Fans of the US version of Antiques Roadshow on PBS learned a lot about "Kashmir" sapphires during a fascinating episode that originally aired in May of last year. It's an episode well worth revisiting as we celebrate September's official birthstone.
Filmed on the grounds of the Shelburne Museum in rustic Shelburne, VT, the highlight of Season 27 Episode 15 was appraiser Lucy Grogan Edwards' assessment of an Edwardian-period sapphire-and-diamond ring that was originally owned by the guest's great-great-grandmother, who died in 1912.
Edwards told the guest that when she first inspected the sapphire her "eyes lit up" because the stone was likely sourced in the Kashmir region of northern India.
The Boston-based appraiser explained that the platinum ring with milgrain details, Old-European-Cut diamond side stones and sapphire center stone was purchased circa 1900, a time when most sapphires were sourced in either Burma (now Myanmar) or Kashmir.
"When we're appraising sapphires, we're most concerned and interested in their origin," she told the guest.
She explained that Kashmir sapphires are considered to be the most beautiful, perfect standard sapphire that you could have in a piece of jewelry. She also outlined why Kashmir sapphires are so rare.
"In 1880, there was a landslide in the Kashmir region of India, and that landslide revealed sapphire deposits," she said. "The sapphires that were coming out of this area were the most beautiful in their color and their depth and their quality. So the maharaja of India at the time very quickly claimed that region for himself."
However, overmining during the period from 1882 to 1887 left that area completely depleted of sapphires.
"So every Kashmir sapphire that we see today came out of the ground in the Kashmir region of India in that five-year period," she said. "So they are very rare and spectacular in their quality."
Although Edwards' professional hunch is that the sapphire originated in Kashmir, she affirmed that the only way to really determine the origin of a sapphire is to have it tested at a gem lab.
Edwards told the guest that if her great-great-grandmother's ring held a Burmese sapphire — which is also a very beautiful stone — the ring would be valued at $40,000 to $60,000.
"And if it is, indeed, a Kashmir sapphire, which I feel pretty confident it is, at auction, I think we're looking at somewhere between $100,000 and $150,000," she told the shocked guest.
"That's quite something," the guest responded. "Thank you so much, I don't know what else to say."
"Well, I think we have your great-great-grandmother to thank for her exquisite taste," said Edwards, who added that she can count on one hand the number of Kashmir sapphires she has seen during her career.
"I hope that you do continue to wear it, because a sapphire like this really does deserve to be seen," said Edwards.
"Yes, it does," the guest agreed.
You can check out the full episode at this link…
Credits: Screen captures via pbs.org.
The 330-carat "Star of Asia" is one of the world's finest star sapphires and a brilliant example of September's official birthstone. While the stone is renowned for its impressive size, intense color and sharp star, its origin story is cloaked in mystery.
The impressive gem was acquired for the National Gem Collection in 1961 and is a featured attraction at the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, in Washington D.C.
During most of its Smithsonian residency, curators at the museum were convinced that the "Star of Asia" had been sourced at the historic Mogok mines of Burma (now Myanmar), and that it was once owned by India’s Maharajah of Jodhpur.
In his 2021 book Unearthed, Surprising Stories Behind the Jewels, Dr. Jeffrey E. Post, curator of the National Gem Collection for more than 25 years, added clarity to the gem's history by interviewing the family members of the original owners.
It turns out that the "Star of Asia" was not discovered in Burma, it was mined in Sri Lanka. The gem was co-owned by the Kohinoor Trading Company and King's Jewelers of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The "Star of Asia" made its US debut in 1950 at the the first United States International Trade Fair in Chicago. Eight years later, it was offered for sale on consignment in London and subsequently purchased by Swiss-American Jack Mason.
In 1961, famed mineral dealer and collector Martin Leo Ehrmann, representing Mason, traded the star sapphire to the Smithsonian for a parcel of small faceted diamonds. Ehrmann likely embellished the gem's noble provenance to pump up its trade value.
