Fancy-diamond specialist Diacore — the company responsible for cutting the Pink Star, the most expensive gem ever sold at auction — recently purchased an exceptional 32.32-carat pink rough diamond for $13.8 million, or about $427,000 per carat.



Diacore's purchase of the pink diamond was the highlight of Petra Diamond's first tender of goods from its Tanzania-based Williamson mine, which had been shuttered early in 2020 due to COVID and is expected to restart its operations in the first quarter of 2022.

"This rare masterpiece of nature is a natural fit to our unique offering as cutters and marketeers of special diamonds," noted Diacore chairman Nir Livnat in a statement. "Looking forward to work[ing] with the team on a stellar one-of-a-kind gem."

Diacore explained that the rare pink diamond will be analyzed, designed and cut by the company's highly experienced team to unlock its magnificent hidden beauty.



The company is credited with a portfolio of some of the highest-profile diamonds of all time. Among them is the 59.60-carat Pink Star. In April of 2017, the flawless, fancy vivid pink diamond shattered the world record for the highest price ever paid for any gem at auction. Hong Kong-based luxury jewelry retailer Chow Tai Fook bid $71.2 million ($1.19 million per carat) to secure the diamond at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite sale in Hong Kong.

Diacore was responsible for taking the original 132.5-carat rough diamond and fashioning it into an oval mixed-cut masterpiece — a process that would take two years. The gem had been unearthed by De Beers in Botswana in 1999.



The Geneva-based manufacturer also made news in July of 2021 when it joined with DeBeers to purchase a 39.34-carat blue rough diamond sourced at South Africa’s iconic Cullinan Mine. The price was $40.1 million, or just over $1 million per carat.

Diacore is a multinational diamond company with diversified interests in the diamond industry. It provides rough and polished diamonds to customers around the world and operates manufacturing facilities in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and New York.

Credits: Rough diamond images courtesy of Diacore. Pink Star image courtesy of Sotheby's.

After being out of the public eye for more than four decades, the "Subway Garnet" is once again the pride of Manhattan.



When the American Museum of Natural History unveiled its completely redesigned, 11,000-square-foot Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals in June of 2021, visitors were encouraged to see the 9 pound 10 ounce reddish-brown crystal of the almandine garnet that had been discovered under Manhattan’s 35th Street in 1885.



(Garnet in all of its varieties — almandine, pyrope, spessartine, grossular and andradite — is the official birthstone for January.)

The Subway Garnet's return to star status reflected a remarkable change of fortune for the unusual specimen. Back in 1968, it had been a top attraction, displayed proudly at the entrance to the museum's Gems and Mineral Hall. Then, sadly, the excitement faded and the Subway Garnet was relegated to a storage drawer on the museum's fourth floor. There it remained, unseen, for nearly 40 years.

The unglamorous — and confusing — history of the Subway Garnet dates back to 1885 when it was discovered by a city worker near the corner of 35 Street and Madison Avenue in New York City. The original story claimed that the stone emerged during the excavation of the New York City subway system. But, those early accounts didn't hold water.

You see, the New York City subway officially broke ground in 1900, 15 years after the discovery of the Subway Garnet. It was much more likely that odd-looking stone with 24 natural facets was found during a sewer excavation. Perhaps, the name “Sewer Garnet” didn’t carry the right ambience for the rare gem.

The New York Times added clarity to the legend in a 2016 article. The publication reported that the massive crystal was, in fact, found eight feet underground during a sewer excavation in August of 1885. At that time, William Niven, the owner of a business that sold gemstones and minerals, claimed that he picked up the garnet as he was passing by the site, just after an unnamed laborer dumped it on the street during the excavation. Dr. Niven then sold it for $100 to mineralogist George F. Kunz.

George Harlow, the then-Curator for the Earth Sciences Department at the museum, told The New York Times in 2016 that he hoped the Subway Garnet would once again see the light of day and regain its old luster.

“Nothing’s been finalized, but I believe plans are afoot,” Harlow said. “I’d certainly like to see it available to the public before I retire.”

Harlow, who has been with the museum for more than 40 years and now holds the title of Curator Emeritus, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Division of Physical Sciences, got his wish in 2021. The seven-inch-wide stone, which has been comically described as Fred Flintstone's bowling ball, is now the highlight of the museum's Minerals of New York display featuring specimens from all five of the city's boroughs.

Credits: Images by D. Finnin/© American Museum of Natural History.

With the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing less than a month away, let's take a close look at the gold, silver and bronze "Tong Xin" medals that will be awarded at the much-anticipated global event.



"Tong Xin" means "together as one" and the circle-in-a-circle design is reminiscent of the themes seen in ancient Chinese jade pendants. The front of the medals feature the Olympic rings engraved in the center with rimmed concentric circles radiating outward. The circles embody the traditional Chinese philosophy of harmony between heaven, earth and human beings. The rings also represent the Olympic vision of building a better world through sport.



The raised rims create a channel effect, and three of the four channels are engraved with traditional Chinese patterns and descriptive information about the Games. The outermost channel contains icons of ice and snow, while the next channel is adorned with cloud iconography. The innermost channel is engraved with the words "XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022."

"When athletes hold the medals in their hands, they will first touch the details embodying ancient Chinese culture," noted chief designer Hang Hai. "Then if they look closely, they will see the cloud and snowflake patterns on the obverse side, and celestial patterns on the reverse side."

The 2022 medals carry a slight resemblance to the jade-inlaid medals of the Olympic Summer Games that took place in Beijing in 2008. This was done intentionally to emphasize the fact that Beijing is the first city to host the Summer and Winter Games.



On the back of the medal, engraved in the centermost circle, is the emblem of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. The full name of the games written in Chinese lettering is wrapped in a semi-circle underneath. Also engraved on the back is the name of the specific Olympic event for which the particular medal will be awarded.

