More than 200 million visitors have marveled at the beauty and majesty of the Hope Diamond since jeweler Harry Winston donated it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958. What most of those visitors don't know is that the Hope bears a complicated, multinational lineage that connects it with the stolen French Blue and an earlier […]
"Le Grand Mazarin," the legendary 19.07-carat pink diamond that was once part of the French Crown Jewels, is expected to fetch between $6 million and $9 million at Christie's Geneva on November 14. The magnificent square-cut stone has been in the collection of four kings, four queens, two emperors and two empresses, starting with the […]
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you outstanding songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora perform a beautiful acoustic version of "Diamond Ring," a ballad they co-wrote with Desmond Child in 1988. Featuring romantic lyrics, soaring harmonies and a memorable acoustic guitar […]
Kris Pond cried uncontrollably as she surveyed the still-smoking rubble on the property where her home once stood. Her Santa Rosa residence was one of nearly 6,000 obliterated by the catastrophic wildfires that have been tearing through Northern California since October 8. An ABC News crew caught up with Pond and her husband, Mike, as […]
Thousands of astronomers from around the globe joined together on Monday to confirm the first-ever sighting of two neutron stars colliding in space. In just one second, the "kilonova" generated the equivalent of 50 Earth masses of silver, 100 Earth masses of gold and 500 Earth masses of platinum. The gold alone is estimated to […]
New York City bride-to-be Ashlee Palacio is a creature of habit. Every night, she follows the same bedtime routine and places her beloved three-carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring in a special tray on her nightstand. But, last Monday, Palacio broke her routine and fell asleep on the opposite side of her bed — with her engagement […]
All eyes will be on the "Raj Pink," the world's largest known fancy intense pink diamond, when it hits the auction block at Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale in Geneva on November 15. The exceptional 37.30-carat, cushion-modified, brilliant-cut gem is estimated to fetch between $20 million and $30 million — but could yield […]
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you classic songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Styx lead singer Dennis DeYoung searches for a pot of gold in the classic 1977 hit, "Come Sail Away." An inspirational song about following one's dreams no matter how challenging the journey may […]
Back in March, we recounted the amazing story of pastor and part-time miner Emmanuel Momoh, who extracted a 706-carat diamond from the sediment of a Sierra Leone riverbed using his bare hands and a sieve. The shimmering yellowish specimen, which is slightly smaller than a hockey puck, is considered to be one of the 20 […]
The practice of using gemstones to vitalize water dates back to ancient Greece. The energy emitted from opals, garnets, emeralds, amethysts, quartz or even diamond slivers can boost water's alkalinity and oxygenation, and some believe the gems have the ability to infuse H2O with their own unique properties and characteristics. Because of the impractical nature […]