Music Friday: Giant-Sized Emerald Stars in Eddy Grant’s 1984 Hit, ‘Romancing the Stone’

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today we feature Eddy Grant’s 1984 hit, “Romancing the Stone,” which he wrote as the title song of what would become the international blockbuster movie starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and a giant-sized emerald that ends up in the …

Marie Antoinette’s Diamond Bracelets to Hit the Auction Block at Christie’s Geneva

With a revolution raging in France in March 1791, Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI prepared for their escape. The queen spent an evening carefully wrapping her most precious jewels in cotton and then packed them neatly into a wooden chest. The diamond, ruby and pearl treasures were secretly shipped to Vienna in the care of Count Mercy-Argentau, a …

Paralympic Medalist Swimmer Sophia Herzog Has Another Reason to Celebrate

Hot on the heels of her bronze medal performance at Tokyo's Paralympic Games, swimmer Sophia Herzog turned to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to announce her engagement to Para-cyclist boyfriend Nick Gibb. The 24-year-old athlete posted two photos that prominently displayed her engagement ring, which features a round, brilliant-cut diamond set with four prongs upon a diamond-accented band. Her caption simply …

Mastercard Survey: Shoppers Ready to Splurge on Jewelry This Holiday Season

Fueled in part by pent-up demand, pent-up savings and government stimulus, U.S. consumers are heading into the holiday season with the desire and means to purchase luxury items, especially fine jewelry, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse™. Jewelry sales from November 1 to December 24 are projected to rise 59% in 2021 vs. 2020. And when comparing anticipated jewelry sales with the …

150,000-Year-Old Jewelry Represents Earliest Form of Widespread Human Communication

An international team of archaeologists believe the 33 shell beads recovered from a cave in western Morocco represent the earliest known evidence of a widespread form of nonverbal communication among humans. Measuring about a half-inch across and drilled to be hung on a necklace, the beads made from sea snail shells have been dated at 142,000 to 150,000 years old. "We …

Music Friday: ‘It’s Like Finding Out Your Diamond Is From Her Old Promise Ring’

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today we feature The Band Perry performing “Postcard From Paris,” a song that uses jewelry metaphors to compare a new boyfriend to the one that got away. Frontwoman Kimberly Perry opens the song by describing a scene where she's …

TV Personality Christina Haack Is Rockin’ a 5-Carat, Radiant-Cut Diamond Engagement Ring

Flip or Flop star Christina Haack is rockin' a 5-carat, radiant-cut diamond engagement ring given to her by Austin-based realtor Joshua Hall during their romantic Mexican getaway. The 38-year-old TV personality announced the engagement to her 1.7 Instagram followers on Monday via a series of romantic photos and a minimalist caption comprising five emojis — a red heart, infinity sign, padlock, …

1,175-Carat Rough Diamond From Botswana’s Karowe Mine Makes Big Apple Debut

The 1,175-carat rough diamond unearthed in June at Botswana's Karowe Mine made its Big Apple debut on Monday as the owners of the stone — mining company Lucara Diamond Corp and manufacturer HB Antwerp — revealed it to the press at the Whitby Hotel in upper midtown Manhattan. Billed as the largest uncut diamond to ever visit the U.S., the …

NC Man Pops the Question After Pulling Engagement Ring From Fire-Ravaged Home

A devastating fire completely destroyed a North Carolina couple's dream house early this month, reducing all their possessions to a pile of ashes. But, despite the heart-breaking tragedy, the couple would have reason to celebrate. Just a short distance from the smoldering rubble, Sean Matthews went down on one knee and proposed to Kellie Stanley with a princess-cut diamond that …

Auction News: 17th Century Spectacles Feature Lenses Carved From Gemstones

Two entirely unique pairs of 17th century spectacles — one with lenses carved from an emerald and the other with lenses carved from a diamond — made their public debuts at Sotheby's New York showroom this past Friday. Believed to have belonged to royals of the Mughal Empire, the eyewear tells the story of royal patronage, luxury, science, faith and …