Contrary to what many people believe, a gold medal awarded at the Olympics contains just 6 grams of gold. The core of the gold medal is actually made of 99.9% silver. Silver medals are, in fact, made of silver, and the bronze medals are made of copper.

There was a time when Olympic gold medals were made of solid gold, but the last ones were awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, way back in 1912.

The Olympic Winter Games in Beijing will take place from February 4-20, 2022. The Paralympic Games begin March 4.

Credits: Images courtesy of Beijing 2022 Olympic Committee.

We love to write about romantic marriage proposals, but today we take a deep dive into the murky subject of who gets to keep the engagement ring when a relationship fails and the wedding never takes place. 

Although there is no uniform law in the US or Canada regarding the return of engagement rings after a breakup, the Alabama Court of Appeals recently ruled that an engagement ring given on the condition of marriage must be returned to the giver if the relationship fails.

According to court records, an Alabama man proposed to his then-girlfriend on Christmas Eve of 2018 with a ring valued at $32,000. Later in 2019, the girlfriend had a change of heart and broke off the engagement. The ex-boyfriend asked for the ring, but she claimed that she tossed it into the intracoastal waterway. The ex-girlfriend later admitted that she sold the ring for the heavily discounted price of $10,000. 

The ex-boyfriend sued to get the value of the ring back, but lost his case at a county circuit court, with that judge ruling that the ring was given as a Christmas present and the ex-girlfriend had no obligation to return it. 

That verdict was flipped by the Alabama Court of Appeals, which determined that the woman was "unjustly enriched" at her ex-boyfriend’s expense, while adding that the gift was given on the condition of a marriage. Since the marriage never took place, the court ordered the woman to pay back the $32,000.

Back in 2014, a New York county judge allowed a Valley Stream woman to keep her $10,200 diamond ring even though she broke off the relationship with her fiancé, who was also the father of their child. The woman argued that her ex gave her the ring as a “a gift for being a great woman, a good mother of his child.”  The judge agreed, stating that the ring was “given as a gift and not in contemplation of marriage.”

According to an article posted by Virginia-based law firm SmolenPlevy, most states view an engagement ring as a semi-contract, or a “conditional gift.” In this view, the ring is given with the understanding that the couple will get married in the future and symbolizes a verbal contract. Ownership of the ring is not fully transferred until the wedding ceremony is completed.

A few jurisdictions, explained SmolenPlevy, take a slightly different view, calling the ring an “implied gift.” In this case, ownership of the ring is determined by whomever calls off the wedding. If the giver breaks it off, he or she is not entitled to the ring, and it becomes a gift. If the receiver breaks off the engagement, the giver can ask for the ring back.

Ownership of the ring can also be complicated by whether the ring was a family heirloom, or whether it was given as a “gift” on a holiday or birthday, for example.

The non-legal, but traditional, etiquette calls for the engagement ring to be returned to the giver if the recipient breaks the relationship, or if the breakup was mutual. If the giver is responsible for the breakup, the receiver controls the destiny of the ring. 

SmolenPlevy recommends that the best way to avoid costly, emotional and drawn-out litigation is to enter into a prenuptial or premarital agreement, which outlines clearly who will get the ring if the wedding never takes place. This agreement also can cover what happens to the ring if the couple gets married but later divorces. 

Credits: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today we feature Justin Bieber singing about pearls in the R&B remix of his 2010 release, “Up.”



In this 2011 collaboration with Chris Brown, the Canadian heartthrob refuses to call it quits on a troubled relationship that has nowhere to go but up. He tells his girlfriend that they have the power to make the sun shine in the moonlight and make the grey clouds turn to blue skies.

He also promises to take her around the world and lavish her with pearls sourced from every ocean they encounter.

In the key jewelry line, Bieber sings, “It’s a big, big world / And I’m gonna show you all of it / I’m gonna lace you with pearls, oh / From every ocean that we’re swimmin’ in.”

Originally the 9th track on Bieber’s chart-topping 2010 debut studio album, My World 2.0, “Up” was re-released on Valentine’s Day 2011 as the 7th track of his Never Say Never – The Remixes album. That release — which featured collaborations with Brown, Jaden Smith, Usher, Rascal Flatts, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West and Raekwon — also soared to #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart.

The Canadian-born Justin Drew Bieber started to make his move into the music business in 2007. That's when the adorable, fresh-faced 13-year-old placed second in a local singing competition. Bieber’s mom, Pattie, posted a video of his performance on YouTube, and then added other videos of her son singing covers of various R&B songs.

It’s been reported that music executive Scooter Braun accidentally clicked on one of Bieber’s videos — thinking he was watching a 20-year-old doing a cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” The impressive performer was, in fact, the teenage Bieber.

Braun tracked down the youngster in Canada, and with the permission of Bieber’s mom, introduced him to singer-songwriter Usher, who soon became his mentor. Bieber was then signed by record executive L.A. Reid and the rest is Bieber history.

Bieber has sold an estimated 150 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He’s earned two Grammy Awards, 18 American Music Awards, 21 Billboard Music Awards, six MTV Video Music Awards and a record 21 MTV Europe Music Awards.

The 27-year-old Bieber has 91 million followers on Facebook, 114 million on Twitter and 214 million on Instagram.

Please check out the audio track of the soulful Bieber/Brown collaboration of “Up.” The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…

“Up”
Written by Adam Messinger, Justin Bieber and Nasri Atweh. Performed by Justin Bieber, with Chris Brown.

