Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you throwback songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, 1970s icon John Denver wears his heart on his sleeve in the timeless hit, “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” In this song about the heartbreak of being far away from the one you love, the musician is about …
This 10-Carat Gem-Quality Amethyst Was Mined by Hand in Four Peaks, Arizona
While most gem-quality amethyst is currently mined in Brazil and Uruguay, this beautiful 10-carat specimen is American through and through. It was discovered eight years ago in the off-the-grid amethyst hotspot of Four Peaks, Ariz., but now calls the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., its home. A superior example of February’s official birthstone, the concave trillion-cut amethyst was mined and faceted …
If Patriots Capture Their Sixth Super Bowl on Sunday, Expect the Championship Rings to Be Huge
If quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots win their sixth Super Bowl this Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., expect their championship rings to be the biggest ever — and we mean BIG. The National Football League, you see, maintains an unwritten rule that allows teams with multiple Super Bowl victories to design the most extravagant …
Los Angeles Man Is Reunited With Heirloom Engagement Ring in an Unlikely Twist of Fate
A Los Angeles man is thanking an honest neighbor, a road not taken and divine intervention for the return of an heirloom engagement ring that went missing during a crosstown move. In the span of just two hours, Nico Bellamy’s emotions would run the gamut from sheer desperation to unbridled elation. First, a little background on Bellamy, his girlfriend, Caitie Schlisserman, …
UK Airport’s ‘Secret Code’ Allows You to Slip a Surprise Engagement Ring Through Security
What could be more disheartening than having a surprise marriage proposal scuttled by airport security during a routine bag search? Acting on this problem, a romance-minded airport in the UK has devised a special way for a suitor to slip the ring through security without alerting his soon-to-be fiancée. “It would put a big damper on someone’s meticulously planned romantic …
Music Friday: Neil Diamond Retires Due to Parkinson’s Diagnosis; Ride Has Been ‘So Good, So Good, So Good’
Welcome to Music Friday when we normally bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today we bend the rules just a bit to pay tribute to the incomparable Neil Diamond, who was forced to cancel the third leg of his year-long, worldwide golden anniversary tour due to a Parkinson’s diagnosis. Diamond made …
Gem-Related Baby Names Symbolize Peace, Passion, Power and Much, Much More
In 2016, the most popular baby names in the U.S. were Emma, Olivia and Ava for girls, and Noah, Liam and William for boys. With traditional names making a comeback, expectant parents may consider taking a closer look at the symbolic and beautiful baby girl names associated with precious stones. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was not …
Princess Eugenie’s Engagement Announcement Sparks the Question, ‘What’s a Padparadscha?’
Princess Eugenie’s official engagement announcement on Monday has the world asking, “What’s a padparadscha?” You see, the 27-year-old granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II received an oval padparadscha engagement ring from her long-time boyfriend Jack Brooksbank. In the official photos released by Buckingham Palace and during a subsequent interview with the BBC, Eugenie proudly showed off her beautiful — but unusual …
Farmer’s Lost Wedding Ring Recovered on Dirt Road 45 Years Later
A Saskatchewan man was reunited with his long-lost wedding ring after it flew off his finger while driving down a dirt road in a small farming community in the early 1970s. Bill Wilson blamed the loss on a spunky grasshopper that had leaped into the farmer’s work truck and landed on his chest. Wilson quickly reacted by capturing the small …
Music Friday: Shirley Bassey Nearly Passed Out Holding the Climactic Final Note of ‘Goldfinger’
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you classic songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, we tell the story of how Dame Shirley Bassey nearly passed out while holding the climactic final note to “Goldfinger,” the title song of the 1964 James Bond thriller. Often cited as the best film of the Bond …