Last week, Zachary Ashworth was all set to pop the question to girlfriend Katherine Carver at Mississippi's 28th annual "Cruisin' the Coast" event, which is billed as "America's Largest Block Party."

Each year, tens of thousands of car enthusiasts from 40 states, plus Canada, Germany and Puerto Rico, converge on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a week to showcase their rides and to cruise the picturesque 30-mile stretch of beach-side highway, with special events taking place across 12 cities in South Mississippi.

The day was perfect, the venue was perfect, but when Ashworth reached into his pocket to pull out the three-stone diamond engagement ring, he knew something was very wrong.

“I went to feel for the ring in my pocket and I realized the ring was missing,” the Pensacola, FL, native told Biloxi TV station, WLOX. "I literally just dropped my drink on the ground, and she looks at me and goes, ‘Are you okay?’"

Ashworth wasn't OK. The last time he had successfully felt the ring in his pocket, the couple was enjoying a Trucks and Tacos event in Long Beach.

The couple retraced their steps, but finding a ring amidst the thousands of people and hundreds of cruisers was a daunting task. They gave up the search and decided to post a plea on the Cruisin' the Coast Facebook page.

He wrote, "If anyone here was at Coastal Daiquiris (bar & grill) today in Long Beach Thursday the 10 between 3-4 pm and found a 14k 3-stone diamond ring with a sizer on it, I would love to have it back. It was my engagement ring I was going to give my girlfriend today."

Meanwhile, Cruisin' the Coast attendee Sonya Becnel was dealing with challenges of her own after she noticed something shiny peeking out from under a truck tire.

“I looked down… and I saw a ring," she told WLOX. "Just sitting there right on top of the grass, gold."

“I said, ‘Look I got a problem,’” Becnel recounted. “I found a ring and I have no idea what to do with it. How will I find the person out of 10,000 people? How will I find this person?”

Becnel and her friend, Annette Cortez, decided to check out the Cruisin' the Coast Facebook page.

“Later on that night we were scrolling through Facebook… and saw Zachary’s post," Cortez said. "I was like, ‘Oh my god! We have your ring.’”

The Good Samaritans wrote to Ashworth on Facebook and arranged to meet up with the relieved couple at an Ocean Springs event the next day.

Ashworth got the ring back and thanked the Good Samaritans with a reward. A video posted to the WLOX website documented the emotional, hug-filled reunion.

“It was awesome," Becnel told the station. "We were excited. He was so excited. That was our main goal, to get this guy his ring back.”

Credits: Screen captures via WLOX.com.

A suite of bridal jewelry played a pivotal role in Friday's episode of Tia Mowry: My Next Act on We TV.

Mowry, who became a household name as a teenager starring on the ABC/WB sitcom Sister Sister, is now a 46-year-old actress struggling with the challenges of managing her career while co-parenting two young children.

In Season 1, Episode 2, the actress discusses her divorce from Cory Hardrict after 14 years of marriage and how her close friends have helped her through the emotional healing process.

"I have the best friends," Mowry said. "They threw me an incredible healing party. It did what it was supposed to do."

One friend suggested that she throw her wedding dress into the fire, but that just didn't feel right for her.

"But I did think of something else," she said. "What came up for me was my wedding band."

What she was actually describing was her diamond engagement ring, a multi-row diamond wedding band and plain gold band.

"I haven't worn [the jewelry] for almost two years now, and it just doesn't feel right to sell it," Mowry said. "But what I am wanting to do is change my wedding band into something for my kids. Pass it down, you know, to my kids, because they have been my biggest gift."

Mowry seemed to be holding back tears as she mulled her decision, staring at the three rings stacked on her index finger.

"It was very pretty," she said.

"[Do] you want another day to think about it?" asked her producer.

"No, because if it's made into something else, then it's put to use," she said. "It's sad, you know what I mean? Because this is a symbol of a marriage, and it's no longer. I would rather the kids have something."

The actress said that it was hard for her not to think about Corey when she decided to repurpose her rings.

"It was 2006, December 25th," she recalled. "I was proposed to. I was at my mother's house around Christmas dinner, and a song by Jagged Edge started playing. Corey got down on one knee in front of my whole entire family and asked to marry me. I was so surprised."

