Besides being the hardest substance known to man and the most coveted of all precious stones, diamonds have also flexed their muscles in numerous areas outside the jewelry industry, from saw blades to scientific instruments.

Now we're learning that nanodiamonds may become a new therapeutic agent in the fight against cancer.

A team of researchers from South Asian University in New Delhi, India, successfully used nanodiamonds to treat tumor metastasis in mice. They found that the nanodiamonds blocked the ability of melanoma cells to migrate, while untreated tumor cells were able to pass through the membrane.

Mice administered melanoma tumor cells and then treated with carboxylic nanodiamonds showed little or no metastasis of tumors, while untreated mice saw their tumors grow and move to new areas of the body.

The findings, which were published in the journal PNAS, could signal a breakthrough in cancer treatments because almost 90% of the mortality in cancer is due to tumor metastasis (when secondary malignant growths spread to other organs from the primary site of cancer).

Based on the evidence, the authors led by Professor Rajiv Saxena, hypothesized that the tiny carbon nanodiamonds may inhibit the breaking away of cancer cells from the primary tumor mass, as well as block subsequent steps of metastasis, such as physical movement of cells and their ability to enter blood vessels.

The nanodiamonds in the study measured 2 to 8 nanometers wide, which is hard to imagine because 1 nanometer equals one-billionth of a meter. A human hair, by comparison, is between 80,000 and 100,000 nanometers thick. The National Nanotechnology Initiative points out on its website that 1 nanometer is about as long as your fingernail grows in one second.

Over time, scientists have harnessed the power of diamond's unique properties to advance so many industries. Diamonds are used to produce solar energy, computer chips, semiconductors, data storage, water purification equipment, medical devices, scientific instruments, anti-counterfeiting technology, industrial cutting tools, and much more.

Credit: Image by Bigstockphoto.com.

Back in December of 2014, an anonymous woman honored her late husband’s joy of Christmastime gift giving by dropping her engagement ring and wedding band into a Salvation Army Red Kettle outside of Boston’s North Station. Accompanying the three-stone engagement ring and plain gold wedding band was a type-written note.

“I’ve dropped my wedding ring in your Red Kettle knowing that the money from its sale will buy toys for needy children,” she wrote. “In all seasons, my husband was a giver. I especially remember his joy in giving at Christmastime, especially to those in need. To honor his memory, I donate this ring.”

That uplifting story, which earned national headlines, has been spawning copycat acts of generosity ever since.

This past Thursday, at The Salvation Army in Waltham, about 12 miles west of Boston, Lt. Nicole Fullop was inspecting the contents of a Red Kettle at the local Market Basket grocery store when she encountered a curious plastic bag. Inside the bag, wrapped in a dollar bill, was a wedding band and engagement ring, along with a type-written note.

“This ring is being given in love for a second time,” wrote the anonymous donor. “Like the first time, I hope that this ring will bring joy and make a difference.”

According to The Salvation Army, the rings are valued at an estimated $1,500. Once sold, the proceeds will be put directly toward helping families and others in need in the Waltham area this holiday season.

“We are honored and humbled that someone would care enough to give something this precious to The Salvation Army to help others,” said Lt. Fullop. “Donors dropping valuable jewelry and coins with notes into kettles has been happening for years and is often a reminder of how the kettle is a sign of hope.”

In an interview with WBZ News in Boston, Fullop delivered a message to the anonymous donor: "We thank you and we love you. Merry Christmas."

This year, The Salvation Army hopes to raise $2.5 million in Massachusetts through its iconic red kettle campaign. In 2022, the national campaign generated more than $102 million.

Every year, The Salvation Army serves more than 24 million people across America. They provide more than 55 million meals for the hungry, more than 10 million nights of shelter for the homeless, and countless Christmas gifts for children who may otherwise go without.

The Salvation Army Red Kettle Program can track its origins to 1891, when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee struggled with the reality that so many poor individuals in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken. His only hurdle was a tall one — funding the project.

