Welcome to Music Friday when we like to bring you throwback songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, crooner Dean Martin sings about a little band of gold in his cover of “Wedding Bells,” a song first made famous by country legend Hank Williams exactly 70 years ago. In the song, Martin portrays a …

The Toronto Raptors celebrated their first-ever NBA championship Tuesday night with gigantic 14-karat yellow gold rings emblazoned with 650 diamonds weighing 14 carats. The number of diamonds and the total carat weight are records for a championship ring in any sport. The ring also set a new record for the largest single diamond in any professional championship ring. A 1.25-carat …

Building on the success of a pilot project that gave small-scale miners in Tanzania new tools to evaluate the quality of rough gemstones, the GIA is committing $1.3 million to extend the program into Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zambia. Artisanal miners are provided with an innovative guide that illustrates how to examine and evaluate rough gemstones found in East Africa. …

The 8,000-year-old "Abu Dhabi Pearl" will be making its world debut on October 30 at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the new UAE outpost of the famous Paris museum. The natural pearl — which is said to be the world's oldest — will headline a special exhibition called “10,000 Years of Luxury.” The iridescent gem was carbon dated to 5,800-5,600 BC, …

Eighty-seven-year-old Aussie Tom Susans finally got to marry his college sweetheart last weekend with bridal jewelry he had stored away for the past 60 years. Susans and Judith Beston met at a teacher's training college in Brisbane, Australia, in 1957 and agreed to tie to knot two years later when Susans graduated and landed a good job in his field …

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring nostalgic tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Dion’s 1963 hit, “Donna the Prima Donna,” shines the spotlight on a young woman who aspires to be a socialite and has an affection for the finer things in life, including jewelry and gemstones. While Donna loves to talk …

Britain's Royal Mint just took the concept of a "gold card" to a whole new level with the unveiling of the first-ever payment card made from 18-karat gold. Developed in association with Mastercard and Accomplish Financial, the solid gold Raris card offers limitless spending, zero foreign exchange and no transaction fees. It also carries a $23,000 price tag. Each Raris …

Back in February of 1981, Prince Charles proposed to the 20-year-old Lady Diana with a big blue sapphire-and-diamond ring that the future princess got to pick out herself. According to the editors of Vogue, some members of the British royal family fumed at Diana's choice — not because it featured an unconventional center stone, but because it was a stock …

Lightning Ridge, a small outback town in New South Wales, is the only place in Australia, and one of the few places in the world, where the highly prized black opal is found. Opals with a vivid play-of-color and a black or dark body color are classified as black opals. The beautiful 26.9-carat specimen, above, is an example of a …

Sparkling with 282 diamonds and 51 sapphires, the St. Louis Blues' first-ever Stanley Cup rings pay tribute to the strong bond between the players and their dedicated fans. The impressive 14-karat white and yellow gold rings — which boast a total gem weight of 10.6 carats — were recently presented to the players, coaches and executives by local police and …