Mowry added, "but I am learning that at the end of the day, I need to make this decision for me. And I think because it's going to the kids, he'll be okay."

Mowry explained to a Los Angeles jeweler that she wanted the wedding jewelry turned into something special for her 12-year-old son, Cree, and her five-year-old daughter, Cairo.

The jeweler recommended a dog tag necklace for the boy and a bracelet for the girl, adding that he could make a "connection" between the pieces.

"I just think it's so beautiful to transform something that was given out of love and to give it to your children," Mowry said. "It just makes me feel like my marriage wasn't a waste."

The jeweler quickly rendered a diamond-studded dog tag necklace on his computer.

"So, what do you feel about this design with some diamonds," asked the jeweler.

"I love this," Mowry said. "Oh, my gosh. That's fire."

"That's good?" asked the jeweler.

"That fire," she repeated with a laugh. "That's what the kids are saying now."

Tia Mowry and her twin sister, Tamera, co-starred on Sister Sister, a sitcom about twins that were separated at birth, but then reunited as teenagers. The show made its debut in 1994 and ran for six season.

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube / Salim Gameplay.

A 5.02-carat internally flawless fancy deep blue diamond is set to headline Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale at The Henderson in Hong Kong later this month. The marquise brilliant-cut stone is flanked by trilliant-cut white diamonds in a platinum setting and carries a pre-sale estimate of $7 million to $10.3 million.

Christie's writes, "Infused with trace amounts of boron that give rise to its captivating, deep blue hue, this diamond embodies nature’s most mesmerizing wonders."

According to the Museum of Natural History, “less than one boron atom per million carbon atoms is sufficient to produce the blue coloration.”

Blue diamonds consistently fetch the highest prices at auction.

In April 2022, the 15.10-carat “De Beers Blue” nearly set a world record for the priciest vivid blue diamond ever sold at auction. The hammer price of $57.47 million ($3.8 million per carat) at Sotheby’s Hong Kong was just short of the $57.54 million ($3.9 million per carat) achieved by the 14.62-carat “Oppenheimer Blue” at Christie’s Geneva in 2016.

Back in 2015, “The Blue Moon of Josephine,” a 12.03-carat internally flawless fancy vivid blue diamond, sold for $48.5 million ($4 million per carat) at Sotheby’s Geneva.

Scientists believe that blue diamonds form about 400 miles below the surface, four times deeper than about 99 percent of all other diamonds.

Other notable lots at Christie's Hong Kong auction include the following:

-- "Oriental Sunrise." The property of a private collector, this lot includes a pair of earrings featuring matching fancy vivid orange-yellow diamonds accented by shield and tapered baguette-cut white diamonds in a platinum setting. The fancy-colored diamonds, which weigh 12.20 carats and 11.96 carats respectively, are described as having an oval mixed cut. The larger diamond has a clarity grade of VVS2, while the smaller one is rated VS1. The earrings carry a pre-sale estimate of $6.4 million to $10.3 million.

-- Magnificent Ruby and Diamond Necklace. Twenty-six oval-shaped rubies ranging in weight from 1.27 carats to 5.38 carats glimmer in this head-turning platinum and gold neckpiece. The rubies are complemented by pear- and marquise-shaped diamonds in a floral motif. The diamonds range from 1.00 carat to 1.21 carats in weight and D to F in color. Christie's is estimating that this piece will sell in the range of $5.2 million to $7.7 million.

-- Spectacular Emerald and Diamond Bangle. An octagonal step-cut emerald weighing 38.51 carats is accented by marquise and round diamonds in this bangle designed by Etcetera. The emerald is of Colombian origin and displays no indication of clarity enhancement. The total weight of the diamonds is 7.37 carats. This piece carries a pre-sale estimate of $2.3 million to $3.6 million.

-- Superb Ruby and Diamond Ring. Designed by Boghossian, this ring spotlights a cushion-shaped ruby weighing 6.24 carats. Sourced in Burma (now Myanmar), the ruby boasts a "pigeon blood red" color and a pre-sale estimate of $2.1 million to $3.2 million.