It’s a big, big world
It’s easy to get lost in it
You’ve always been my girl, oh
And I’m not ready to call it quits

We can make the sun shine in the moonlight
We can make the grey clouds turn to blue skies
I know it’s hard
Baby, believe me

That we can go nowhere but up
From here, my dear
Baby, we can go nowhere but up
Tell me what we’ve got to fear
We’ll take it to the sky past the moon to the galaxy
As long as you’re with me, baby
Honestly (honestly) with the strength of our love
We can’t go nowhere but up

It’s a big, big world
And I’m gonna show you all of it
I’m gonna lace you with pearls, oh
From every ocean that we’re swimmin’ in

We can make the sun shine in the moonlight
We can make the grey clouds turn to blue skies
Yeah, I know it’s hard
Baby, believe me, ooh

That we can go nowhere but up
From here, my dear
Baby, we can go nowhere but up
Tell me what we’ve got to fear
We’ll take it to the sky past the moon to the galaxy
As long as you’re with me, baby
Honestly (honestly) with the strength of our love
We can’t go nowhere but up

Nowhere but up

Baby, we were underground
We’re on the surface now
We’re gonna make it girl
I promise
If you believe in love
And you believe in us
We can go nowhere but up

We can go nowhere but up
From here, my dear
Baby, we can’t go nowhere but up
Tell me what we’ve got to fear
We’ll take it to the sky past the moon to the galaxy
As long as you’re with me, baby
Honestly, honestly with the strength of our love
We can go nowhere but up

Nowhere but up
Nowhere but up
Yeah
Nowhere but up



Credit: Photo by Adam Sundana, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

On Sunday, February 6, Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate 70 years on the British throne, and The Royal Mint will be commemorating her remarkable Platinum Jubilee with a series of precious metal coins.



The special obverse design, by esteemed artist John Bergdahl, depicts The Queen on horseback and will be struck on the "heads" side of a new 50p and traditional £5 crown.



Representing Her Majesty’s fondness of nature, the Queen-approved design is reminiscent of the equestrian designs for the 1953 Coronation and 2002 Jubilee crown pieces.



Upon the death of her father, King George VI at age 56, Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952. She was only 25 at the time. The Queen broke the record as the longest-reigning British monarch in September 2015.

There will be year-long Platinum Jubilee celebrations throughout the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world as communities come together to celebrate The Queen’s historic reign.

The coins of The Queen's Platinum Jubilee will be available in platinum, gold, silver and brilliant uncirculated cupronickel (copper-nickel alloy). Prices vary widely, depending on the metal of choice. For example, the 50 pence coin depicting the "70" logo retails for £1,395 in platinum, £1,095 in gold, £102.50 in silver and £7 in cupronickel.

The precious-metal versions of the coins will be minted in limited quantities, while the availability of the cupronickel version will be unlimited.

The "70" logo on the "tails" side of the 50p coin, which includes the Queen's cypher, or monogram, was conceived by Osborne Ross. The heraldic designs of Bergdahl are displayed on the "tails" side of the £5 coins.

The UK has instituted a special four-day Jubilee bank holiday from Thursday, June 2 to Sunday, June 5, during which the British government has promised a "once-in-a-generation show" that will "mix the best of British ceremonial splendor and pageantry with cutting-edge artistic and technological displays."

Credits: Photo of coins courtesy of The Royal Mint. Queen Elizabeth II (1953) by Associated Press, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Queen Elizabeth II (2015) by PolizeiBerlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The gold-clad mirrors of the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope will play a key role in observing galaxies that are more than 13 billion light years away.



In fact, NASA scientists believe that gold's superior ability to maximize the mirrors' reflection of infrared light gives Webb its best chance of seeing the cosmos.

On December 24, a rocket carrying the telescope took off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Its 21-foot-wide primary mirror was so large that it had to be folded — origami style — to fit into the capsule. Then, on January 8, the 18 segments of its primary mirror successfully unfolded in deep space to reveal a spectacular golden array.

The James Webb Space Telescope is designed to look back through time to when galaxies were young, to see light from the earliest galaxies as they formed after the Big Bang. It will also allow scientists to study the atmospheres of planets that orbit distant stars and search for signs of life.

In describing the massive telescope, a NASA spokesperson said in a video posted to Youtube, "The gold mirrors are definitely its most stunning feature. And, yes, that's real gold."

The spokesperson explained that a microscopic layer of gold was applied to each of the 18 hexagonal segments, each of which measures about 4.3 feet across. The area of the assembled mirror is approximately 25 square meters (270 square feet) and the mass is 705 kilograms (1,550 pounds).

Despite the mirror's vast dimensions, the amount of gold needed to coat all of the segments was 48 grams, about the equivalent of five men's wedding bands.

That's because the thickness of the gold layer is 100 nanometers, about 1/1000th the width of a human hair. To protect the precious metal on its journey, a thin layer of glass was applied on top of the gold.

NASA chose gold over other metals because of its high reflective qualities and its durability. Metals, such as aluminum and silver, reflect 85% and 95% of infrared light, respectively. Gold reflects 99% of all the infrared light it encounters. Gold is also one of the most unreactive metals, making it extraordinarily resilient to oxidization or decay during its five- to 10-year mission.

Credit: Image courtesy of NASA/Chris Gunn.

The Chinese Year of the Tiger officially starts on February 1, and The Perth Mint is marking the occasion with a limited-edition, silver proof coin featuring the image of the Chinese zodiac animal rendered in pure Australian opal.



Irregular slices of the bluish-purple precious stone are meticulously arranged to fill out the shape of the tiger, which stands out from the center of a black circular background.

The coin’s outer ring features stylized depictions of cineraria flowers, which are considered to be lucky for those born in the Year of the Tiger. The outer ring also includes the inscription “YEAR OF THE TIGER,” the Chinese character for “Tiger,” the year 2022, the coin’s weight and purity, and The Perth Mint’s traditional “P” mintmark.

Designed by Lucas Bowers, the Aussie coin measures 36.6mm in diameter, which is slightly smaller than a US silver dollar.