According to The Salvation Army’s official website, McFee’s red kettle idea was inspired by his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England. There, he remembered an iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” into which passers-by tossed a coin or two to help the poor.

The next day, McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” He soon had the money to see that the needy people of the area were properly fed at Christmas.

Credits: Images courtesy of The Salvation Army.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you uplifting songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Ashanti reveals to St. Nick the blingy accessories at the top of her holiday wish list in the 2003 ditty, “Hey Santa.”

After asking Santa in the first verse for “something sweet,” such as chocolate Kisses or candy canes, Ashanti takes it up a notch in the second verse, as her request for “something new” includes a diamond bracelet or diamond ring.

(In a nod to the 1953 classic, “Santa Baby,” Ashanti echos Eartha Kitt’s call for a baby blue convertible.)

She sings, “Hey Santa, can you bring me something new / (Something new, something, something new)? / Like a diamond bracelet or a diamond ring / How about a shiny new, baby blue, convertible? / Hey Santa, can you bring me everything?”

Written by Ashanti and Irving Lorenzo, “Hey Santa” was released as the third track from Ashanti’s Christmas. The album, which included an equal mix of original songs and covers of holiday classics, peaked at #43 on the Billboard‘s Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Ashanti performed “Hey Santa” during the 2003 tree-lighting festivities at New York City’s Rockefeller Center.

Born Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas in 1980, the singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actress is named after the 17th century Ashanti Empire, in what is now modern-day Ghana. In that kingdom, women held positions of power and influence, and Ashanti’s mother believed the name might help inspire her daughter to achieve greatness.

Ashanti joined a gospel choir at the age of six and scored her first recording contract at the age of 14. The Glen Cove, NY, native won a Grammy Award in 2003 and went on to become the first female artist to occupy the top two positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously with “Always on Time” and “What’s Luv?” She has also nabbed eight Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards and a Grammy.

Please check out the audio track of Ashanti singing “Hey Santa.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Hey Santa”
Written by Ashanti Douglas and Irving Lorenzo. Performed by Ashanti.

Hey Santa, can you bring me something good
(Something good, something good)?
Hey Santa, can you bring me something sweet
(Something sweet, something, something sweet)?
Like chocolate kisses or candy canes.
Gumdrops or butterscotch, fruity flavor, chewy rings.

Hey Santa, can you bring me something nice
(Something nice, something nice)?
Hey Santa, can you bring me something new
(Something new, something, something new)?
Like a diamond bracelet or a diamond ring.
How about a shiny new, baby blue, convertible?
Hey Santa, can you bring me everything?

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh?

Hey Santa, can I sing this song to you
(Sing to you, sing to you)?
Hey Santa, can you make my wish come true
(Make it true, make it, make it true)?
Can you fill my stocking with lots of treats?
Boxes with red and green, underneath the Christmas tree?
Hey Santa, can you bring me everything?

Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com / Ashanti Vault.

Singer/actress Selena Gomez recently doubled down on the concept of going "Instagram official" by not only confirming her relationship with producer Benny Blanco via the popular social media platform, but also revealing a diamond-accented "B" ring on that finger of her left hand. Let's say the couple is also "initial ring official."

Gomez posted a pic of the "B" bypass ring in an Instagram Story on December 7, along with a second photo of her cuddling with the new love of her life.

Later that same day, a fan account called @selenagomezbr2.0 shared a picture of Gomez and Blanco together. Commenting on the post, Gomez wrote, “He is my absolute everything in my heart.”

Gomez, 31, and Blanco, 35, had been secretly dating for six months after having worked on a number of music projects together. According to usmagazine.com, Blanco and Gomez met in 2015 when they collaborated on her songs “Same Old Love” and “Kill Em With Kindness.” They also teamed up on “Single Soon,” which Gomez released in August.

A source told Entertainment Tonight that Gomez and Blanco have been casually seeing each other for a while, "and more recently."