In total, Christie's will be offering 124 lots at The Henderson in Hong Kong on October 29.

Credits: Images courtesy of Christie's.

Hurricane Milton tore across central Florida last week, flooding roadways, damaging property, spawning tornadoes and forcing mandatory evacuations from coast to coast.

Laura and Basil Yorio left their Palm Coast home just before the hurricane made landfall as a Category 3 storm last Wednesday, and didn't know what to expect when they were allowed to return the next day to assess the damage.

As Laura and her dog entered the backyard, the homeowner noticed something glinting in the grass.

“I looked down and saw a silver ring and thought it was like a key ring,” she told Fox 35 Orlando. "And it was just sitting there. It was a little bit embedded in the dirt."

On closer inspection, she realized this was no key ring. It was her husband's gold wedding band — a ring that went missing nearly a decade ago.

Basil remembered losing the beloved keepsake during a backyard construction project nine years ago.

"It just disappeared," he said.

Laura explained that the whereabouts of the wedding band continued to be a mystery despite being right underfoot.

"We've been here [in the backyard] a thousand times over the last nine years," she said. "I have a landscaper who has come by once a week, every week for nine years, and nothing."

But all that changed after Milton dumped nearly six inches of rain on already-saturated ground in this city of 100,000, which lies on Florida's east coast, about halfway between Jacksonville and Orlando.

It's well known that metal detectorists and sea-bound treasure hunters love to pursue their passions right after a major weather event. Heavy rain, battering winds and violent waves can erode soil and sand, revealing items that have been lost for decades, or even centuries.

Milton's relentless downpour effectively washed away enough soil to expose Basil's wedding band.

"We are very mindful that a lot people are going through like terrible, terrible things, and I feel almost a little guilty feeling happy about all this, but it was something good," Laura said. "After a rough couple of days, it was a really happy ending."

Credits: Screen captures via FOX 35 Orlando.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you popular songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Taylor Swift wants to wear her new boyfriend’s initial on a chain around her neck in the introspective 2017 hit, “Call It What You Want.”

Written in late 2016 by Swift and collaborator Jack Antonoff, this deeply personal tune recounts how falling in love again helped her recover from a very dark time when her “castle crumbled overnight.”

She sings, “I want to wear his initial / On a chain round my neck, chain round my neck / Not because he owns me / But ’cause he really knows me.”

Her new boyfriend at the time was British actor and model Joe Alwyn, and Swift had been spotted wearing a script initial “J” engraved on a silver charm pendant.

Following her split from Tom Hiddleston and an emotionally draining public feud with Kanye West, Swift stepped out of the spotlight to make new music and hit the reset button. What resulted was the 15-track Reputation, an album that topped the charts in 14 countries and sold more than 2 million copies in its first week.

“Call It What You Want” is the penultimate song on an album that takes the listener on an emotional journey from rebellion and anger to true love. The single topped out at #27 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #24 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart. The single was named the 20th best song of 2017 by Rolling Stone.

Swift fans will notice similarities between the lyrics of “Call It What You Want” and her 2008 hit, “Love Story.” In both songs, the heroine wants to run away with her boyfriend…

In “Love Story,” she sings, “Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone / I’ll be waiting, all that’s left to do is run / You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess / It’s a love story, baby just say yes.”

In “Call It What You Want,” she sings, “I recall late November, holdin’ my breath / Slowly I said, ‘You don’t need to save me / But would you run away with me?’ / Yes.”

Swift and Alwyn broke up in April of 2023 after dating for six years.

More recently, Swift, 34, has been wearing a diamond and gold "TNT" friendship bracelet that she received from her newest boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs' tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce had matching bracelets made for him and his girlfriend just before Christmas 2023. "TNT" stands for "Travis 'n' Taylor."

Swift often complements the bracelet with a diamond-embellished "87" pendant necklace, which is a nod to her 35-year-old beau's jersey number.

Born in Wyomissing, PA, Swift was not an average schoolgirl. By the time she was 11, Swift was already performing regularly at karaoke contests, festivals and fairs near her home in Berks County. When she was 14, her parents moved the family to Nashville, where Swift would be better positioned to pursue a career in country music. At the age of 17, Swift was topping the country charts.

