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 dollars worth of diamonds — including four larger than 200 carats and one surpassing 400 carats — Lucapa's new chairman, Stuart Brown, has his eye on a bigger prize.
Lulo's alluvial diamonds are unique because they have been eroded over eons from their primary sources and discovered in secondary locations downstream.
Lucapa geologists are on a mission to seek Angola's Holy Grail — the kimberlite pipe or pipes upstream of the Cacuilo River valley that would have been the primary source of the spectacular Lulo stones.
"Angola is a without doubt the biggest exploration target in the world and we are well versed in operating in Angola," Brown noted. "The country is the fourth-largest diamond producer in the world and [many] of the diamond-rich provinces [remain] unexplored for primary-source kimberlites."
Brown reported to his stockholders that Lucapa has one of the world's most active kimberlite bulk sampling programs.
"Kimberlite exploration, like many other minerals exploration, is a long game, but we are now seeing real progress thanks to the capital investment made into the dedicated Kimberlite Bulk Sampling Plant," he said.
To demonstrate how Lucapa is stepping up its game, the chairman reported that of the 35 kimberlites that have been sampled during 15 years of Angolan exploration, 25 of those were completed since the third quarter of 2022.
"There is a well-accepted view from the exploration geologists that Angola has the greatest potential to become a world diamond powerhouse with further discoveries of major new deposits," Brown added. "We know that when we find the Holy Grail it will be worth it."
The Lulo Diamond Project in Angola is jointly owned by Lucapa and its partners — Empresa Nacional de Diamantes E.P. and Rosas & Petalas.
The largest diamond ever unearthed at the Lulo mine was the 404-carat “4 de Fevereiro.” It was discovered in 2016 and eventually cut into the largest D-flawless diamond ever offered at auction. The 163-carat emerald-cut stunner set in an emerald and diamond necklace by de Grisogono fetched $33.7 million at Christie’s Geneva in 2017.
Credit: Image courtesy of Lucapa Diamond Company.
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 once-held assumption that the Jerusalem of that era was a small, somewhat provincial, town with very few resources.
"These new finds tell a different story," noted Tel Aviv University Professor Yuval Gadot and excavator Efrat Bocher. "The aggregate of revealed structures now constitute an entire neighborhood… The character of the buildings – and now, of course, the gold finds and other discoveries, display the city’s healthy economy and even its elite status."
According to the team made up of researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Tel Aviv University, the ring was manufactured by “hammering thin pre-cut gold leaves onto a metal ring base.” Gold does not tarnish or oxidize, so the ring remained in pristine condition despite being buried for 2,300 years.
During the 3rd or 4th century BCE, gold jewelry with set stones, instead of decorated gold, became fashionable, noted the researchers. Gold and other luxury items became more popular in the Hellenistic world after Alexander the Great’s conquests in the late 4th century BCE.
"It certainly seems that the city’s residents were open to the widespread Hellenistic style and influences prevalent also in the eastern Mediterranean Basin,” Gadot said.
Excavation team member Tehiya Gangate described how she discovered the ring: “I was sifting earth through the screen and suddenly saw something glitter. I immediately yelled, ‘I found a ring, I found a ring!’ Within seconds everyone gathered around me… This is an emotionally moving find, not the kind you find every day.”
Excavations of the former Givati Parking Lot began in 2007. Among the most impressive discoveries at the site is an ancient building believed to be the palace of Queen Helena of Adiabene, who lived during the first century CE.
The garnet ring, along with other recent finds, will go on public display June 4 on the eve of Jerusalem Day at IAA headquarters in Jerusalem.
Credits: Photo of garnet ring and archeologist Rikki Zalut Har-Tuv by Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority. Dig site photo by Maor Ganot/City of David.
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 borough of Queens.
"My first move was to ask what was going on and that's when she said she lost the engagement ring, and then from there on out, we were searching the whole train car," Appel told WABC-TV.
When the search proved fruitless, Appel advised the woman to file a police report with the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA).
MTA officers learned that the woman's trip into the city wasn't a direct one. She had started her commute at the Queen's Village Station (gold line, shown below), but transferred 10 minutes later to a Grand Central-bound train at Jamaica Station.
"She had to transfer at Jamaica. On the way, she took off her ring to put lotion on her hands and that's when I went 'Ah,'" Officer Nyndak told WABC-TV.