"Things have been going really well between them, and Selena is happy," said the source. "She thinks Benny is very funny and, of course, extremely talented. Selena is in a great place in her life and feels content and relaxed. She is enjoying where things are going.”

Gomez had been coy about her relationship status until recently. In August, she told an interviewer with SiriusXM Hits 1 LA that she was enjoying being single. And in September, she posted a TikTok video during which “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” played in the background and she stated, “Guess who has a boyfriend? Not me… y’all be safe out there.”

In an Instagram comment, one superfan pointed out that this isn't the first time Gomez has celebrated a new relationship with an initial ring. Apparently, she wore a "J" ring in 2012 at the start of her on-again, off-again multi-year romance with pop star Justin Bieber.

Credits: Photo of Selena Gomez by The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. "B" ring photo via Instagram / Selena Gomez.

The idea that women deserve to splurge on themselves as a sign of self-empowerment and independence has been encouraged and promoted by the jewelry industry for many years.

Back in 2019, for example, the Diamond Producers Association (DPA) introduced the “For Me, From Me” ad campaign, which was inspired by the ever-growing segment of the market represented by women who buy diamonds for themselves. The DPA claimed at the time that one-third of the $43 billion diamond jewelry market was associated with female self purchases.

A new study by Jewelers Mutual Group adds more depth to the subject by revealing that the most popular occasions for self-purchasing are holidays and birthdays. The results illuminate the importance of nurturing self-celebration and prioritizing well-being and happiness during the holiday gift-giving season when self-care can be forgotten, according to the Neenah, WI-based insurer.

“Jewelry is so much more than metal and stone; it’s a symbol of independence and self-expression,” said Krystle Craycraft, senior vice president of marketing and digital at Jewelers Mutual. “As we continue our work to elevate the love of jewelry, these findings reinforce the significance of empowering individuals to treat themselves to beautiful and meaningful jewelry, regardless of the occasion.”

The Jewelers Mutual survey also revealed that female self-purchasers are significantly more likely to purchase necklaces and earrings, while males are more likely to purchase watches.

Respondents also acknowledged jewelry as an heirloom. Exactly 96% of self-purchasers either plan to or are considering passing down their fine jewelry.

Just about everybody knows the having one's fine jewelry regularly inspected is critical, especially if the items contain precious gemstones. But good intentions and good habits don't always match up. Jewelers Mutual learned that 39% of self-purchasers claimed they never have their fine jewelry inspected.

When asked about the frequency of their self purchases, a surprising 50% of respondents said they buy jewelry for themselves only once a year.

Credit: Image courtesy of Jewelers Mutual.

This past Friday, a Malaysian businesswoman staying at the world-famous Ritz Paris reported to local authorities that her $800,000 ring went missing from the nightstand of her $2,000/night room. Her complaint led to an immediate investigation and fever-pitched headlines across the internet about another big-ticket heist.

By Sunday morning, the management at the Ritz had put the kibosh on any notions that something nefarious had transpired at the establishment. The ring was found — in a vacuum cleaner bag.

“Thanks to the careful search work of security agents, the ring was found this morning,” the Ritz Paris said in a statement. "Our client is happy with this news. We would like to thank the Ritz Paris employees who were involved in this research and who work every day with integrity and professionalism."

According to a translated account in Le Parisien, the businesswoman had checked into the tony hotel at the Place Vendôme on Thursday. The next morning, she left the hotel early to do some window shopping, but when she returned to the room at 11:30 am, the ring she had left on the small table near her bed was nowhere to be found.

She notified the Paris-Centre police station of the incident, inferring that it might have been stolen by a Ritz employee. According to Le Parisien, the investigation was entrusted by the Paris prosecutor's office.

"All leads are still being explored," a police source told Le Parisien. "Everything is possible."

On Saturday, the Malaysian businesswoman packed her bags and continued to the next leg of her trip — London.

Meanwhile, Ritz Paris management assembled its resources to solve the mystery. Its team conducted a meticulous search of the hotel and, by Sunday morning, security guards had found the ring amid the dust of a vacuum cleaner bag.

