On Wednesday of next week, a very rare and cleverly crafted platinum tiara with ties to Spanish royalty will be offered for sale at Bonhams, London. Reflecting the refined aesthetics of the Belle Époque period — the "beautiful era" of relative peace and prosperity prior to World War I — this 33.5-carat diamond tiara was […]
Archaeologists working in the basement of a demolished theater in Northern Italy recently unearthed a soapstone jar literally bursting with Roman gold coins dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries AD. The pristine coins were pulled from the site of the former Cressoni theater, which is located in Como, near the Swiss border. Hundreds […]
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you uplifting songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, singer-songwriter Jason Mraz delivers a message of love, hope and infinite possibilities in his 2018 release, "Have It All." Inspired by a spiritual encounter with a Buddhist monk while visiting Myanmar in 2012, […]
Until last week, RNC Minerals had been running a ho-hum nickel operation at the Beta Hunt Mine in southwestern Australia. But, when a gold vein was discovered about 1,600 feet underground, the miner decided to do some deeper blasting — and the results were spectacular. From a single cut, the miner extracted 9,250 ounces of […]
Empowering colors and joyful hues dominate Pantone’s Fashion Color Trend Report for the Spring/Summer of 2019. According to the Pantone Color Institute’s experts, this new palette of 12 standout colors is illuminating the runways of NY Fashion Week, which runs through Saturday in Manhattan. Fiesta / Jester Red / Turmeric / Living Coral The 12 […]
The largest fancy deep purplish-pink diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America will headline Alrosa's first-ever "True Colour" auction of colored polished diamonds. The 11.06-carat, cushion-cut gem is one of 250 colorful diamonds that Alrosa will display at the Hong Kong Gem & Jewelry Fair, which opens on Wednesday. The Russian mining company […]
Inspired by the "holey dollar," Australia's first official currency, The Perth Mint recently unveiled a $1.7 million collector coin that pays tribute to early prospectors of the nation’s most treasured natural riches — gold and pink diamonds. The Discovery coin weighs 2,000 grams (4.41 pounds) and has an unusual design reminiscent of a donut and […]
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fresh songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Gwen Stefani compares boyfriend and country star Blake Shelton to a sapphire in her 2016 release, "Rare." In this song penned by Stefani and three collaborators, the former No Doubt singer uses the […]
FBI agents announced Tuesday that they had recovered the pair of Ruby Slippers snatched 13 years ago from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn. Considered one of the most iconic pieces of Hollywood memorabilia, the Ruby Slippers were made famous by the child star in her role as Dorothy in the 1939 MGM […]
An international team of researchers has uncovered archaeological evidence suggesting that precious amber — the golden-colored translucent gemstone formed from fossilized tree resin — was prized by our prehistoric ancestors and traded throughout the Mediterranean region. Researchers used a sophisticated technique known as infrared spectroscopy to analyze amber jewelry and other amber ornaments found at […]