The one-ounce, legal tender silver coin is the sixth release in the Australian Opal Lunar Series — a series that launched with an opal rooster design in 2017 and was followed up with opal-adorned Chinese zodiac offerings in 2018 (dog), 2019 (pig), 2020 (rat) and 2021 (ox).

Those born in the Year of the Tiger are said to be brave, competitive, unpredictable and confident. The tiger is the third animal of the ancient lunar calendar.



The obverse of the tiger coin features the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the weight and fineness, the “1 DOLLAR” denomination, “AUSTRALIA,” and the Queen’s name. The tiger coin will have a limited release of 5,000 units.

The Perth Mint frequently pays tribute to themes that are truly Australian. Opal is the official gemstone of Australia, and the country is credited with supplying nearly 95% the world’s fine opal.

From 2012 through 2014, the mint promoted the Australian Opal Series of five coins depicting native animals, including the koala, wombat, kangaroo, pygmy possum and Tasmanian devil — all rendered in opal.

Credits: Images courtesy of The Perth Mint.

Sasha Spielberg, the daughter of movie mogul Steven Spielberg and actress Kate Capshaw, recently announced her New Year's Eve engagement to restauranteur Harry McNally with a series of Instagram pics that included a closeup of the ring and a prescient diary entry.



Sasha, who uses the stage name Buzzy Lee, posted a shot of her newly adorned left hand partially revealing a diary entry from November 12, 2020, that stated very matter-of-factly, "I'm gonna marry Harry!" It was written right after their first date and she was already certain she had found the love of her life.

Now, 14 months later, she exclaimed in her Instagram caption, "My diary proves to be right yet again!!"

Jewelry-industry experts described the ring as a round brilliant-cut diamond adorned by baguette side stones in a simple platinum or white gold setting. The center stone was estimated to weigh 3 to 4 carats and the value of the ring was pegged at about $150,000.



Among the Instagram photos was a shot of Sasha posing near the ocean on the morning after the engagement, and a screen cap of the couple embracing next to the family's Christmas tree moments after the proposal. It was taken from a second floor vantage point by the famous film maker himself.



“Unbeknownst to Harry, my dad was secretly filming,” Sasha wrote on Instagram. “Classic.”

The multi-talented Sasha, 31, is a musician, artist and actress. McNally runs The Odeon for his dad, New York restaurateur Keith McNally. The younger McNally is also a musician and music video director.



Sasha has appeared in a number of her dad's films, including Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Credits: Images via Instagram.com/sashaspielberg.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you uplifting songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith uses the term "gold in them hills" to deliver an inspirational message about cherishing all that life has to offer — both the good and the bad.



He sings, "But if we'd only open our eyes / We'd see the blessings in disguise / That all the rain clouds are fountains / Though our troubles seem like mountains / There's gold in them hills / There's gold in them hills / So don't lose heart / Give the day a chance to start."

Originally released in 2003 as the 15th track of Sexsmith's Rarities album, "Gold in Them Hills" became the defining song of the 2013 film About Time, starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy.

In an interview posted to Youtube, writer-director Richard Curtis explained how the "profoundly meaningful song" represented the central philosophical theme of About Time — that no matter how bad life looks, if you investigate it, there's gold in them hills.

"You just may not be noticing," he said. "But, the normal run of your day is a wonderful and glorious thing."

The main character in the film has the ability to time travel, and initially believes that he should try to change his past in an effort to bolster his future.

But, then he realizes — with the help of his dad — that the best way to use time travel is to relive each ordinary day without the worries and tensions that keep us from appreciating how lucky we are to be with the people we love and live the life we lead.

Born in Ontario, Canada, Ronald Eldon "Ron" Sexsmith began recording his own material in 1985 at the age of 21. He was named Songwriter of the Year at the 2005 Juno awards and has released a total of 15 albums.

Please check out the audio track of Sexsmith performing "Gold in Them Hills." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Gold in Them Hills"
Written and performed by Ron Sexsmith.

I know it doesn't seem that way
But maybe it's the perfect day
Even though the bills are piling
And maybe Lady Luck ain't smiling

But if we'd only open our eyes
We'd see the blessings in disguise
That all the rain clouds are fountains
Though our troubles seem like mountains

There's gold in them hills
There's gold in them hills
So don't lose heart
Give the day a chance to start

Every now and then life says
“Where do you think you're going so fast”
We're apt to think it cruel but sometimes
It's a case of cruel to be kind

And if we'd get up off our knees
Why then we'd see the forest for the trees
And we'd see the new sun rising
Over the hills on the horizon

There's gold in them hills
There's gold in them hills
So don't lose faith
Give the world a chance to say

A word or two, my friend
There's no telling how the day might end
And we'll never know until we see

There's gold in them hills
There's gold in them hills
So don't lose heart
Give the day a chance to start

There's gold in them hills
There's gold in them hills



Credit: Photo by spaceamoeba, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The engagement ring used by Machine Gun Kelly to propose to actress Megan Fox is a modern adaptation of a design originally conceived by a promising 26-year-old officer named Napoleon Bonaparte more than 200 years ago.



Back in 1796, Napoleon — then still eight years removed from the French throne — presented to his beloved Josephine on the occasion of their marriage a unique bypass-style ring that featured two tear-shaped gemstones, one diamond and one sapphire, set in opposite directions. The “Toi et Moi” ring symbolized two souls becoming one. (The French phrase “toi et moi” means “you and me” in English.)



Kelly, whose birth name is Colson Baker, posted photos and short clips of the proposal on his Instagram page. The 31-year-old rapper-singer-actor explained to his 9.4 million followers how he collaborated with British jewelry designer Stephen Webster on a special two-part ring that reflected true connections to both Fox and himself.

He wrote, "I know tradition is one ring, but I designed it with Stephen Webster to be two: the emerald (her birth stone) and the diamond (my birth stone) set on two magnetic bands of thorns that draw together as two halves of the same soul forming the obscure heart that is our love. 1-11-2022."

