The latest wearable technology — the HB Ring — allows you see and feel your lover’s heartbeat in real time. Conceived by a company called TheTouch, the rings have the ability to link up with each other from across town or across the planet. To see and feel the real-time heartbeat of one’s partner, the user simply double taps on the HB Ring. …
Birthstone of the Month: 423-Carat Logan Sapphire Has Ties to the Guggenheim Family and an Indian Maharajah
In honor of September’s official birthstone, we shine our spotlight on the “Logan Sapphire,” the second-largest faceted gem-quality blue sapphire in the world at 422.99 carats. Now part of the National Gem Collection, the sapphire is a top attraction at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The vibrant medium-blue gem boasts a provenance that links one of America’s most …
Music Friday: ‘One Day You’re a Diamond and Then You’re a Stone’ in Dire Straits’ ‘The Bug’
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Frontman Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits sing about life’s ups and downs (“one day you’re a diamond and then you’re a stone”) in the comical 1991 tune called “The Bug.” Written by Knopfler, “The Bug” is a clever commentary on …
British Officials Struggle to Keep Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Crown in the UK
Calling it a symbol of one of Britain’s most famous love stories, UK officials placed a temporary export ban on the petite sapphire and diamond crown — called a coronet — that Prince Albert gifted to Queen Victoria for their wedding in 1840. Now in the possession of a private owner, the coronet was scheduled to be auctioned with an asking price of …
402-Carat Stunner Highlights ALROSA’s Auction of ‘Special Size’ Rough Diamonds
Diamantaires from the four corners of the earth have converged on the picturesque Pacific port city of Vladivostok, Russia, to get a chance to bid on ALROSA’s “special size” rough diamonds, the largest of which tips the scales at 401.97 carats. Bidders are vying for 19 diamond lots boasting a total weight of 1,098 carats. What all the rough diamonds have in …
Polish Olympian With a Heart of Gold Sells Silver Medal to Fund a Child’s Cancer Treatment
Polish Olympian Piotr Malachowski, who won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Games in the discus throw, put his cherished medal up for auction last week to help pay for the treatment of a three-year-old boy with a rare form of eye cancer. The boy, Olek Szymanski, has a condition called retinoblastoma, a malignant cancer that mostly affects children. …
Eureka! 145-Ounce ‘Friday’s Joy’ Is the Latest Huge Nugget to Be Discovered in Australia’s Golden Triangle
An Aussie metal-detector enthusiast was sure he had discovered a piece of rubbish — possibly an old horseshoe — when his device signaled a sizable find in Central Victoria’s storied Golden Triangle last week. What he pulled from the ground was a 145-ounce (4.12kg) gold nugget worth nearly $200,000. “I really couldn’t believe my eyes,” said the amateur prospector, who wishes to …
Music Friday: ‘Everybody Get Golden,’ Urges Parade of Lights’ Lead Vocalist Ryan Daly
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you new tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Parade of Lights’ lead vocalist Ryan Daly urges us to get “golden” in the 2014 release of the same name. The Los Angeles-based electronic rock band uses the word “golden” as a metaphor for youthful spirit in a …
World’s Largest Pearl Was Hidden Under Fisherman’s Bed for 10 Years; 75-Pound Marvel Could Be Worth $100M
Unaware of its multi-million-dollar value, a Filipino fisherman kept a 75-pound natural pearl under his bed as a good luck charm — for 10 years. Every time he would head out to sea, he would touch the pearl to ensure his safety and good fortune. The fisherman had found the pearl by chance when his boat’s anchor got caught up on a giant …
Fine Jewelry Worn by Fashionable First Lady Nancy Reagan to Hit the Auction Block at Christie’s Next Month
Eighty-three pieces of fine jewelry worn by fashionable First Lady Nancy Reagan are set to hit the auction block at Christie’s New York in September. A live auction will take place on September 21 and 22, and an online auction will run from September 19-28. Among the items from The Private Collection of President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan are necklaces, …