Swift is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 114 million albums and 162 million single downloads. She has won 14 Grammy Awards, one Emmy, 39 Billboard Music Awards and 12 Country Music Association Awards.

Please check out the official lyric video of “Call It What You Want.” You can also follow along, below…

“Call It What You Want”
Written by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff. Performed by Taylor Swift.

My castle crumbled overnight
I brought a knife to a gunfight
They took the crown, but it’s alright
All the liars are calling me one
Nobody’s heard from me for months
I’m doing better than I ever was, ’cause

My baby’s fit like a daydream
Walking with his head down
I’m the one he’s walking to

So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to
My baby’s fly like a jet stream
High above the whole scene
Loves me like I’m brand new

So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to

All my flowers grew back as thorns
Windows boarded up after the storm
He built a fire just to keep me warm

All the drama queens taking swings
All the jokers dressing up as kings
They fade to nothing when I look at him

And I know I make the same mistakes every time
Bridges burn, I never learn, at least I did one thing right
I did one thing right
I’m laughing with my lover, making forts under covers
Trust him like a brother, yeah, you know I did one thing right
Starry eyes sparkin’ up my darkest night

My baby’s fit like a daydream
Walking with his head down
I’m the one he’s walking to

So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to
My baby’s fly like a jet stream
High above the whole scene
Loves me like I’m brand new
(Call it what you want, call it what you want, call it)
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to

I want to wear his initial
On a chain round my neck, chain round my neck
Not because he owns me
But ’cause he really knows me
Which is more than they can say, I
I recall late November, holdin’ my breath
Slowly I said, “You don’t need to save me
But would you run away with me?”
Yes (would you run away?)

My baby’s fit like a daydream
Walking with his head down
I’m the one he’s walking to
(Call it what you want, call it what you want, call it)
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to
My baby’s fly like a jet stream
High above the whole scene
Loves me like I’m brand new
(Call it what you want, call it what you want, call it)
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to

Call it what you want, yeah
Call it what you want
Call it what you want
Call it what you want
To

Credit: Photo by jazills, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

In Francis Ford Coppola's newly released sci-fi thriller, Megalopolis, Aubrey Plaza portrays a scheming enchantress named "Wow Platinum." Since the 85-year-old master filmmaker and storyteller is renowned for his meticulous attention to detail and symbolism, his decision to call Plaza's character Wow Platinum left a lot of fans scratching their heads.

But just after Megalopolis was released on September 27, Coppola set the record straight during a Q&A he hosted via the official Megalopolis X (formerly Twitter) account.

"Hi Mr. Coppola, What was the idea behind naming a character “Wow Platinum”???," wrote X user @mrhenrywaffle.

Coppola responded, "I met a southern young lady who told me her great grandmother was so beautiful that her name evolved as 'WOW.' I asked if she had a picture of her. A while later I heard back from her and she attached a photo of a painting and when I looked at it I said, 'Wow!'"

By combining "Wow" with "Platinum," Coppola was not only describing a woman of extraordinary beauty, but also one who embodies many of the precious metal's characteristics. She's awe-inspiring, timeless, strong, rare and desired — a character destined to leave an enduring legacy.

"Wow Platinum was a name meant to spark a feeling of wonder and admiration, reflecting the character's ability to captivate those around her," wrote Alexis Zaccaria on screenrant.com. "Plaza's Wow Platinum is designed to embody that sense of awe, leaving a powerful impression on the audience, much like the Southern great-grandmother whose beauty inspired the writer/director to carry her story forward in his own way."

The film follows the ambitions of architect Cesar Catilina (portrayed by Adam Driver), who wants to rebuild a dystopian city into a utopian New Rome after a disaster. The glamorous and scheming Wow Platinum is Catilina's former lover, who masterminds a power grab by marrying Cesar's rich uncle, bank CEO Hamilton Crassus III (played by Jon Voight).

In describing her powerful character, Plaza told The New York Times, "Even in the car on the way to that set, I would transform into Wow. I would go, 'OK, I'm terrified right now, I'm having a nervous breakdown as myself, but Wow's not. She can handle anything.' And I would switch like a lightbulb: 'It's Wow time.'"

