The Wilensky gallery in New York City has assembled a spectacular collection of natural emerald specimens — each one of museum quality and preserved in its crystal form. “Important emerald stones and jewelry can be found in every gem collection around the world," said Stuart Wilensky, President of Wilensky. "The same cannot be said about exceptional natural emerald specimens. We …

The largest pink diamond ever mined in Russia is on display in New York City this month. The ultra-rare 14.83-carat fancy vivid purple-pink diamond was mined in 2017 and cut and polished into an oval shape by Alrosa, one of the world's largest producers of diamonds. When unearthed from the Ebelyakh deposit in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the gem-quality …

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, country music legend Conway Twitty is the victim of a one-sided love affair in his 1958 classic, “It’s Only Make Believe.” In this song about unrequited love, Twitty pours out his heart in a soaring vocal performance. He’s …

Scientists at the University of Leeds in the UK have developed gold sheets so thin they're technically two dimensional. In fact, this newest form of gold is just 2 atoms thick, the equivalent of 0.47 nanometers or about a million times thinner than a human finger nail. The ultra-thin gold — which the Leeds researchers are calling "nanoseaweed" because of …

Tyler Farrar knows better than most how the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry — especially in unpredictable bodies of water. Exactly one year ago, the Sevierville, Tenn., native brought his girlfriend, Cassandra Arn, and a bunch of close friends to Panama City Beach on the Florida panhandle to enjoy some fun in the sun. What …

Spinel — August's newest official birthstone — is famous for being a ruby imposter. This is because throughout most of recorded history, gem "experts" couldn't tell them apart. In fact, some of the world’s most famous “rubies” are actually red spinels. These include the 170-carat Black Prince Ruby, which is prominently displayed on the Imperial State Crown of England; the …

Friday's episode of Ask Me Another, a popular radio show on NPR, featured a quiz segment titled "Stay Gold, Ponyboy." All the answers to the clues posed by host Ophira Eisenberg contained the word "golden." In the end, Ryan Greenberg beat out Wynter Chatman by going six for six. Greenberg clinched the win when he gave the right answer to …

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you sensational songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, we hop in our time machine to join up with a 22-year-old Paul McCartney, who is looking to spring for a diamond ring in The Beatles’ 1964 smash hit, “Can’t Buy Me Love.” The fresh-faced frontman sings, “I’ll …

Magnesium-rich forsterite is an absolutely colorless mineral. In its purest state, it looks a lot like glass, but when Mother Nature does her magic and replaces some of forsterite's magnesium atoms with iron atoms, the colorless stone is transformed into the beautiful bright green gemstone known as peridot. The triangular-cut peridot shown above weighs 100.15 carats and is one of …

On July 16th, a record-breaking storm pummeled Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Ark., with more than a foot of rain. Eight days later, Josh Lanik, a 36-year-old schoolteacher from Hebron, Neb., discovered a 2.12-carat brandy-colored diamond near the southwest edge of the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area. About the size of a jelly bean, it stands as the …