Unlike Napoleon's ring, Kelly's interpretation has the main stones oriented in the same direction.

On his own Instagram page, Webster further clarified how the normally non-magnetic 18-karat white gold rings became magnetic.



"The resulting ring actually consists of two rings, which by the use of magnets buried within the gold, are attracted to each other and sit together perfectly on the finger; a detail that is both modern and quite extraordinary," he wrote.



Webster also shared photos of the rings from multiple angles, revealing the intricate diamond detail on the gallery of each piece.

Fox told her 18 million Instagram followers how Kelly proposed under a banyan tree. It was the same tree where they first professed their love in July of 2020.

Jewelry-industry experts believe the pear-shaped emerald and diamond each weigh about 4 to 5 carats. The value of the ring is upwards of $400,000, they say, depending on the quality of the stones.

Webster noted that the diamond is a D-color antique cut and that the emerald is an "extraordinary completely untreated Colombian gem." The bands are pavé set with colorless natural diamonds.

Credits: Proposal images via Instagram / MachineGunKelly. Ring closeups by Instagram / stephenwebsterjewellery.

Over the past 10 years, researchers Drs. Jennifer Miller and Yiming Wang assembled the largest-ever database of ostrich eggshell beads — tiny beads that are now revealing big stories about our past.



The scientists from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Munich, Germany, claim that identically crafted beads found 3,000 km (1,864 miles) apart in southern and eastern Africa affirm the existence of a social network that connected homo sapien populations 50,000 years ago. The study was published in December in the journal Nature Communications.

Ostrich eggshell (OES) beads are ideal artifacts for understanding ancient social relationships, said the researchers. They are the world’s oldest fully manufactured ornaments, meaning that instead of relying on an item’s natural size or shape, humans completely transformed the shells to produce beads.

This extensive shaping created ample opportunities for variations in style. Because different cultures produced beads of different styles, the prehistoric accessories provide researchers a way to trace cultural connections.

“It’s like following a trail of breadcrumbs,” said Miller, lead-author of the study. “The beads are clues, scattered across time and space, just waiting to be noticed.”



To search for signs of population connectivity, Miller and Wang assembled the largest ever database of ostrich eggshell beads. It included detailed descriptions of more than 1,500 individual beads unearthed from 31 sites across southern and eastern Africa.

By comparing OES bead characteristics, such as total diameter, aperture diameter and shell thickness, Miller and Wang found that between 50,000 and 33,000 years ago, our ancient ancestors in eastern and southern Africa were adorning themselves with nearly identical OES beads. The finding suggests a long-distance social network spanning more than 3,000 km once connected people in the two regions.

“The result is surprising, but the pattern is clear,” said Wang, co-corresponding author of the study. “Throughout the 50,000 years we examined, this is the only time period that the bead characteristics are the same.”

Surprisingly, at 33,000 years ago, the bead designs produced by the populations of southern and eastern Africa were no longer the same.

The scientists believe the regional network broke down due to climate change.

It was a time when eastern Africa was experiencing a dramatic reduction in precipitation as the tropical rain belt shifted southward. Heavy rainfall in the large area connecting eastern and southern Africa likely resulted in periodic flooding of riverbanks, which may have created geographic barriers that disrupted the ability of the two populations to interact.

“These tiny beads have the power to reveal big stories about our past,” said Miller. “We encourage other researchers to build upon this database, and continue exploring evidence for cultural connection in new regions.”

Credits: Modern ostrich shell beads photo by © Hans Sell. Image of ostrich egg compared to chicken egg by Rudolph.A.furtado, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A 555.55-carat black diamond with interstellar origins could fetch upwards of $6.8 million at Sotheby's London next month.



The fascinating gem was revealed to journalists at Sotheby's Dubai on Monday. It was the first stop of a publicity tour that will continue to Los Angeles (Jan. 24-26) and then circle back to London for the online sale (Feb. 3-9).

Billed as the largest faceted diamond of any kind to appear at auction, "The Enigma" will be offered in its own dedicated online sale — without reserve. In auction parlance, that means the highest bid will be the winning bid, with no minimum required. Sotheby's will be accepting cryptocurrency, a strategy aimed at attracting younger, digitally savvy buyers.



The Enigma is considered a "carbonado diamond," which was likely formed in outer space and brought to earth by meteorites, according to scientists. Earth-formed diamonds often display a crystal structure, while carbonado diamonds — in their natural form — have an irregular surface that resembles charcoal.

Carbonado diamonds are found in only two places on earth — Brazil and the Central African Republic. (During the earth’s history, the eastern coast of Brazil may have been connected geographically to the western coast of Africa).

Black diamonds are also different than other colored diamonds because they do not get their color from trace amounts of nitrogen, hydrogen or boron, in the gem's chemical makeup. Instead, black diamonds owe their color to numerous dark inclusions (mostly graphite). Their opaqueness is caused by a “polycrystalline” structure that inhibits the reflection of light.

The Enigma officially entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2006 as the "Largest Cut Fancy Black Diamond." Since then, it's been mostly out of the public eye.

The rare black diamond is awash in 5s, from its 555.55-carat weight to its 55 facets. The repetitive use of the number five is culturally significant in the Islamic world, where it is considered sacred and representative of the five Pillars of Islam.

Sophie Stevens, a jewelry specialist at Sotheby’s Dubai, told the Associated Press that the shape of the diamond is based on the Middle-Eastern palm-shaped Khamsa, a symbol that stands for strength and protection.

The auction house estimated that The Enigma would sell for £5 million ($6.8 million).

Credits: Images via Instagram / Sothebysjewels; Instagram / Sothebys.

An amateur metal detectorist is bracing for a half-million-dollar windfall after digging up an ultra-rare, 765-year old "Henry III gold penny" on a farm in Devon, England.