Coppola, who is best know for directing The Godfather (1972) and Apocalypse Now (1979), is a 14-time Academy Award nominee and a five-time Oscar winner.

Credit: Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.

At 8 a.m. on Friday, September 27, an amateur prospector arrived at Crater of Diamonds State Park eager to find a precious gemstone at the only diamond site in the world that is open to the general public.

For $15, the visitor rented a "Basic Diamond Hunting Kit," which included an army shovel, screen set, and 3.5-gallon bucket. This searching method is called wet sifting, and involves washing dirt from diamond-bearing gravel through two screens.

The screen set features a large, quarter-inch mesh above a fine, 16th-inch mesh. The two screens work together to separate gravel by size, enabling the user to process a lot of dirt at one time.

After a few unsuccessful hours of wet sifting, the visitor decided to take a different, less strenuous tack.

“If I find a diamond today," the visitor told park officials, "it will probably be right here on the surface.”

And the conditions for surface searching happened to be ideal on September 27.

Not only was it a beautiful sunny day, allowing the sunlight to reflect off a diamond just right, but the search area had recently been plowed and had received rainfall just two days before.

“We periodically plow the search area to loosen the diamond-bearing soil and promote natural erosion," Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox said. "As rain falls on the field, it washes away the dirt and uncovers heavy rocks, minerals and diamonds near the surface.”

While scouring the ground just west of the covered North Wash pavilion, the guest spotted something sparkling on the surface.

“From far away it shined so clearly,” the visitor said. “I thought it might be a piece of trash or a bug. It was so much shinier than anything else out there.”

After a quick inspection, the prospector realized it was not a bug or a piece of trash, but a glimmering stone. The guest had it checked by park staff at the Diamond Discovery Center before leaving for lunch.

Park Interpreter Sarah Reap was stationed at the rock and mineral identification counter when the finder placed it calmly on her desk.

“Even after a few years of working here, I am still surprised when a finder pulls a large diamond out of a pocket so nonchalantly,” Reap said.

Reap confirmed the specimen to be a silvery-white diamond weighing 2.30 carats. The roundish stone has a pitted surface and is the about the size of a pencil eraser.

This is the third diamond over two carats registered this year and the second-largest diamond registered in 2024.

On an average day, one or two diamonds are discovered in the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area, which is actually the eroded surface of an extinct, diamond-bearing volcanic pipe. Since it opened as a state park in 1972, Crater of Diamonds has welcomed more than 4.6 million visitors, who have unearthed more than 35,000 diamonds.

As of this writing, 548 diamonds — weighing more than 82 carats — have been registered by park guests in 2024.

The largest diamond ever discovered in the United States was unearthed in 1924 during an early mining operation on the land that later became Crater of Diamonds State Park.

Named Uncle Sam, this white diamond with a pink cast weighed 40.23 carats. It was later cut into a 12.42-carat emerald shape. Uncle Sam is now part of the Smithsonian’s mineral and gem collection and can be seen at the National Museum of Natural History.

Nearly 99% of the diamonds discovered at the park fall into one of three color categories: white (clear), brown or yellow. According the Crater of Diamonds’ official stats, exactly 62% of diamonds found to date were white, 20% were brown and about 17% were yellow. Slightly more than 1% were classified as “other.”

Diamonds unearthed at the park average 1/6th of a carat, but about 21 each year will weigh in at 1 carat or more.

Credits: Images courtesy of Arkansas State Parks.

For the sun-worshipping ancient Mycenaeans, precious amber — the golden-colored translucent gemstone formed from fossilized tree resin — represented far more than a colorful fashion statement. It symbolized power, high social status and religious devotion to Helios, the sun god.

In a new study, Professor Janusz Czebreszuk, the Director of the Polish Archaeological Institute in Athens, describes how amber was an indicator of elite status during the heyday of Mycenaean society, which prospered from 1750 to 1050 BC, an era considered the final stage of the Bronze Age in ancient Greece.