All sapphires are made of the mineral corundum (crystalline aluminum oxide). In its pure state, the corundum is colorless, but when trace elements are naturally introduced to the chemical composition, a spectrum of colors are possible.
Blue sapphires occur, for instance, when aluminum atoms are displaced with those of titanium and iron in the gem’s crystal lattice structure.
According to the Smithsonian, the star forms when titanium atoms are trapped within the growing corundum crystal. As the crystal cools, the titanium forms needlelike crystals of the mineral rutile, which orient themselves in three directions.
When properly cut, light reflecting off the three sets of needles produces the six-rayed star. This phenomenon is called “asterism,” which is derived from the Latin word “astrum,” for “star.”
Credit: Image by Chip Clark/Smithsonian and digitally enhanced by SquareMoose.
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you exciting songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Diamond Rio frontman Marty Roe puts a “big down payment on that itty bitty diamond ring” in the memorable 1998 singalong, “Unbelievable.”
In the song written by Jeffrey Steele and Al Anderson, an infatuated Roe is crazy in love with his “unbelievable” new girlfriend. His life had been lonely and boring, but now a magnificent beauty has turned his world upside-down — so much so that he stutters when he tries to speak to her.
Peppered with delectable harmonies, the hard-driving, crossover hit features the unforgettable refrain: “kissable, huggable, lovable, unbelievable.”
The song’s jewelry reference includes this line, “Elegant, intelligent, heaven sent, all my money spent / I put a big down payment on that itty bitty diamond ring.”
Released as the title track of the group’s fifth studio album, “Unbelievable” zoomed to #2 on the US Billboard Hot Country chart and #1 on Canada’s RPM Country Tracks chart. The song also had crossover appeal, as it topped out at a respectable #36 on the broader-based US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“Unbelievable” was originally written for country star George Jones, according to Songfacts.com. When Jones passed on the song, Diamond Rio scooped it up. Recalled writer Anderson, “I know all of a sudden they liked it and cut it and put it out, and it was the most played Arista record that year.”
Founded in Nashville in 1982, Diamond Rio featured the same six members from 1989 until 2022. They included Gene Johnson, Jimmy Olander, Brian Prout, Dan Truman, Dana Williams and Roe. When Prout and Johnson left the band in 2022, they were replaced by Micah Schweinsberg and Carson McKee.
The group was originally named the Grizzly River Boys (a river rafting ride at Opryland USA). Few band members liked the name so it was changed to the Tennessee River Boys. The name would change one final time in 1990 after the group signed a record deal with Arista.
Band member Prout suggested the name Diamond Rio not because he wanted the band to be associated with precious stones or an exotic city in Brazil. The name was, in fact, a nod to the Diamond Reo truck company, which ceased operations in 2013.
The group is a 14-time Grammy nominee and was named the Country Music Association’s Vocal Group of the Year four times in the 1990s. Diamond Rio is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
The band is currently touring with performances scheduled in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee, South Dakota, Minnesota, Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia through the middle of October.
Please check out the video of Diamond Rio performing "Unbelievable." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…
“Unbelievable”
Written by Jeffrey Steele and Al Anderson. Performed by Diamond Rio.
