at the same university identified a new deep-Earth mineral — also trapped within a rough diamond (see image, below). While measuring only .031 millimeters in diameter, the diamond was credited with ferrying the unstable material called “calcium silicate perovskite” to the surface from its original home 400 miles within the earth's mantle.

More than ever, scientists are relying on minuscule mineral inclusions within diamonds to learn more about Earth’s chemistry deep beneath the surface. Both diamonds were recovered from mines in South Africa.

“Goldschmidtite has high concentrations of niobium, potassium and the rare earth elements lanthanum and cerium, whereas the rest of the mantle is dominated by other elements, such as magnesium and iron,” Meyer said in a university press release. “For potassium and niobium to constitute a major proportion of this mineral, it must have formed under exceptional processes that concentrated these unusual elements.”

Meyer's new mineral is believed to have originated about 170 kilometers (105 miles) beneath the earth's surface, where the temperatures can reach 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,192 degrees Fahrenheit).

“This discovery is the result of a lot of patient and meticulous work by Nicole and the research team,” said Graham Pearson, Meyer’s co-supervisor. “Goldschmidtite is highly unusual for an inclusion captured by diamond and gives us a snapshot of fluid processes that affect the deep roots of continents during diamond formation."

Diamonds can be blasted hundreds of miles to the surface during volcanic eruptions. The vertical superhighways that take the diamonds on their journey are called kimberlite pipes.

Meyer reported her discovery in the September edition of the scholarly journal American Mineralogist. Born in Switzerland and schooled in Oslo, Norway, Goldschmidt (1888-1947) is considered to be the founder of modern geochemistry and crystal chemistry.

Credits: Goldschmidtite image courtesy of Nicole Meyer. Calcium silicate perovskite image courtesy of Nester Korolev, University of British Columbia.

Imagine finding treasure in your trash. That's what happened when Lucara Diamond Corp. salvaged a 375-carat gem-quality diamond from a pile of old tailings at its prolific Karowe mine in Botswana.

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

The company revisited the tailings because they were generated prior to the 2015 implementation of its advanced XRT diamond sorters, which were designed to identify and preserve high-value diamonds of 100 carats or larger. Older, less sophisticated sorting devices often mistakenly damaged, pulverized or passed through large diamonds as worthless tailings.

The new XRT sorters have the ability to detect the carbon signature of rocky material coming down a conveyor belt so the diamond-bearing ore can be picked out and preserved. The machines can be calibrated to extract valuable material based on X-ray luminescence, atomic density and transparency.

The 375-carat rough diamond was just one of nine 100-plus-carat diamonds recovered from the re-processing of old material.

Lucara also reported strong results from the processing of new material, including the discovery of a 123-carat diamond from Lucara's South Lobe (see photo, above). Year to date, the mining company has recovered 22 diamonds larger than 100 carats, including six of 200 carats or more..

Lucara's Karowe Mine is famous for yielding many of the world's largest diamonds, including the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, the 813-carat Constellation and the recently recovered 1,758-carat Sewelô.

Credit: Image courtesy of Lucara.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you classic songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Martha and the Vandellas sing about the thrill of receiving a wedding band in the 1967 release, “Third Finger, Left Hand.”

They sing, “At last my dreams come true / Today he said “I do” / Friends said it couldn’t be done / But all his love I know I’ve won / ‘Cause third finger, left hand / That’s where he placed the wedding band.”

Written by Motown’s main creative team of Lamont Dozier and the brothers Brian and Eddie Holland, “Third Finger, Left Hand” is the memorable hook of a song that’s best known for being the “B” side of “Jimmy Mack,” which soared to #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart and #10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In the years before CDs and digital downloads, young people cherished their vinyl 45 singles. While the purchase was sparked by the popular “A” side, sometimes the “B” side would reveal a hidden gem.

“Against the Vandellas’ ‘shoop-shoops,’ Martha recalls the sweet moments leading up to that wonderful walk to the altar,” writes Ed Hogan of allmusic.com. “It’s a good bet that ‘Third Finger Left Hand’ got almost as much turntable play as its hit A-side.”