While she boarded the connecting train headed for Grand Central Station in Manhattan, her ring remained on the original train, bound for Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn.
MTA Sergeant Nyndak was able to identify the number of the first train and learned that it was parked at the VD Yard in Brooklyn, awaiting its scheduled trip back to Long Island.
The sergeant alerted Officer Tongzon, who was on duty at the train yard.
"As I was walking towards the last train car, towards the end of the train car, I happened to look on the right and I saw something that was shining. It was glistening, and it was a big ring," he said.
The mystery of the missing engagement was solved in a matter of hours.
Officer Nyndak described the woman's reaction when he called her with the good news.
"So, she picks up and the first thing I hear over the phone is, 'Did you find it? Did you find it?'" Nyndak recalled. “She was obviously ecstatic and we were happy that we found it."
See the ABC news segment here…
Credits: Screen captures via abc7ny.com. Original map by User:NE2 with later modifications by users listed below, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Chris Lucas and Preston Brust of LoCash pour on the love in their 2016 release, “Ring on Every Finger.”
In the song, the country pop duo sets the scene for an over-the-top marriage proposal. Instead of going down on one knee, they promise to go down on two. And instead of offering a single engagement ring, they plan to put a ring on every finger.
They sing, “I ain’t gettin’ down on one knee / Girl, I’m gettin’ on two / Might be over the top / But I tell you what I’m gonna do/ I’ll put on a ring on every finger / To show that I’m legit / Gonna try my last name on ya girl / Just to see if it fits.”
Josh Kear, who wrote the song with Thomas Rhett and Jesse Frasure, told Billboard magazine that the song is based on this premise: “If one ring says I’ll love you forever, what would a ring on every finger mean?”
Kear and his collaborators also peppered the banjo-backed song with romantic bridal imagery.
Kear commented, “Most guys want to give their dream girl the wedding of their dreams, so I think men care about making women happy on their wedding day. Maybe less about the specifics and more about giving their bride the day they deserve.”
“Ring on Every Finger” was released in November of 2016 as the third single from The Fighters album. The song rose to #22 on the Billboard US Hot Country Songs chart. The Taste of Country website called the song “an infectious, melodic jam.”
Vocalists Lucas and Brust released their first LoCash single in the spring of 2010. Even though they’ve been on the music scene together for seven years and scored a #1 country hit for “I Know Somebody” in February of 2016, they were nominated in the category of best New Duo or Group of 2017 by the Academy of Country Music.
Please check out the video of LoCash’s live performance of “Ring on Every Finger.” The video was shot at Country Rebel headquarters in Ashland City, TN, in 2017. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…
“Ring on Every Finger”
Written by Jesse Frasure, Josh Kear and Thomas Rhett. Performed by LoCash.
I’ve got a pounding in my chest baby
Feels like I’m seventeen again
Got something burning a hole in my pocket lately
Done asked your daddy, done told your friends
I ain’t gettin’ down on one knee
Girl, I’m gettin’ on two
Might be over the top
But I tell you what I’m gonna do
I’ll put on a ring on every finger
To show that I’m legit
Gonna try my last name on ya girl
Just to see if it fits
If I could, baby, I would marry you a million times,
Put a ring on every finger
To show the whole world that you are mine
Show the whole world that you’re mine
Well, señorita, can’t nothing be sweeter
Than you in that white wedding dress.
Leaving' that church limousine, yeah
Girl, why you cryin’, it ain’t rocket science
All you gotta do is say, "Yes"
Spend the rest of your life with me
Don’t you know I ain’t gettin’ down on one knee
Until I’m gettin’ down on two
It might be over the top
But I tell you what I’m gonna do
I’ll put on a ring on every finger
To show that I’m legit
Gonna try my last name on ya, girl
Just to see if it fits
If I could baby I would marry you a million times,
Put a ring on every finger
To show the whole world that you are mine
Show the whole world that you’re mine
Come on, let’s spend this life together
Dropping f bombs like forever
With the whole world as a witness
Gonna flip that Miss to Mrs.
Gonna spend this life together
Dropping f bombs like forever
With the whole world as a witness
I'll flip that Miss to a Mrs.