She’s so kissable, huggable, lovable, unbelievable
She’s a mouthful of anything and everything a man could want
She ain’t typical, she’s unpredictable, she’s available, it’s a miracle
How my heart stumbled into someone so kissable, huggable, lovable, unbelievable
Up ’til now my life has been so lonely and boring
I never thought I would find someone so
Elegant, intelligent, heaven sent, all my money spent
I put a big down payment on that itty bitty diamond ring
She’s so beautiful, it’s indisputable, it’s undeniable, she’s got-to-havable
She’s music to my ears, and makes my heart sing, so kissable, huggable, lovable, unbelievable
There’s so many things
I want to tell her
Like I love her
But every time I talk
I start to stutter
She’s so elegant, intelligent, heaven sent, all my money spent
I put a big down payment on that itty bitty diamond ring
She’s so beautiful, it’s indisputable, it’s undeniable, she’s got-to-havable
She’s music to my ears, and makes my heart sing, kissable, huggable, lovable, unbelievable
Kissable, huggable, lovable, unbelievable
Kissable, huggable, lovable, unbelievable
Credit: Photo by Canadian Forces PO 1 Aaron Peterson, Navy Visual News Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
A romantic stroll along the scenic shores of Galveston, TX, turned into a nightmare for Sierra Rodkey and fiancé Brandon Jeffers-Calhoun when Rodkey realized she had lost her cherished diamond engagement ring in the surf.
"I didn't think about the ocean robbing me," Rodkey told Fox 26 Houston. "I was just in the waves and I looked up like this, and I noticed my ring was gone. I just cried."
For hours, the couple searched the coastline between Pleasure Pier and Stewart Beach, but came up empty.
That was more than a year ago.
"We never thought that it would be found," said Jeffers-Calhoun.
With nothing to lose, Rodkey recently decided to put out an alert on social media.
And as luck would have it, Clyde Longworth of Galveston Metal Detecting Services, quickly responded.
In an interview with Fox 26 Houston, Longworth revealed that he had found a diamond ring about a year ago on Stewart Beach.
"It was on the slope leading down to the water," he said.
Reporter Jade Flurry and her news team made arrangements for the metal detectorist to meet the couple and reunite Rodkey with her ring.
"Would that be it?" Longworth asked the couple as he held out the ring.
"That's it, Babe," said Jeffers-Calhoun. "That's the one."
"I have so many emotions," added Rodkey. "Actually I'm shook. I don't know what to say. This is unreal. I'm still trying to take it all in. It's unbelievable."
Jeffers-Calhoun was clearly overwhelmed by the whole experience.
"I'm still processing it, but this is just more proof that I'm the luckiest man in the world," he said.
Rodkey looked at him with an adoring smile because it was clear that Jeffers-Calhoun was referring to her.
Credits: Screen captures via fox26houston.com.
Kalani Hilliker, who impressed us with her grace and athleticism during her four seasons on Dance Moms, recently shared the story behind her brand new oval-cut diamond ring. The 23-year-old announced her engagement and showed off the ring in a series of Instagram pics taken in picturesque Lake Como, Italy.
Hilliker dished to people.com how she started the ring-shopping process determined to come away with an elongated cushion-cut diamond, but as she tried on different styles, she and her now-fiancé, Nathan Goldman, started leaning in a different direction.
She told people.com that her plans "completely flipped" after three visits to her jeweler.
Goldman explained, “The oval just looked much better on her hand, and with something like a ring she will wear forever, I thought it was important to make it perfect."
Hilliker was also indecisive about the metal type, so Goldman took the lead on that decision.
"I always loved the gold because of its contrast with the diamond," he said, adding, "I also added in the hidden halo on the band because I knew she loved that.”
Goldman reported that the diamond weighs 6.82 carats and carries a clarity grade of VS2. The band is fabricated in 18-karat gold.
Hilliker said that she will always cherish the experience of seeking out the perfect ring with her fiancé.
“It was also such a fun memory for us we will always love," she told people.com.
Lake Como provided the stunning background to Goldman's romantic proposal.
“I wanted to make the proposal beautiful and I knew she loved white flowers prior to doing so," he told people.com. "I was a little worried on how I would achieve it, but luckily some of Kalani’s friends are wedding planners and they helped me out."
“The set-up was more than I ever could have imagined and I couldn’t believe he pulled this off in Italy," commented Hilliker. "He is a true romantic and wanted to make sure it was so special for me and that is what he did. It was also special because friends of mine were able to be a part of this special moment.”
