Exactly 100 years ago, pearl diving provided the lifeblood of the Farasan Islands' economy and society. Each year in early May, ship captains and skilled divers would leave their families to embark on a dangerous four-month quest to find natural pearls off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. To reach the oyster beds, divers would use weights …

Jet-lagged and utterly exhausted after multiple days of overseas touring with two young children, Dannah McMichael, a travel blogger and wife of retired NFL tight end Randy McMichael, prepared for bed in a Thai hotel room. Before stepping into the shower, McMichael slid off her wedding ring and grabbed a handful of vitamins. "Without looking, I threw everything in my …

The top prize winner at the 2010 International Pearl Design Competition and now a resident of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, the "South Sea Glow Necklace" provides beautiful examples of June's birthstone. The piece, which features three golden South Sea cultured pearls and two white Akoya cultured pearls (ranging in size from 4.5mm to 11.5mm), was hand fabricated by designer …

Strategically located halfway between China and the Mediterranean along the first Silk Road, the ancient Kangju state prospered as a trading center in what is now southern Kazakhstan for nearly 1,000 years between the 5th century BCE and the 4th century CE. Kangju is back in the news, as a team of researchers from Ozbekali Zhanibekov University, along with local …

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you uplifting songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, singer-songwriter Marc Scibilia celebrates the upcoming season of sun, surf and wanderlust in a catchy singalong that inspires us to “sparkle just like diamonds.” “On the Way” got a big boost when Jeep used the song to promote …

Model and skincare entrepreneur Hailey Bieber is rockin' a new diamond engagement ring from her pop star husband, Justin. The couple has had a lot to celebrate recently, and the amped-up 18-carat ring commemorates both the renewal of their wedding vows after five years of marriage and the announcement that they are expecting their first child later this year. Under …

Two incredible lab-grown diamonds — the 75.33-carat "Celebration of India" and the all-diamond 30.69-carat "Infinity Ring" — drew a four-day stream of fascinated onlookers at the recent JCK Show in Las Vegas. Grown by Mumbai-based Ethereal Green Diamond, the "Celebration of India" is billed as the largest faceted lab-grown diamond to date. According to a company spokesperson, the finished square …

For more than nine years, Lucapa Diamond Company has successfully sourced large, high-value diamonds at its Lulo alluvial mine in Angola. In fact, the mining company just unveiled a 195-carat Type IIa diamond — the fourth +100-carat gem recovered this year and the 44th since alluvial operations commenced in 2015. While the alluvial mine has yielded nearly a half billion …

A beautifully preserved gold ring set with a red garnet is helping to paint a picture of a prosperous Jerusalem during the early Hellenistic period about 2,300 years ago. Likely gifted to a child, the petite ring — along with other upscale adornments discovered at the dig site called Givati Parking Lot in the City of David — dispels the …

Long Island Rail Road ticket clerk Nicholas Appel knew something was amiss when he witnessed a commuter at Grand Central Station “panicked, stressed and on the verge of tears" as she rifled through her bag. When he asked if he could help, the woman explained that she lost her engagement ring during her 30-minute commute to Manhattan from the outer …