I’ll put on a ring on every finger
To show that I’m legit
Gonna try my last name on
Just to see if it fits
If I could baby I would marry you a million times,
Put a ring on every finger
To show the whole world…
I’ll put a ring on every finger
Just to show that I’m legit
Go ahead and try my last name on girl
Just to see if it fits
If I could baby I would marry you a million times,
Put a ring on every finger
To show the whole world that you are mine
Show the whole world that you're mine
Credit: Photo by U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Toon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Another spectacular pink diamond is in the news. Hot on the heels of last week's sale of a 6.21-carat fancy vivid pink oval diamond for $11.9 million at Phillips Geneva, Christie's New York announced that its Magnificent Jewels auction on June 11 will spotlight "The Eden Rose," a 10.20-carat round brilliant-cut fancy intense pink diamond. The presale estimate is $9 million to $12 million.
What makes The Eden Rose so unique is the purity of its pink hue. While many natural pink diamonds typically display secondary hues, such as purple, orange, or grey, The Eden Rose stands out for its complete absence of any secondary color. What's more, the gem boasts the highest classification — Type IIa — for its chemical purity and optical transparency.
Christie's reports that The Eden Rose is the most significant round brilliant internally flawless fancy intense pink diamond to be offered at auction since the 12.04-carat "Martian Pink" sold at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2012 for the then-record price of $17.4 million.
"Twelve years ago, collectors were captivated by The Martian Pink," said Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s International Head of Jewelry. "The stone surpassed its estimate to achieve a record price of $17 million, equating to $1.45 million per carat. The Eden Rose has never been offered at auction and we are proud to be presenting a jewel of its unmatched caliber for the first time this June in New York.”
The Eden Rose likely got its name from a light pink climbing rose that was created by Marie-Louise Meilland and introduced in France by Meilland International in 1985. The flower's scientific name is Rosa "Eden," but it is marketed as "Eden Rose 85," among other names. Pink roses are known to symbolize unconditional love.
Other notable fancy intense pink diamonds sold by Christie's include the 14.23-carat "Perfect Pink" (2010, $23.1 million) and an unnamed 9.07-carat gem (2015, $12.6 million).
The “CTF Pink Star” still holds the price record for any gem sold at auction. The 59.6-carat fancy vivid pink diamond sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for $71.2 million in 2017.
The Eden Rose will be on public display during Christie’s Luxury Week at Christie's Rockefeller Center in New York City from June 6 through 10.
Credits: Diamond mages courtesy of Christie's. Eden Rose flower photo by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
A 1.56-carat fancy red diamond called the "Argyle Phoenix" stole the show last week at Phillips' "Geneva Jewels Auction: Two."
The famous diamond, which was originally revealed to the market in 2013 as part of Rio Tinto's annual tender, brought in $4.2 million and cemented two auction records — the highest price AND the highest price-per-carat ever achieved for a fancy red diamond.
At the fall 2013 tender, the Argyle Phoenix was sold to a Singapore-based jeweler for more than $2 million. This past week, the gem re-entered the market as one of the top lots of Phillips' auction and eventually yielded nearly three times the pre-auction high estimate of $1.5 million. British luxury jeweler Graff paid $2.7 million per carat for the ultra-rare gemstone, which jewelry trade journal jckonline.com reported is the largest known round brilliant fancy red diamond.
Argyle's annual tender represented a small, but exclusive, collection of the rarest diamonds from a year’s worth of production at the Argyle mine in the remote east Kimberley region of Western Australia. Each year, only a few red diamonds would be offered for sale.
During its 37 years of production, the mine produced between 90% and 95% of the world’s pink and red diamonds. The depleted mine was officially shuttered on November 3, 2020, and the diamond industry has yet to find a reliable alternative source to fill the void.
Due to short supply and high demand, red and pink diamonds typically sell at prices 50 times greater than similar white diamonds.
It is believed that red diamonds get their rich color from a molecular structure distortion that occurs as the jewel forms in the Earth’s crust. By contrast, other colored diamonds get their color from trace elements, such as boron (yielding a blue diamond) or nitrogen (yielding yellow), in their chemical composition.
The unexpected performance of the Argyle Phoenix overshadowed the auction's highly touted headliner, a 6.21-carat Type IIa fancy vivid pink oval diamond that sold for $11.9 million, on the lower end of the pre-sale estimate of $10.5 million to $15 million. (The Type IIa classification represents a colorless diamond with no measurable impurities. Type IIa gems account for less than 2% of all natural diamonds.)
Credits: Photos courtesy of Phillips.