Hilliker joined Lifetime's Dance Moms during Season 4 in 2014 and left the show during Season 7. Just this past May, she appeared in Dance Moms: The Reunion. She is currently a dance teacher, mental health advocate and social media influencer.
Credits: Images via Instagram / kalanihilliker, Instagram / kalanihilliker and brilliantearth.
TV personality Sharon Osbourne is on a mission to track down the Good Samaritan who returned her diamond wedding band after she lost it during a high-profile meet-and-greet at Premier League soccer team Aston Villa’s new store at Villa Park near Birmingham, UK.
Osbourne, who became a household name during the early 2000s when she starred with her family on the MTV reality show, The Osbournes, turned to her 1.5 million Instagram followers for help in identifying the person who found the ring on the floor of the store and literally ran after the celebrity as she left the event and headed to her car.
Osbourne was so shocked to get the ring back that she neglected to offer a proper "thank you" to the woman.
In a heartfelt 90-second video, the 71-year-old Osbourne recounted how she "had the best time ever" at the meet-and-greet, and didn't realize that her band had slipped off her finger.
As Osbourne left the venue and headed to the car park, a woman came running up to her with a ring in hand.
"And she goes, 'Is this your band?' Osbourne recounted. "And it's my wedding band. And I was like, 'Oh, my god.'"
"She found it on the floor of the store and presumed it was mine," Osbourne continued. "[She] came running after me and gave it to me, and I never got her name 'cause I was just in shock."
Osbourne explained why the diamond wedding band is so important to her and her husband, heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne.
"I just want to say a huge, huge thank you because my original one got stolen and Ozzy replaced it with this," she said, "and if I'd lost this it would have been terrible."
Osbourne requested anyone who knows the woman to provide her name in the comments of her Instagram post.
In the caption that accompanied the video, Sharon wrote to her hero: "Not only did you save me from losing one of my most cherished items, but you also restored my faith in people. I would love to thank you sincerely, if you are on Instagram or someone knows her Instagram page please post in my comments below!!!"
The Osbournes aired on MTV from March 5, 2002, to March 21, 2005 — for a total of 52 episodes. Ozzy, who fronted Black Sabbath, retired from touring in 2023 due to health issues. Sharon hosted her own daytime talk show, The Sharon Osbourne Show, and became a celebrity judge on the UK's The X Factor.
Credits: Screen captures via Instagram / sharonosbourne.
Lucara Diamond Corp. has unearthed a grapefruit-size, 2,492-carat diamond at its famous Karowe Mine in Botswana. The diamond ranks #2 on the list of the largest rough diamonds ever found. The 1,758-carat Sewelô, which was recovered from the same mine in 2019, is now in the third spot.
Of the top eight diamonds ever unearthed, the prolific Karowe Mine is credited with six of them. The still-unnamed discovery has a rugged silvery-white appearance and weighs in at 17.58 ounces (1.1 pounds). Maintaining the top spot is the 3,106-carat Cullinan, which was found at South Africa’s Premier Mine 2 in 1905.
Lucara's newest treasure remained unscathed during the recovery process thanks to the company’s state-of-the-art Mega Diamond Recovery ("MDR") X-ray Transmission ("XRT") technology, installed in 2017 to identify and preserve large, high-value diamonds. The stone was identified during the processing of EM/PK(S) kimberlite, the dominant ore type that Lucara has targeted during the first years of its underground mining operations.
Throughout history, diamond-bearing rock was typically drilled, blasted, hauled and put through crushing machines to expose the gems that may be hiding within. During that process, extremely large diamonds, some weighing hundreds of carats or more, were often damaged or even pulverized.
With the advent of XRT scanners, the mining process has become more delicate and discerning. As the rocky material comes down a conveyor belt, the scanners can pick out the diamonds based on their chemical composition. The diamond-rich material is then separated from the rubble and moved to a secure area for processing.