Trivia: While one’s thumb is a digit, it is generally not considered a “finger.” So the third finger of one’s left hand is, indeed, the ring finger.

Formed in Detroit in 1957, Martha and the Vandellas, became one of Motown’s greatest acts. Featuring the powerful lead vocals of Martha Reeves, the group charted more than 26 hits, including their signature single, “Dancing in the Street.” The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Reeves continues to tour at the age of 78.

The songwriting and production team known as Holland–Dozier–Holland was behind the Motown sound of the 1960s. They not only wrote for Martha and the Vandellas, but also for the Supremes, the Four Tops and Freda Payne, who sang one of our H-D-H favorites, “Band of Gold.” The trio was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Please check out the audio track of Martha and the Vandellas singing “Third Finger, Left Hand.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Third Finger, Left Hand”
Written by Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland. Performed by Martha and the Vandellas.

At last my dreams come true
Today he said “I do”
Friends said it couldn’t be done
But all his love I know I’ve won
‘Cause third finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band

He walked right up to me
And pledged his love for me
I longed to hear him say
The sweet words he spoke that day
Made me feel so good inside
The tears came to my eyes
I love him above the rest
‘Cause in my book he’s the best

‘Cause he did something that no one else did
Friends said it couldn’t be done
But all his love I know I’ve won
‘Cause third finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band

His words were precious few
But all along my heart knew
That no other boys in line
Could ever change my mind
Other boys, I sent away
I locked my heart till our wedding day
I love him above the rest
‘Cause in my book he’s the best

‘Cause he did something that no one else did
Friends said it couldn’t be done
But all his love I know I’ve won
‘Cause third finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band
3rd finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band
3rd finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band
3rd finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band
3rd finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band

Credit: Image by Aug856 [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Emirates, the luxury airline that set the Twittersphere ablaze in 2018 with the introduction of its "Bling 777," is back again with a post of its "Diamond" A380 onboard lounge.

It was December 2018 when the airline took to Twitter to show off an Emirates Boeing 777 spectacularly embellished with diamonds. The image went viral instantly, as supporters and naysayers alike chimed in on what they believed to be the first-of-its-kind, gem-encrusted aircraft.

What many Emirates Twitter followers didn't grasp was that the "Bling 777" was a fanciful rendering by award-winning Pakistani artist Sara Shakeel, who specializes in photo-editing diamonds onto otherwise-ordinary objects.

At the time, the confusion on social media forced Emirates to clarify that the diamond jet was not real.

“We just posted an art piece made by crystal artist Sara Shakeel," an airline spokesperson told Gulf News. "I can confirm it’s not real.”

On Tuesday, Emirates posted a new pic across its social media outlets with the following caption: "We know you liked our Bling 777, so here’s the Emirates ‘Diamond’ A380 Onboard Lounge. #FlyEmiratesFlyBetter."

The super-realistic image shows how the lounge of the luxury jetliner would look if it was decorated from wall to wall with diamonds. The "diamonds" cover the seat backs, partition coverings, window trim and horseshoe-shaped bar area.

The post has already earned more than 124,000 likes on Instagram, where Emirates boasts 4.7 million followers

Credits: Images via Instagram/emirates; Twitter/emirates.

The Pantone Color Institute recently unveiled its top 12 colors for Spring/Summer 2020. Described as friendly and relatable, the colors — which range from Flame Scarlet to Biscay Green — were seen illuminating the runways of NY Fashion Week in downtown Manhattan from September 5-13.

Flame Scarlet / Saffron / Classic Blue / Biscay Green

While Pantone's Fashion Color Trend Report described the 2020 hues as "recognized favorites," it also acknowledged that designers will be taking these colors through some unique twists and turns, highlighting humor, modernity and entertainment.

And we'll be ready with colorful jewelry accessories and vibrant gemstones to align with Pantone's palette.