Some fans waited in line for nearly 12 hours last Tuesday in order to secure one of the most coveted pieces of Texas Rangers memorabilia — a replica of the team's 2023 World Series ring.
As the day progressed, lines wrapped around Globe Life Field in Arlington. The first 15,000 attending the Rangers game against the Cleveland Indians received a ring that looked remarkably like the ones presented to the players on Opening Day back in March.
It was the team's first World Series title in its 52-year history.
Over the course of the current season, the Rangers will be sponsoring nine more giveaways, with each ring bearing the name of a star player. The May 14 ring honored shortstop Corey Seager.
The replica, of course, lacks the precious metal, precious stones and innovative features of the actual World Series ring.
Designed in collaboration with Jason of Beverly Hills, the genuine ring features a gem-encrusted face that is removable and reversible.
The first option features the Rangers “T” logo rendered in white diamonds and accented with rubies against a ground of blue sapphires. The alternate design has the “T” logo rendered in rubies and accented with white diamonds against a white “baseball” background.
Affixed to the back of the removable face is a piece of leather from a baseball that was used during the World Series.
While most of the fans who were lucky enough to get a replica ring will proudly display them in their trophy cases, others looked to cash out on eBay, with asking prices in the neighborhood of $200. The rings are packaged in a collector's box and include a display stand.
The Texas Rangers will be giving away Marcus Semien replica rings on June 4 (first 15,000 fans), Adolis García on July 23 (first 29,000 fans), Bruce Bochy on July 25 (first 2,000 fans with purchase of theme night ticket), Nathan Eovaldi on August 15 (first 29,000 fans), Josh Jung on August 21 (first 2,000 fans with purchase of theme night ticket), Evan Carter on September 1 (first 2,000 fans with purchase of theme night ticket), Jonah Heim on September 8 (first 2,000 fans with purchase of theme night ticket), and Josh Sborz on September 19 (first 2,000 fans with purchase of theme night ticket).
On September 22, the Rangers will be giving away a "mystery ring" to the first 29,000 fans to attend the game. Those attendees will receive one of four rings featuring either Seager, Semien, García or Eovaldi.
“It is a replica, but it looks very much like what the players received, and as replicas go, this is very nice,” a Rangers spokesman told WFAA. “It took us 52 years to get this ring, so we’re going to celebrate it for a while.”
Credit: Ring image courtesy of Texas Rangers.
Dame Shirley Bassey, who famously sang the title song from the 1971 James Bond/007 blockbuster film Diamonds Are Forever, soon will be parting with many of her own jewels — but it's all for a good cause.
The 87-year-old Welsh singer will be putting more than 80 pieces on the auction block at Sotheby's Paris to benefit her favorite charities. According to Sotheby's, every jewel in the sale represents a particular moment in Bassey’s life, as well as iconic performances.
Bassey has always been excited to talk about her life-long love affair with fine jewelry, especially diamonds.
“I fell in love with jewelry when I first discovered natural pearls as an up-and-coming singer, and I bought myself my first string of pearls – the first piece of jewelry I’d ever bought," Bassey told naturaldiamonds.com. "However, I quickly graduated to my lifelong passion for diamonds, which preceded the recording of 'Diamonds Are Forever.'"
She explained that she accepted the offer to sing the title track because the lyrics "rang true" to her: "Diamonds never lie to me / For when love's gone, they'll luster on / Diamonds are forever, forever, forever."
Among the diamond jewelry to be featured at the October 10 auction in Paris are three of Bassey's favorites:
The heart-shaped yellow diamond ring, shown here, carries a pre-sale estimate of EUR 165,000 to EUR 200,000 ($180,000 to $218,000).
This impressive diamond necklace featuring 52 graduated stones is expected to sell in the range of EUR 270,000 to EUR 320,000 ($294,000 to $348,000)
Sotheby's believes this emerald and diamond necklace designed by Van Cleef & Arpels should attract bids from EUR 60,000 to EUR 70,000 ($65,000 to $76,000). Bassey noted that she bought the emerald jewelry (seen here) for herself to commemorate her very first Royal Variety Performance in front of the late queen, Elizabeth II. Sotheby's preview doesn't mention an estimate for the earrings.