Gregory Edmund, a numismatist with London-based auctioneer Spink & Son, told CNN that the treasure hunter didn't realize the value of his find until he posted a photo of the 1257 penny on Facebook.

Edmund spotted the post and contacted the metal detectorist with the news that he had discovered one of the most significant coins in the history of English numismatics. There are only eight known to still exist and most of those are displayed in museums.

The coin will hit the Spink auction block on Sunday, January 23. The presale estimate is £200,000 ($272,000) to £400,000 ($545,000).

The lucky gentleman, who wishes to remain anonymous, put out a statement that read, "How it has survived three-quarters of a millennium relatively unscathed is truly miraculous. Like every hobbyist who continues to dream, my wish that day came true, and I just happened to be the very fortunate one."



Described as the first "true" portrait of an English king on a coin, the obverse shows Henry III sitting on a throne with a scepter in his right hand and an orb in his left. Around the edge of the coin are the words "Henric," meaning Henry, and "Rex I.I.I," for the third king.



The reverse shows a long cross and four five-petalled roses, along with the name of King Henry III's goldsmith, William of Gloucester, around the edge.

Having assumed the throne as a nine-year-old, King Henry III ruled England from 1216 until his death in 1272.

The coin is historically significant because it marked the return of gold coinage into Europe after a near-500-year hiatus. Currency at the time was silver-based.

The reason why so few Henry III gold pennies still exist is because nearly all of them were melted down.

When 50,000 of these coins were first minted in 1257, they were generally rejected by merchants and the public. The monetary value was equal to 20 silver pennies and the melt value of the gold was worth more than the coin itself. Gold coins didn't return to the scene in England until the reign of Edward III in 1344.

The ones that still exist have become a hot commodity at auction houses around the world. At Dallas-based Heritage Auctions in January of 2021, a similar Henry III gold penny received 17 bids and eventually sold for $720,000. That coin had been in a private collection for 25 years after being purchased at a Spink-Christie's auction in 1996, according to published reports.

Credits: Images courtesy of Spink & Son.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, 20-time Grammy winner Bruce Springsteen connects gold and diamonds to the immigrant experience in his 2006 jig-style tribute, "American Land."



For many generations, immigrants from around the world have come to the US filled with hopes and dreams of a better life. The rumor that American streets were "paved with gold" gave them the added incentive to overcome fears of leaving their homelands for an opportunity to prosper in what Springsteen calls the "American Land."

Springsteen adds his own take to the "paved with gold" theme, singing, "Gold comes rushing out the rivers straight into your hands / When you make your home in the American Land."

In the next verse, he adds, "There's diamonds in the sidewalk, there's gutters lined in song / Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long / There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man / Who will make his home in the American Land."

As a socially conscious defender of the working class, Springsteen has been giving a voice to the voiceless for more than 50 years. He originally wrote "American Land" for his 2006 Seeger Sessions Tour and then recorded it as bonus track for Wrecking Ball, his blockbuster 2012 album that went to #1 in 16 countries. During the Seeger Sessions Tour, Springsteen closed many of his shows with a rousing, Irish jig-style performance of "American Land."

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born in Long Branch, NJ, in 1949. Inspired by the Beatles' performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, the 15-year-old Springsteen bought his first guitar for $18.95 at a Western Auto Appliance store. He played small venues with a number of bands throughout the late '60s and then caught the attention of a Columbia Records talent scout in 1972. Springsteen's debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., was released in October of that same year.

Springsteen has sold more than 150 million records worldwide. He's earned 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and a Special Tony Award for Springsteen on Broadway. In 1999, he was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Please check out the video of Springsteen and The Seeger Sessions Band performing "American Land" live in Dublin in 2006. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…

"American Land"
Written by Bruce Springsteen. Performed by Bruce Springsteen and The Seeger Sessions Band.

What is this land America so many travel there
I'm going now while I'm still young my darling meet me there
Wish me luck my lovely I'll send for you when I can
And we'll make our home in the American Land

Over there all the woman wear silk and satin to their knees
And children dear, the sweets, I hear, are growing on the trees
Gold comes rushing out the rivers straight into your hands
When you make your home in the American Land

There's diamonds in the sidewalk, there's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American Land

I docked at Ellis Island in a city of light and spires
Wondered to the valley of red-hot steel and fire
We made the steel that built the cities with our sweat and two hands
And we made our home in the American Land

There's diamonds in the sidewalk, there's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American Land

The McNicholas, the Posalskis, the Smiths, Zerillis, too
The Blacks, the Irish, Italians, the Germans and the Jews
Come across the water a thousand miles from home
With nothing in their bellies but the fire down below

They died building the railroads worked to bones and skin
They died in the fields and factories names scattered in the wind
They died to get here a hundred years ago they're still dying now
The hands that built the country we’re always trying to keep down

There's diamonds in the sidewalk, there's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American Land
Who will make his home in the American Land
Who will make his home in the American Land



Credit: Screen capture via Youtube.com / Bruce Springsteen.

Looking for a memorable date to pop the question or tie the knot? How about 2/22/22, which happens to be a true Twosday because it falls — you guessed it — on a Tuesday. It's the only time this phenomenal convergence of days and dates will occur during our lifetimes.



What's more, the number 2 is teeming with romantic symbolism. It is generally associated with harmony, kinship, cooperation, balance, consideration, trust, faith and love.

Dates with unique patterns and palindromes (a sequence that reads the same way backward and forward) have always been winners with romantic couples.

Las Vegas CBS-affiliated television station KLAS reported that 4,492 marriages were performed in Clark County on 7/07/07, making it the most popular Vegas wedding date of all time. Second on the all-time list was 11/11/11, when 3,125 couples tied the knot in that county. The most popular 2020 date was 10/10/20. The reporters at KLAS are betting that Twosday could very well top them all.