Le Parisien noted that Paris police will secure the ring until it can be transferred to the Malaysian businesswoman. The hotel offered her three free nights as compensation for her distress, but Le Parisien is reporting that she does not intend to take advantage of this “commercial gesture.”

In 2016, robbers held Kim Kardashian at gunpoint while she stayed at the Hôtel Partiulier. They took $10 million dollars' worth of jewelry, including the 20-carat engagement ring given to her by Kanye West. The ring was said to be worth $4 million.

Then in 2018, a member of the Saudi royal family was reportedly robbed at The Ritz Paris, where she claimed more than $900,000 in jewelry was taken, according to an account in the New York Post.

Credits: Chambermaid photo by Bigstockphoto.com. The Ritz Paris photo by Arthur Weidmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

On Thursday, The Pantone Color Institute selected a velvety gentle peach tone to be its 2024 Color of the Year. The institute said Peach Fuzz's warm and welcoming embrace conveys a message of compassion and empathy.

The subtle orange-pink Peach Fuzz (PANTONE 18-1750) stands in stark contrast to 2023's Viva Magenta, which was described last year as a “new animated red that revels in pure joy.”

Conscious of a world in turmoil, Pantone decided this year to seek a hue that echoes our innate yearning for closeness, connection and a more peaceful future.

"We chose a color radiant with warmth and modern elegance," noted Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute. "[It's] a shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless."

Typically, Pantone’s yearly selection influences product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design.

Consumers embracing Peach Fuzz-inspired fashion items might consider accessorizing with fine jewelry featuring orange-pink gemstones, such as padparadscha sapphire and morganite.

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Having been called “a true Rembrandt among gemstones,” padparadscha is the rarest and most valuable variety of sapphire. Padparadscha belongs to the corundum family of gemstones, which includes rubies and sapphires. The presence of trace elements determines the color of each gemstone.

While blue sapphires are naturally colored with iron and rubies with chromium, padparadschas are colored by the presence of both. The delicate interplay of pink and orange hues makes this gem one of nature’s greatest achievements. The gem’s name is derived from “padma raga,” which literally means “the color of the lotus flower” in Sanskrit.

Morganite is a member of the beryl family of gemstones, which includes emerald and aquamarine. Once known simply as pink beryl, the gemstone got its current name in 1911 when the famous New York gemologist G. F. Kunz recommended that the pretty pinkish-orange stone be named for banker and mineral collector John Pierpont Morgan. The New York Academy of Sciences agreed and this unique variety of beryl was officially designated as “morganite.”

The Pantone Color Institute originally created the Pantone Color of the Year educational program in 1999 to engage the design community and color enthusiasts around the world in a conversation around color.

Here are the Pantone Colors of the Year dating back to 2010…

PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta (2023)
PANTONE 17-3938 Veri Peri (2022)
PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray (2021)
PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating (2021)
PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue (2020)
PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral (2019)
PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet (2018)
PANTONE 15-0343 Greenery (2017)
PANTONE 13-1520 Rose Quartz (2016)
PANTONE 15-3919 Serenity (2016)
PANTONE 18-1438 Marsala (2015)
PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid (2014)
PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald (2013)
PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango (2012)
PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle (2011)
PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise (2010)

Credits: Color swatch images courtesy of Pantone courtesy. Padparadscha image by Chip Clark / Smithsonian and digitally enhanced by SquareMoose. Morganite image by Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you popular songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Kelly Clarkson reveals her vulnerable side and wonders out loud if her boyfriend can embrace her flaws in the 2012 hit, “Dark Side.”

In this soaring synth-pop ballad, songwriters Alexander Geringas and Michael Busbee touch on the diamond’s origin story to illustrate Clarkson’s true potential.

Specifically, they reference how carbon has the ability, over time, to transform into a precious diamond. Clarkson argues that even though she’s not “picture perfect” and has an ominous “dark side,” she is still a gem at her core.