As Czebreszuk and his team studied the gravesites of elite Mycenaeans, the one thing each had in common was the presence of amber adornments. Found in the graves of both men and women were amber gems strung into necklaces, fashioned into breastplates and worn as hair embellishments.

The researchers believe the amber artifacts originated from the Baltic region, specifically near the Bay of Gdańsk, which is on the north coast of Poland. Even today, this region is a vital source of amber.

Due to the long distances between the Baltic Sea and Ancient Greece, it became clear to Czebreszuk and his team that Bronze Age elites had access to an extensive trading network that spanned Europe.

“Amber arrived in Hellas (modern-day Greece) with the religious meanings it held in the north,” Czebreszuk told Polish news agency PAP. “In Central Europe, Neolithic artifacts like disc-shaped items with radiating patterns clearly referenced the sun, and amber symbolized the sun’s power.”

In Greek mythology, amber is said to come from the tears of the Heliades, the daughters of Helios.

As the story is told, Phaëton, the handsome mortal son of Helios, asked his dad if he could drive the sun chariot for a day. But during a reckless day of driving, Phaëton scorched the earth, creating its deserts. Zeus, the king of the gods, struck the young man down with a thunderbolt, leaving his sisters heartbroken. The Heliades grieved for four months and then the gods turned them into poplar trees and their tears into amber.

For the ancient Mycenaeans, owning amber was like holding a piece of the sun.

“Whoever had amber, whoever had an amber necklace, in a sense possessed a piece of the sun," Czebreszuk added. "Those who had it, and these were the elites, used amber to legitimize their claims to a superior position in society.”

Six years ago, researchers at the University of Granada, Spain, used a sophisticated technique known as infrared spectroscopy to analyze amber jewelry and other amber ornaments found at archaeological sites on the Iberian Peninsula.

While most of the samples were determined to be of local origin, other samples were linked to amber that originated from Sicily and the Baltic regions. The team reported that the Sicilian amber arrived on the Iberian Peninsula at least 4,000 BC while Baltic-sourced material was dated from 1,000 BC.

The Spanish researchers concluded that amber was circulated through vast exchange networks across the Mediterranean, with the likely path of Baltic and Sicilian amber routed through North Africa.

Today, 90% of the world’s amber comes from Kaliningrad, a Russian territory tucked between Poland and Lithuania on the coast of the Baltic Sea. Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Kaliningrad Oblast became an exclave, geographically separated from the rest of Russia.

Credit: Amber image by Oxfordian Kissuth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Rio Tinto revealed on Wednesday the stars of its 2024 Beyond Rare Tender, a curated collection of pink, red, violet, yellow and white polished diamonds from its storied — but now shuttered — Argyle Mine in Western Australia and its Diavik Mine in the Barren Lands of Northern Canada.

Dubbed "Colour Awakened," this second installment of Rio Tinto's annual Art Series features 48 lots, comprising 76 polished diamonds, weighing 39.44 carats in total. Among the highlights are the following:

— Seven "Old Masters." This group includes round, brilliant-cut pink and red diamonds, ranging in size from 0.60 carats to 2.63 carats;
— 31 exquisite single lots of pink and violet diamonds, as well as one fancy purplish-red diamond;
— 9 artfully matched sets. Two standout stones from this group include a 2.47-carat fancy intense yellow diamond and a 4.04-carat D-color white diamond.

The "Old Masters" were all unearthed at the Argyle Mine more than a decade ago, and, in one case, as far back as 1987. Each of these rare pink and red diamonds were selected from private vaults and handpicked for inclusion in this year’s tender, according to a Rio Tinto press release.

The standout fancy intense yellow diamond and D-color diamond were both sourced at the Diavik Diamond Mine, which is oddly located beneath a frozen lake.

Last year's Art Series was called "Born of This World" and included 46 lots comprising 87 diamonds. The total weight of those offerings tallied 29.96 carats.

The now-depleted Argyle mine was shuttered in November of 2020. During its 37 years in operation, the mine famously produced between 90% and 95% of the world’s pink and red diamonds.

Unlike yellow or blue diamonds that owe their color to the presence of nitrogen or boron in their chemical makeup, pink and red diamonds owe their color to the warping of the gem’s crystal lattice under intense pressure. The distortions in the diamond’s crystal lattice structure affect the way the gem absorbs green light, thus reflecting a pink or red hue.