Looking forward 200 years, you may be wondering whether February 22, 2222 might be the ultimate Twosday. Well, it's not. That date, sadly, falls on a Friday.

Twosomes who decide to hop on the Twosday train might consider scheduling their proposals or wedding vows to take place at exactly 2:22 pm or 10:22 pm (22:22 pm military time). They can even make it more special by waiting an extra 22 seconds to make it a perfect 2:22:22 or 22:22:22 on 2/22/22.

If 2/22/22 isn't your cup of tea, there are other popular engagement dates still on the board for 2022.

WeddingWire’s 2021 Newlywed Report, revealed that Valentine’s Day (February 14) is now the most popular day of the year to get engaged. Since Cupid's Day falls on a Monday in 2022, we anticipate that the prior weekend (Saturday and Sunday, February 12-13) will be buzzing with proposals.

The Fourth of July (Independence Day) is also a very popular date, according to WeddingWire's 2021 survey. It ranked #5, just after New Year's Day (#2), Christmas Day (#3) and Christmas Eve (#4).

Credit: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.

The reindeer population in Russia's remote Yakutia territory is making a strong comeback, thanks to the efforts of diamond mining giant, Alrosa.



The company's ecologists and Yakut scientists have joined forces to map the migration routes of wild reindeer herds and to design ways to make their passage safer when the animals cross into infrastructure lines at the mining company's industrial sites.

By placing radio collars on some of the animals, the team has been able to plot the reindeers' seasonal migratory paths and anticipate where and when reindeer may come into contact with Alrosa personnel and equipment. The company is able to track as many as 90,000 animals at a time.

Alrosa has designed crossing points with safer, gentler slopes, and outlined a strategy for stopping traffic completely when the reindeers encounter the mining company's haul roads. When scientists report that reindeers have entered a production area or started crossing a site's access road, the operation is brought to a standstill to ensure that reindeers pass freely.

For a full month after the start of the reindeer migration, Alrosa will alter its road transport schedule, including a complete driving ban during certain hours. Migrations traditionally occur during the spring and fall.

According to Alrosa, tracking collars had been attached to individual reindeer by environmentalists in 2019 and 2020. The collar fastening procedure is painless for the animals, and when the tracking device's battery is depleted, the collar automatically unfastens from the animal.

Alrosa's ecologists learned that putting radio collars on wild reindeer is less stressful for the animals when they are crossing large water barriers.

"Reindeer slow down while crossing the river, so it is not difficult to stop them, fix them in a safe position and put a collar," noted research assistant Nikolay Mamaev. "The process takes about five minutes. Once the collar is fixed and the sensor starts working, we check it to see whether the equipment hinders the reindeer’s movements. After that, we let the animal go, and the reindeer continues migrating with the herd."

Alrosa’s goal is to maintain balance and harmony with the reindeer population. Thanks to the efforts of the ecologists and scientists, the multi-decade trend of shrinking herd populations has finally been arrested, the company reported. The reversal of fortune is great news for the indigenous peoples of the North, who still depend on the reindeer for their survival.

"Reducing our impact on the environment, responsibly using mineral resources and investing in environmental protection projects is a key priority for Alrosa," Peter Karakchiev, head of international relations at Alrosa, told Global Mining Review in October. "Since 2014, we have spent around $573 million on environmental projects ranging from land recovery to water protection and biodiversity initiatives."

He added that Alrosa funds various wildlife preservation programs. In addition to monitoring reindeer migration, the company has populated rivers and lakes with fish, created the ALROSA-Rangifer Chekanovsky natural reserve for wild reindeer and supported the Living Diamonds of Yakutia Natural Park.

As one of the world’s leading diamond mining companies, Alrosa accounts for nearly one-third of global rough diamond production and manages mines in Russia’s Yakutia and Arkhangelsk regions, as well as Africa. The mining company generates about 40 million carats of diamonds per year.

Credit: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.

"As I picked it up, the sun glinted on the king and my heart seemed to stop.”



That's how amateur metal detectorist Michael Leigh-Mallory recalled his breathless encounter with a really old gold coin he had just plucked from a plowed field in Devon, England. Now, four months later, the Henry III gold penny has proven to be a life-changer.

On Sunday night at Spink's auction house in London, the 13th century coin — one of only eight known to still exist — yielded a mind-boggling £648,000 ($875,000). The final price outpaced the pre-auction high estimate by 62%.

Leigh-Mallory, a retired ecologist, thanked his kids for reigniting his passion for metal detecting, a hobby he gave up 10 years ago when he became a family man. His old metal detector had been relegated to a closet and was mostly forgotten.

But in September of 2021, Leigh-Mallory's wife reminded him that he had promised to take the kids metal detecting. His family was thrilled when their treasure hunt netted an Elizabethan coin.

The father of two was so excited by the find that he decided to invest in a new metal detector. On the day the new device arrived — September 26, 2021 — he was back in the field testing it out.

"It was a bright, sunny day and within 15 minutes I found the [Henry III] coin," he told The Guardian. "I knew it was gold, but I had no idea how important it was.”



Hoping to learn more about the find, Leigh-Mallory posted a photo of his slightly bent gold penny on Facebook.

Gregory Edmund, a numismatist with London-based auctioneer Spink & Son, spotted the post and contacted Leigh-Mallory with the news that he had discovered one of the most significant coins in the history of English numismatics.

About 50,000 Henry III coins were minted in 1257, but only eight remain. Four are in private hands and the other four are in museums.

Leigh-Mallory said he would share the proceeds of the sale with the owner of the land on which the coin was found. His portion, he said, will fund the university educations of his kids, who are now 13 and 10 years old.

“It is quite surreal really,” he told The Guardian. “I’m just a normal guy who lives in Devon with his family, so this really is a life-changing sum of money which will go towards their futures."