"We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond. This find not only showcases the remarkable potential of our Karowe Mine, but also upholds our strategic investment in cutting-edge XRT technology," said William Lamb, President and CEO of Lucara. "The ability to recover such a massive, high-quality stone intact demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach to diamond recovery and our commitment to maximizing value for our shareholders and stakeholders."
So, what will the future hold for a 2,492-carat rough diamond? It's likely to end up on the cutting wheel.
Nearly 120 years ago, the super-sized Cullinan was cut by the Asscher Company into nine principal diamonds and 96 smaller diamonds. The Cullinan I and II – known as the Great Star of Africa and the Lesser Star of Africa — are set in the Crown Jewels of Britain. They weigh 530 carats and 317 carats, respectively. The remaining seven principal diamonds, ranging in size from 94 carats to 4.39 carats, are in the collection of the British Royal Family.
Here's how the diamonds of the Karowe Mine rank on the list of the largest diamonds ever found.
2 - 2,492 carats, unnamed, 2024
3 - 1,758 carats, Sewelô, 2019
4 - 1,174 carats, unnamed, 2021
5 - 1,111 carats, Lesedi La Rona, 2015
7 - 1,080 carats, unnamed, 2023
8 - 998 carats, unnamed, 2020
Botswana's diamond industry delivers wide-ranging socio-economic benefits to the country that extend well beyond the mining sector. Its influence supports national development by funding critical areas such as education and healthcare.
Credits: Photos courtesy of CNW Group/Lucara Diamond Corp.
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you some of our all-time favorite songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today we feature Journey’s romantic, Grammy-nominated anthem, “When You Love a Woman.” In the memorable refrain, lead vocalist and songwriter Steve Perry sings, “When you love a woman, you can see your world inside her eyes,” and compares a joy that lasts forever to “a band of gold that shines.”
Originally released in 1996 as the third track and lead single from the group’s Trial by Fire album, “When You Love a Woman” quickly ascended to #1 on the US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart and topped out at #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1997, the song earned a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group.
Former members of Santana and a 1960s psychedelic rock band called Frumious Bandersnatch formed Journey in San Francisco in 1973. After a long string of hits, which included "Don't Stop Believin'" (18-times platinum, 1981), the group disbanded in 1987 only to reunite in 1995. When lead singer Steve “The Voice” Perry went down with a hip injury and was unable to tour in 1998, the group made numerous — and mostly unsuccessful — attempts to fill Perry’s formidable shoes.
In 2007, original band member Neal Schon was viewing Journey covers on YouTube when a video by Filipino Arnel Pineda caught his attention. Pineda had a golden voice similar to Perry’s and Journey had their man. He has been singing lead vocals for Journey ever since.
In April of 2017, Perry rejoined his bandmates for a special celebration that saw the group inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Journey is one of the best-selling bands of all time, with worldwide sales of more than 100 million albums. The group is currently touring with dates scheduled through the beginning of September in Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Colorado.
We invite you to be entranced by Perry's soaring vocals in the official video of “When You Love a Woman.” The video has been viewed more than 94 million times. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…
“When You Love a Woman”
Written by Steve Perry, Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain. Performed by Journey.
In my life I see where I’ve been
I said that I’d never fall again
Within myself I was wrong
My searchin’ ain’t over… over
I know that…
When you love a woman
You see your world inside her eyes
When you love a woman
You know she’s standin’ by your side
A joy that lasts forever
There’s a band of gold that shines waiting somewhere…oh yeah
If I can’t believe that someone is true
To fall in love is so hard to do
I hope and pray tonight
Somewhere you’re thinkin’ of me girl
Yes I know…I know that
When you love a woman
You see your world inside her eyes
When you love a woman
You know she’s standin’ by your side
A joy that lasts forever
There’s a band of gold that shines waiting somewhere…oh
It’s enough to make you cry
When you see her walkin’ by
And you look into her eyes
When you love a woman
You see your world inside her eyes
When you love a woman
Well you know she’s standin’ by your side
A joy that lasts forever
There’s a band of gold that shines
When you love a woman…
When you love, love, love, love
When you love a woman
You see your world inside her eyes
Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com / Journey.
