For thousands of years, wedding rings have been worn on the ring finger of the left hand, but do you know the origin of this worldwide tradition? Some give credit to the ancient Romans and Greeks, who believed that the vein in the fourth finger of the left hand (the vena amoris or vein of love) ran directly to the heart. Although …

Staffers of The Auschwitz Museum in southern Poland made a stunning discovery last week when an enameled mug’s carefully constructed false bottom shook loose, revealing a small stash of gold jewelry. It’s been more than 70 years since the liberation of the notorious Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in southern Poland, and staffers at the museum dedicated to the memory of those …

When Jimmy Fallon mentions your marriage proposal during his opening monologue on The Tonight Show, you know you’ve done something momentous. Last weekend, New York City television producer A.J. Hall enlisted the help of his girlfriend’s boss and the Sony Jumbotron in Times Square to deliver an epic proposal to Nicole Pagano. Pagano, who is a communications associate for The Daily …

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, 17-year-old Emily Ann Roberts — who wowed us on Season 9 of The Voice — sings about a class ring in the Patsy Cline classic, “She’s Got You.” Originally a #1 country hit for Cline in 1962 and …

Last night, the “Oppenheimer Blue” became the highest priced gemstone ever sold at auction. The 14.62-carat fancy vivid blue diamond, dubbed “the gem of gems,” fetched an astounding $57.5 million at Christie’s Geneva. Two bidders battled back and forth for more than 20 minutes in a dramatic exchange that included 44 individual offers. The bidding started at 30 million Swiss …

The 15.38-carat “Unique Pink,” the largest pear-shaped fancy vivid pink diamond ever offered at auction, lived up to its pre-sale fanfare by fetching $31.5 million at Sotheby’s Geneva last night. It was the highest price ever paid for a fancy vivid pink diamond. The much-anticipated final lot of Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels & Noble Jewels sale — Lot #495 — sparked …

Chicago Cubs slugger Anthony Rizzo showed off his tender side on Saturday when he assisted lifelong fan, Steve Milsap, with a surprise marriage proposal. Earlier in the day, the red-hot Rizzo, who is hitting .373 in the month of May for the first-place Cubs, smashed a three-run homer in an 8-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. But even more unforgettable …

And the amazing diamonds just keep coming… On May 31, Christie’s Hong Kong will be putting up for bid the “Aurora Green,” an ultra-rare fancy vivid green diamond that could set a new auction record for the highest price per carat ever paid for any gemstone. Christie’s estimated the rectangular-shaped 5.03-carat Aurora Green to be valued between $16.2 million and $20.1 …

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great throwback songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. In today’s selection, John Lennon of The Beatles performs the lead vocals to “Anna,” the third track of the legendary group’s 1963 debut album, Please Please Me. In the song, Lennon woefully accepts the fact that his girlfriend …

As a clever sequel to his two outrageous pizza innovations — the pizza-topped pizza and the pizza-box pizza — Sean Berthiaume of Vinnie’s Pizzeria in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, introduced a mini pizza-box pizza that’s designed to hold an engagement ring. Imagine popping the question using one of Berthiaume’s culinary masterpieces and then sealing the deal by gobbling the delicious box like …