“No other mining company in the world has custody of such a kaleidoscope of colored diamonds," said Rio Tinto Chief Executive Sinead Kaufman during Wednesday's invitation-only launch event in London. "Four years on from the closure of the Argyle mine, our Beyond Rare Tender platform is a testimony to the enduring prestige of the Argyle Pink Diamonds brand, the quality of production from our Diavik mine, and the ongoing demand for highly collectible natural diamonds.”

The lots will be displayed in London, Australia, Singapore and Belgium, with bids closing on November 18, 2024.

Credits: Images courtesy of Argyle Diamonds Pty.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you heartfelt songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, former American Idol Scotty McCreery delivers a first-hand account of his mountaintop marriage proposal to longtime sweetheart Gabi Dugal in his 2018 release, “This Is It.”

In the song, McCreery tells the story of a young couple’s life changing moment “at the top of the world.”

He sings, “Girl I know that you’ve been waiting and talking to your friends / Wondering if and wondering where and wondering when / Well I’ve been waiting too, holding on to this ring / For the right words to say, for the right time and place, for me to get on one knee.”

McCreery revealed in an AXS Patio Sessions interview that he and his co-writers collaborated on the song in September of 2017, only two weeks before he had planned to pop the question on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.

“I told my co-writers the story and we just kinda wrote the song around that,” he said. “It’s very visual and paints the picture of how the engagement went down.”

Writing the song before the proposal was a tad risky for the North Carolinian. Although he had all the “wheres and whens and hows” mapped out perfectly, there was still a possibility that something could go awry.

“If things hadn’t gone to plan and we hadn’t gotten to the mountain, I probably would have had to scrap the song,” said McCreery. “But luckily it all worked out.”

Scotty McCreery told Billboard that he had the ring hidden in the closet for four or five months.

"I was waiting for the right time, but I was scared she might open the closet and do some clothes hunting," he explained. "I had it in a shoebox, in a shoebox, in another shoebox, so she would've had to been really looking for it."

Friends since kindergarten, McCreery and Dugal, a pediatric nurse, had been dating since their senior year in high school. They tied the knot on May 16, 2018, and McCreery sang "This Is It" at the wedding reception.

“This Is It” is the sixth track from McCreery’s fourth studio album, Seasons Change. The song was certified "platinum" with combined streams and sales of one million units. The song rose to #3 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and #2 on the Billboard Canada Country chart.

A native of Garner, NC, Scott Cooke McCreery has the distinction of being the youngest male ever to win an American Idol competition. He was only 17 when he prevailed during the Season 10 finale in May of 2011.

Please check out the official video of McCreery’s “This Is It,” which includes actual footage from his wedding service, reception and related events. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“This Is It”
Written by Scotty McCreery, Frank Rogers and Aaron Eshuis. Performed by Scotty McCreery.

Way up in the mountains, four thousand feet high
There’s a trail through the trees to a cliff where Carolina meets the sky
Oh, and there’s a view I just can’t describe
No, I’m not there yet, just a few more steps, baby wait
Okay, you can open your eyes

This is it, this is now, this is what I’ve been talking about
Looking out, can’t you see forever?
Take my hand, just take it in
This is a moment we won’t forget
On top of the world, here, together
If there ever was a time for a perfect kiss, this is it

Girl I know that you’ve been waiting and talking to your friends
Wondering if and wondering where and wondering when
Well I’ve been waiting too, holding on to this ring
For the right words to say, for the right time and place, for me to get on one knee

This is it, this is now, this is what I’ve been talking about
Looking out, can’t you see forever?
Take my hand, just take it in
This is a moment we won’t forget
On top of the world here together
If there ever was a time for a perfect kiss, well this is it
This is it

Now you’re walking down the aisle
And I can’t help but smile

This is it, this is now, it’s what I’ve been talking about
Looking out, I can see forever
So take my hand, just take it in
This is a moment we won’t forget
On top of the world, here, together
Surrounded by our family and our friends
If there ever was a time for a perfect kiss
This is it

Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com / Scotty McCreery Official.