“Collecting jewelry for me is like collecting memories, and this collection is full of them,” said Bassey. “All the pieces are meaningful and have a story to tell, whether I bought them for myself or they were gifted to me. There is this beautiful 1960s vintage Van Cleef & Arpels ring covered in white diamonds that Elton John gave me after I sang at one of his AIDS gala evenings, and which I’ve worn so many times."
King Charles recently named Bassey a "Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour," one of the top awards in Britain, for her services to music.
Highlights from Bassey's jewelry collection will be on exhibit at Sotheby’s London from May 24-29 and at Sotheby’s Paris from October 4 until the auction on October 10.
Credits: Jewelry images courtesy of Sotheby's. Shirley Bassey image by Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Freda Payne's "Band of Gold" was topping the British singles chart in 1970 when a 22-year-old named Marilyn Birch lost her engagement ring while feeding hay to the cows at her family's farm near Neath Port Talbot, Wales.
"I came in the house, washed my hands, and no ring," Marilyn, now 76, told the BBC. "I was really upset. It meant a lot. It's a token, and that token had gone."
At the time, the couple tried retracing her steps to find the ring, but the whereabouts of the cherished keepsake remained a mystery. Over the years, the ring her husband, Pete, purchased in 1966 for £18 ($430 in today's dollars) remained on her mind.
"I kept looking now and again just in case we'd spot it somewhere," Marilyn told Sky News. "Eventually [we] gave up and decided we were not going to see that engagement ring ever again."
That's until metal detectorist Keith Phillips came into their world.
Phillips had received permission from the couple to explore their farm for artifacts. After a few treasure-hunting sessions, all that he turned up were some coins and a lot of junk.
"By the third visit, we had got to know him a bit better," Marilyn told the BBC. "So I said, 'Listen now, Keith, never mind all this rubbish you're finding, go and find my engagement ring'."
About a week later, Phillips presented Marilyn with a special surprise.
"I speak a lot," Marilyn admitted to the BBC, "but I just couldn't speak. I just kept looking at it… It was amazing. Very emotional."
She reported that Phillips found the ring buried eight inches below the surface.
After cleaning the soil off the ring with a toothbrush, she placed it back on her finger and it fit perfectly after 54 years.
Husband Pete called it a "wonderful moment."
"She was pleased — marvelous," he told the BBC. "As long as she's happy."
Credits: Images courtesy of Marilyn Birch.
Star quarterback Tom Brady knows a little bit about championship rings. He owns seven of them — six with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On Sunday, May 5, during the closing of the Netflix special The Roast of Tom Brady, the now-retired celebrity athlete, 46, was surprised when host Kevin Hart presented him with another championship-style keepsake.
“Tom has to leave with something impactful to match the energy of success that he’s had along the years,” Hart said. “So, Tom, what we decided to do was add another ring — a ring fitting for a GOAT like yourself.”
“Oh, I love that,” Brady said as he slipped the ring on his right pinky finger and held it up for all to see.
Designed by celebrity jeweler Jason Arasheben of Jason of Beverly Hills, the ring boasts nearly 400 diamonds with accents of rubies and sapphires set in yellow gold. A source told TMZ Sports that the ring is valued at $40,000 and contains 6 carats of gemstones.
"Honored to have made Tom Brady’s last two championship rings," Arasheben captioned a video posted to his company's Instagram page. "One with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and now again at his roast. Might not be a Super Bowl ring, but we’ll take it."
The top of the ring depicts a gold football trailed by ruby flames against a ground of white diamonds and circular border of blue sapphires. Along the upper edge of the ring is the name BRADY in raised gold lettering. Along the bottom are the initials G.R.O.A.T., representing a special take on the quarterback's reputation as the "Greatest of All Time." In this case, G.R.O.A.T. stands for the "Greatest Roast of All Time."
On one side of the ring is Brady's name again, along with his "12" jersey number rendered in white diamonds. Below the number are the initials LFG, which stand for a not-family-friendly term that Brady often used to stoke his teammates.
The other side shows the year 2024 and a rendering of a goat.
During Netflix's live-stream special, which was viewed by two million people, Brady endured three hours of light-hearted ribbing from roasters Jeff Ross, Nikki Glaser, Tony Hinchcliffe, Sam Jay, Andrew Schulz, Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura. Also on hand to dish some dirt were Brady's former teammates Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Drew Bledsoe and Randy Moss.
Credits: Ring screen captures via Instagram / jasonofbeverlyhills. Tom Brady photo by Andrew Campbell, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.