November's popular birthstone, topaz, is widely admired for its vibrant array of colors, including yellows, oranges, blues, greens, reds, browns, pinks and purples. The topaz in the photo, above, are part of the Smithsonian's National Gem Collection and can be seen up close and personal in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals at the National Museum …

Next week marks the beginning of “engagement season,” the especially blissful time of the year that stretches from Thanksgiving until Valentine’s Day and accounts for nearly 40% of all marriage proposals. About 19% of all proposals take place during the month of December, which is more than twice as popular as any other month. For many years, Christmas Day has …

Welcome to Music Friday when we often bring you throwback hits with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, we flip back the calendar to 1957 and find an 18-year-old Ray Stevens signing a big-time record deal. What got the label's attention was a tune called “Silver Bracelet,” which is a fascinating look at love from …

Lucapa Diamond Company has recovered a 235-carat, gem-quality stone at its Lulo alluvial mine in Angola. It's the second-largest ever recorded at Lulo, the mine that produced the famous 404-carat “4 de Fevereiro” diamond in 2016. The Lulo Diamond Project in Angola, which is owned by Lucapa and its partners — Empresa Nacional de Diamantes E.P. and Rosas & Petalas …

The 17.6-carat "Bleu Royal" lived up to its pre-auction fanfare at Christie's Geneva on Tuesday as the largest internally flawless fancy vivid blue diamond ever put up for auction sold for $43.8 million after a tense, six-minute bidding war. Two phone bidders battled back and forth in a dramatic exchange that included 21 individual offers. The bidding started at 19 …

Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have demonstrated how "biological fingerprints" in the soil can signal the presence of diamond-bearing kimberlite ore tens of meters below the surface. The DNA sequencing of microbes represents a new tool for mineral exploration — a tool that's much less invasive than drilling for samples. "Drilling is costly, it's time-consuming, and so …

A 292.46-ounce gold nugget originally discovered in 1980 by Jack Bray at the Feysville mine in Western Australia is expected to fetch upwards of $1 million when it headlines "Jewels Online: The Geneva Edit," a Christie's online auction. Described as a large amorphous form with bright yellow patina, the "Golden Aussie" is one of the most impressive examples of Australian …

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fabulous songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, platinum, silver and gold take center stage in Justin Bieber’s 2012 hit, “As Long as You Love Me,” a song about how true love conquers all. The 29-year-old Canadian-born superstar employs three noble metals in the reprise to …

About 2 1/2 years ago, archeologists in Sweden unearthed a cache of whisper-thin gold foil figures at the Aska archeological site in Hagebyhöga. The delicate specimens, which depict embracing couples and date back about 1,300 years, were found at the bottom of post holes in the remains of a great hall at the historic site. No larger than a finger …

To promote its new BBQ Onion Ring Burger, KFC Australia is offering an AU$80,000 wedding to a couple that does the most creative job documenting their onion ring marriage proposal. The Aussie division of KFC is encouraging couples to tie the knot "Kentucky style," which apparently means removing an onion ring from a chicken burger, getting down on one knee …