Gold hit another milestone last Friday when the value of a 400-troy-ounce bullion bar surpassed the $1 million mark for the first time in history. The feat was attained as the spot price of gold surged beyond $2,500 per ounce just after 9 a.m.
The hefty million-dollar bars are the type you might see in photos of a Fort Knox vault or in scenes from the James Bond 007 thriller, Goldfinger (1964). They are impressively beautiful and impossibly dense (a 7-inch long, 3 5/8-inches wide, 1 3/4 inch-thick brick weighs nearly as much as a three-year-old child, at 27.4 pounds).
The spot gold price at 4 p.m. EST on Wednesday was $2,525, which put the value of the 400-ounce bar at $1,010,000. Gold hit its all-time high-water mark on Tuesday morning at $2,541.
Known as Good Delivery bars, these 400-ounce behemoths are typically bought and sold by large investors, governments and institutions.
Economists cite geopolitical tension, inflation hedging, stock market volatility and anticipated Federal Reserve interest-rate reductions as the key drivers of gold's price ascent. Gold is considered a safe-haven asset.
The price of gold is up 33% compared to a year ago ($1,895) and is almost 68% higher than five years ago ($1,503).
The US Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, KY, secures about half of the US Treasury’s gold reserves. Holdings amount to 147.3 million ounces (4,176 metric tons), and it’s believed that Fort Knox houses 2.3% of all the gold ever refined in the world.
In Lower Manhattan, the basement of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York houses 507,000 gold bars weighing 6,331 metric tons and valued at more than $200 billion.
The major difference between the Fort Knox and New York City facilities is that 95% of the Federal Reserve Bank’s holdings in New York is gold owned by foreign governments and international investors.
Credit: Photo by Stevebidmead, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
A 22-year-old archaeology student from Denmark's Aarhus University recently unearthed seven Viking-Age silver bangles dating back 1,200 years.
The seven bangles represent three distinctive design styles that underscore Aarhus' status as an international trading hub of the Viking Age. Researchers believe the silver bangles also may have served as a form of currency.
The student, Gustav Bruunsgaard, was using a metal detector to explore a known Viking site in Elsted, about eight miles north of Aarhus, when his device beeped loudly.
With a small shovel, Bruunsgaard successfully secured a single bangle. When he returned to the site a few days later, he found six more. The total weight of the seven silver bangles is about 500 grams, or a little over 1 pound, according the Moesgaard Museum.
Danish and international experts assessed the hoard and concluded that the items were fabricated during the early part of the Viking Age, which spanned from 793 AD to 1066 AD.
For the Vikings, arm bangles were not only statements of personal style and social status, but they could also be used as a type of currency. Bracelets like these, according to the Moesgaard Museum, were adapted to a common weight system, so that the value of the individual rings could easily be determined. In this way, the bangles served as a means of payment.
The bangle that looks like a coiled snake originated from Russia or Ukraine, according to the Moesgaard Museum, which added that the design was imitated by the Nordics.
The three stamped bands are of a South Scandinavian type that inspired bangles in Ireland, where they became very common. The museum explained that the three smooth bangles are rare and known to be from Scandinavia and England.
"The Elsted farm treasure is a fantastically interesting find from the Viking Age, which connects Aarhus with Russia and Ukraine in the east and the British Isles in the west," noted Kasper H. Andersen, Ph.D., and historian at Moesgaard Museum. "In this way, the find emphasizes how Aarhus was a central hub in the Viking world, which went all the way from the North Atlantic to Asia."
Bruunsgaard's seven silver bangles are currently on display at the Moesgaard Museum in Højbjerg, Denmark. The museum is just five miles south of Aarhus, which is Denmark's second largest city with a population of 330,000.
Credits: Jewelry image courtesy of Moesgaard Museum. Map by Google Maps.