“Greenery,” a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring, has been named 2017’s Color of the Year by Pantone, the world’s global color authority. The color immediately evokes Granny Smith apples and Kermit the Frog, but gem and jewelry lovers will recognize Greenery as an exact match for August’s official birthstone, peridot. Illustrative of flourishing …

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun music with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, the Squirrel Nut Zippers sing about a gal with an affinity for fine jewelry in their irresistible Swing Revival performance of “Baby Wants a Diamond Ring.” In the song written by bandleader James (Jimbo) Mathus, the protagonist presses …

If you’re feeling romance in the cool December air, there’s good reason. This is the most popular month to get engaged. Exactly 16% of all marriage proposals take place during the 31 days of December, according to The Knot’s ninth annual Real Weddings Study. What’s more, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are the #1 and #2 most popular days for …

Rapper Gucci Mane is proud to wear the three-stone diamond man-gagement ring gifted by his new fiancée Keyshia Ka’oir. Mane took to Instagram on Friday to show off the massive ring that features a 4-carat round center diamond flanked by 2-carat side diamonds. The ring is estimated to be worth $120,000. Mane, 36, posted a short video of the ring along …

Scientists from the University of Bristol’s Cabot Institute have developed an ingenious means of transforming nuclear waste into man-made diamond batteries that can generate power for more than 5,000 years. Diamond batteries could be used for applications that require super-long-lasting, dependable, power sources, such as satellites, spacecraft and pacemakers. Scientists also believe that processing nuclear waste into a clean energy source …

The 10.05-carat “Ratnaraj” ruby and a flawless, 4.29-carat, fancy vivid blue diamond each sold for more than $10 million and were the costars of Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Hong Kong last week. The stunning Ratnaraj, which means “king of precious stones” in ancient Sanskrit, was one of the most significant pigeon’s blood rubies ever to be offered at a …

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, the spotlight shines on Rock and Roll icon Stevie Nicks as she sings “24 Karat Gold,” the title song from her 2014 album. In a recent interview, Nicks revealed that the song she penned in 1980 — but …

In 1967, Maasai tribesmen discovered shockingly beautiful bluish-violet gems in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Samples were entrusted to a prospector named Manuel d’Souza, who shared the crystals with distinguished gemologists. Originally thought to be sapphires, the spectacular gems turned out to be an unusually vibrant blue variety of the mineral zoisite. The mesmerizing mineral quickly caught the …

A metal-detector enthusiast in Cambridgeshire, England, has unearthed a spectacular 3,000-year-old torc made from 1.6 pounds of twisted and burnished 20-karat gold. Measuring nearly 50 inches around, the beautifully preserved golden torc is the largest ever found in the UK. Historically, a torc was worn as a neck-ring with the opening in the front, but the massive Bronze Age specimen …

For more than 60 years, Californian Joel Hauser passionately pursued nature’s “mineral marvels” — ornamental specimens of exceptional size and beauty. The Gemological Institute of America Museum in Carlsbad, Calif., recently acquired a cache of Hauser’s finest agates, geodes, minerals and petrified wood through a generous donation by the Hauser family. Many of the 63 standouts from the Joel and Barbara …