The 2002 American Idol winner sings, “Like a diamond / From black dust / It’s hard to know what can become if you give up / So don’t give up on me.”

Clarkson told New York radio station Z100 that she liked “Dark Side” because “it’s a sweet-sounding song, but with a dark lyric, and I like that.”

In reviewing "Dark Side," Kat George of VH1 said, “This is what we love best about Kelly... acknowledging the pitfalls of her personality, Kelly invites us all to be imperfect without letting us (or herself) be any less perfectly lovable.”

“Dark Side” was released as the third single from Clarkson’s Grammy-award winning album, Stronger. The song topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart and peaked at #42 on the Billboard Hot 100. Overall, it charted in 13 countries.

A year after the release of “Dark Side,” Clarkson made jewelry-industry news when she was stymied in her bid to claim the 200-year-old turquoise ring once owned by famed British novelist Jane Austen. Clarkson had won the ring in 2012 at a Sotheby’s auction in London.

Clarkson’s winning bid of $235,000 was more than five times the auction house’s high estimate. But instead of allowing Clarkson to take the ring back to the US, British authorities unexpectedly declared the ring a “national treasure” and blocked its export. If a British patron could match Clarkson’s winning bid, the singer would have to forfeit the ring so it could stay in the UK.

Jane Austen’s House Museum launched an aggressive fundraising appeal through its website and Facebook page. Donations from around the world flooded into the “Bring the Ring Home” campaign, generating an infusion of $253,000 — more than enough to match Clarkson’s bid.

Born in Ft. Worth, TX, in 1982, Kelly Brianne Clarkson rose to fame in 2002 after winning the inaugural season of American Idol. Since then, Clarkson has sold more than 25 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide. She also has the distinction of becoming the first artist in history to top each of Billboard's pop, adult contemporary, adult pop, country and dance charts.

Clarkson's daytime talk show on NBC, The Kelly Clarkson Show, has been airing since September of 2019. During the past four years, the show has earned 13 Daytime Emmy Awards. Clarkson was named "Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host" in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Please check out the official video of Clarkson's “Dark Side.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Dark Side”
Written by Alexander Geringas and Michael Busbee. Performed by Kelly Clarkson.

There’s a place that I know
It’s not pretty there and few have ever gone
If I show it to you now
Will it make you run away

Or will you stay
Even if it hurts
Even if I try to push you out
Will you return?
And remind me who I really am
Please remind me who I really am

Everybody’s got a dark side
Do you love me?
Can you love mine?
Nobody’s a picture perfect
But we’re worth it
You know that we’re worth it
Will you love me?
Even with my dark side?

Like a diamond
From black dust
It’s hard to know what can become if you give up
So don’t give up on me
Please remind me who I really am

Everybody’s got a dark side
Do you love me?
Can you love mine?
Nobody’s a picture perfect
But we’re worth it
You know that we’re worth it
Will you love me?
Even with my dark side?

Don’t run away
Don’t run away
Just tell me that you will stay
Promise me you will stay
Don’t run away
Don’t run away
Just promise me you will stay
Promise me you will stay

Will you love me?
Ohh, everybody’s got a dark side
Do you love me?
Can you love mine?
Nobody’s a picture perfect
But we’re worth it
You know that we’re worth it
Will you love me?
Even with my dark side?

Don’t run away
Don’t run away
Promise you'll stay

Credit: Photo by vagueonthehow from Tadcaster, York, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

For the third time in two years, Dennis Senibaldi and his team at the Windham Transfer Station in New Hampshire successfully located an engagement ring amidst 20 tons of very disgusting and smelly trash.

Exactly a year ago, we recounted how the general services director used surveillance video to narrow down the location of a garbage bag containing a bridal set that had been accidentally thrown away.

A local resident mistakenly discarded the rings that his wife had cleaned and wrapped in a white napkin to dry. In the Windham community, trash bags can be delivered directly to the local transfer station.