“Combining our desire for stability, creativity, and more spontaneous design approaches, the color palette for Spring/Summer 2020 infuses heritage and tradition with a colorful, youthful update that creates strong multi-colored combinations, as well as energizing and optimistic pairings,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute.

Pantone's 2020 standouts lead off with Flame Scarlet, a burning bright color that exudes confidence and determination; Saffron, a pungent hue that adds flavorful brilliance to the palette; Classic Blue, which is evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky; and Biscay Green, an aqua shade reminiscent of a tropical bay.

Chive / Faded Denim / Orange Peel / Mosaic Blue

The next foursome expected to dominate in the coming year include Chive, a savory herbal green that imparts healthy and restorative harmony; Faded Denim, a relatable and dependable blue that conveys comfort and ease; Orange Peel, a bright shade with a tasteful tang; and Mosaic Blue, which displays an air of mystique and depth of feeling.

Sunlight / Coral Pink / Cinnamon Stick / Grape Compote

Pantone's final four colors include the smile-inducing Sunlight, the warm and welcoming Coral Pink, the earthy and warm Cinnamon Stick and the mellow and mysterious purple shade called Grape Compote.

Lark / Navy Blazer / Brilliant White / Ash

In additional to the 12 dominant colors, Pantone revealed four classic neutrals that impart an element of natural sophistication and versatility. Pantone noted that there will always be a need for structure in everyday fashion, and the neutrals for 2020 work well as a singular color statement or serve as a foundation for playful color contrasts. These include the khaki-colored Lark, deep blue Navy Blazer, crisp and pristine Brilliant White and eternally timeless Ash.

Pantone, the global color authority, publishes its Fashion Color Trend Report to give consumers and retailers a sneak peek at the color stories that will emerge in all areas of design and fashion in the coming year.

In early December, we will reveal Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2020. Previous winners have included Living Coral (2019), Ultra Violet (2018), Greenery (2017), Rose Quartz/Serenity Blue (co-winners for 2016), Marsala (2015), Radiant Orchid (2014), Emerald (2013) and Tangerine Tango (2012).

Credits: Images courtesy of Pantone.

San Diego bride-to-be Jenna Evans swallowed her 2.4-carat diamond engagement ring during a vivid dream last Tuesday night. Her crazy story, which has gone viral on Facebook, earned the young woman a Monday morning spot on NBC's Today Show.

Evans told Today's Gadi Schwartz that she was having an action-packed, exciting dream about a cargo train and some villains.

"It was very James Bond," she said. "And in my dream my fiancé told me that I needed to swallow my engagement ring in order to protect it, I guess."

While still in a semi-dream state, Evans slid the diamond ring off her finger, put it in her mouth and swallowed it with a glass of water.

When she woke up the next morning, the 29-year-old noticed her ring was gone and she had a very good idea of where it could be.

"I couldn't help but laugh at it, and then I had to wake my fiancé up and tell him that I had swallowed my engagement ring," the frequent sleepwalker told Schwartz.

Urgent care physicians confirmed Evans' hunch when an X-ray revealed the distinctive shape of a diamond ring in her digestive tract.

Rather than risk internal injuries as the ring traveled naturally through her system, the doctors ordered an emergency upper endoscopy to retrieve the ring.

"They put a camera down my throat with a net, and they scooped it up and pulled it right out," Evans said.

The doctors handed the ring to Evans' boyfriend, Bobby Howell, for safe keeping. It wasn't until the next day that Evans got her ring back.

"I promised not to swallow it again, we're still getting married and all is right in the world," she wrote. The wedding is planned for May of 2020.

Despite a scary hospital visit, Evans was able to enjoy the silly side of her predicament. She shared her story on Facebook, hoping it would bring smiles to the folks who happened upon her post.

On Facebook, she wrote, "I also had no idea this would go viral — please be kind. I didn't do it on purpose and I'm not trying to change the world here, just share a funny story and hopefully a good belly laugh. Pun intended."

Credits: Screen capture via today.com. X-ray and hospital images via facebook.com.