The Henry III coin is historically significant because it marked the return of gold coinage into Europe after a near-500-year hiatus. Currency at the time was silver-based.

The reason why so few Henry III gold pennies still exist is because they were roundly rejected after their release and nearly all of them were melted down. In 1257, the monetary value of the gold coin was equal to 20 silver pennies, but the melt value of the gold was worth more than the coin itself.

Described as the first “true” portrait of an English king on a coin, the obverse shows Henry III sitting on a throne with a scepter in his right hand and an orb in his left. Around the edge of the coin are the words “Henric,” meaning Henry, and “Rex I.I.I,” for the third king.

The reverse shows a long cross and four five-petalled roses, along with the name of King Henry III’s goldsmith, William of Gloucester, around the edge.

This past Monday, Leigh-Mallory set out on a 180-mile pilgrimage from Devon to Henry III’s tomb in Westminster Abbey as a way of paying his respects and saying thank you for his good fortune.

Credits: Images courtesy of Spink & Son.

When it came to choosing the perfect ring for his supermodel girlfriend, Romee Strijd, Laurens van Leeuwen picked a look that matched her minimalist, yet chic, style.



Unlike many of the over-the-top celebrity rings we've been seeing of late, Strijd's new sparkler is purposely understated. It features a round brilliant-cut center stone flanked by three teeny pavé diamonds on each side, set on the thinnest of yellow gold bands.



Ring designer Nicole Wegman of New York-based Ring Concierge said in a statement that van Leeuwen selected a round brilliant-cut diamond because they are "as timeless as it gets and are cut to maximize sparkle." The side stones, she said, added a "touch of sparkle without taking focus away from the center stone.” The ultra-thin band creates the illusion that the diamond is floating.



On Tuesday, both Strijd, 26, and van Leeuwen, 31, shared pics of their romantic outdoor proposal set against the backdrop of the rugged Swiss Alps. The photos show the clothing line founder on one knee presenting the ring as his delighted girlfriend smiles from ear to ear. Another shot shows him placing the ring on her finger.



On her Instagram, the Dutch model added the caption, "I said YES," followed by two emojis — a diamond ring and a red heart.

On his Instagram, van Leeuwen wrote, "Let’s grow old(er) together @romeestrijd" and punctuated the message with comical emojis depicting a bald geezer and grey-haired granny.

The groom-to-be also included a short video of him panning the romantic venue. We see a path of colorful flower petals leading to a table filled with bowls of healthy snacks, a bouquet of red roses and champagne on ice.

Strijd and van Leeuwen were in Switzerland to celebrate their 12 years as a couple. They have known each other for most of their lives having grown up in the same town of Zoetermeer, South Holland.

She is best known as a former Victoria's Secret runway model and he is a managing partner for Naetur. They welcomed their first child, Mint, in late 2020.

Credits: Images via Instagram / romeestrijd and Instagram / laurensvleeuwen.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, we feature Creed performing “Higher,” a song in which frontman/songwriter Scott Stapp dreams of a utopia, where the streets are paved with gold and love replaces hate.



Stapp sings, “Can you take me higher? / To the place where blind men see / Can you take me higher? / To the place with golden streets.”

In 2013, Stapp told Songfacts.com that “Higher” was about his idealistic dream of creating a heaven on Earth.

“I wanted the world, so to speak. I wanted to achieve every dream that I ever had,” he said. “At the time I penned that song, my view of what heaven on Earth meant was very narrow, very naïve, and very wrapped up in ego and self-fulfillment.”

In 2000, Stapp had revealed in a Spin magazine interview that “Higher” was his homage to the power of lucid dreaming. In a lucid dream, the dreamer can take control over the characters, the narrative and the environment.

“You’re physically asleep, but you’re awake in your mind,” he said.

Apparently, Stapp had been haunted by a recurring nightmare, in which the singer is running down a highway being chased by a gunman. He turns left and hides behind a pillar beneath an overpass, but he still gets shot. Stapp reported that once he was able to lucid-dream, he could alter the events, turning right, and escaping harm. The nightmares soon went away.

Released in 1999 as the first single from Creed’s album, Human Clay, “Higher” peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was a breakthrough hit for the band. Human Clay made its debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 and sold more than 10 million copies. VH1 ranked “Higher” as the 95th greatest hard rock song of all time.

Founded in Tallahassee, FL, in 1994, Creed has sold more than 53 million albums worldwide. The band broke up in 2004, but then reunited briefly for tours in 2009 and again in 2012.

Please check out the video of Creed performing “Higher” on Late Night With David Letterman. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Higher”
Written by Scott A. Stapp and Mark T. Tremonti. Performed by Creed.

When dreaming I’m guided to another world
Time and time again
At sunrise I fight to stay asleep
‘Cause I don’t want to leave the comfort of this place
‘Cause there’s a hunger, a longing to escape
From the life I live when I’m awake

So let’s go there, let’s make our escape
Come on let’s go there, let’s ask, “Can we stay?”

Can you take me higher?
To the place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To the place with golden streets

Although I would like our world to change
It helps me to appreciate those nights and those dreams
But my friend, I’d sacrifice all those nights
If I could make the Earth and my dreams the same
The only difference is
To let love replace all our hate

So let’s go there, let’s make our escape
Come on let’s go there, let’s ask, “Can we stay?”

Can you take me higher?
To the place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To the place with golden streets

So let’s go there, let’s go there
Come on let’s go there, let’s ask, “Can we stay?”

Up high I feel like I’m
Alive for the very first time
Set up high I’m strong enough
To take these dreams and make them mine

Set up high I’m strong enough
To take these dreams and make them mine

Can you take me higher?
To the place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To the place with golden streets

Can you take me higher?
To a place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To the place with golden streets



Credits: Screen capture via YouTube.com.