Senibaldi knew their surveillance video would provide vital clues as to exactly when and where the man dropped off his garbage. After viewing the video, Senibaldi, his crew and the owner spent 30 minutes sorting through a trailer and found the ring in a grey-handled white trash bag.

Fast-forward to the week of Thanksgiving, when another distraught resident contacted the Windham Transfer Station with a similar story.

“She gave me some particulars: at what time her husband threw the trash out, what was in the trash bag, what kind of car he was driving,” Senibaldi told Boston's WHDH-TV.

Once again, Senibaldi reviewed the video to pinpoint where the bag may have ended up.

“We were able to track when he was here, exactly what time he threw the trash out and where the trash in the trailer was located,” he said.

The trash in question “was literally the first scoop into the trailer,” according to Senibaldi. That meant the bag was at the bottom, 12 feet deep.

After two hours of digging through the trailer of trash, Senibaldi and his crew found the solitaire diamond engagement ring. It somehow escaped its bag and ended up on the floor of the trailer covered in red paint.

“I grabbed the ring, brought it up, cleaned it up for her, called her up,” Sendibaldi told WMUR-TV.

“Talking to her on Wednesday, she was completely heartbroken," he told WHDH-TV. "Friday, when she came in, she was happy as can be, gave me a big hug and was very thankful."

Senibaldi noted that the story could have easily had a tragic ending. If she had called 15 minutes later, the trailer would have already been at the incinerator.

“We are public servants and I think this really... brings the meaning of public service,” Senibaldi told WHDH-TV. “That’s why I work here.”

Credits: Screen captures via 7News, whdh.com.

Ladies, it's never too early to start planning for a Leap Day role-reversal marriage proposal. Yes, if you've been waiting far too long for your significant other to pop the question, Thursday, February 29, 2024, is your day.

The concept of women proposing to men on Leap Day is rooted in 5th century Ireland, where St. Brigid of Kildare forged a deal with St. Patrick to permit women to propose to men on a single day once every four years. In Ireland, Leap Day is also called Bachelor’s Day.

This scenario was the basis for the 2010 romantic comedy, Leap Year. Amy Adams plays the part of Anna, who is frustrated when another anniversary passes without a marriage proposal from her boyfriend. When she learns about the Irish tradition that allows women to pop the question on Leap Day, she rushes to Dublin to track down the boyfriend at a convention just in time to deliver a marriage proposal on February 29.

Although the tradition started in Ireland, it has slowly migrated throughout that region and around the world. Irish monks introduced the concept to Scotland, which passed a law in 1288 that allowed women to propose on Leap Day. If the man refused the proposal, he would have to pay a fine, ranging from a kiss, to a silk dress or a pair of gloves. In upper-class circles, the fine for a proposal denial was 12 pairs of gloves. Presumably, the gloves would hide the shame of not wearing an engagement ring.

In England, the day February 29 held no legal status, so people believed that traditional customs held no status on that day either. Hence, women were free to reverse the unfair custom that permitted only men to propose marriage.

Surveys have shown that both men and women are increasing open to the idea of role reversal when it comes to popping the question.

In 2015, a survey of 500 men by Glamour found that 70% of men would be “psyched” if their female partner popped the question.

Pinterest revealed in December 2018 that searches on its site for the phrase “women proposing to men” had skyrocketed 336% compared to 2017.

As reported by Yahoo Life, the UK-based website "Guides for Brides" found that 27% of women responding to a recent survey would like to, or have already, proposed to their male partner.

Their reasons for initiating the proposal included the following:
-- 39% Not believing the notion that only men can pop the question
-- 17% Finding it empowering
-- 14% Being "fed up" of waiting for a proposal from their other half

The same survey noted that 73% of the male partners said they would accept the proposal, while 15% said they would refuse.

The reasons for turning down a proposal included the following:
-- 28% Wanting to stick to tradition
-- 26% Believing it’s the man’s responsibility to propose
-- 14% Not being ready to get married

Credit: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.