Back in April 1840, the ship Sultanee arrived in New York Harbor loaded with exotic gifts for President Martin Van Buren. The valuable offerings included two magnificent Arabian horses, a case of rose oil, five demijohns of rose water, four Cashmere shawls, ivory, wild animal skins, Arabian dates, a bale of Persian rugs, a gold-mounted […]
“The Sienna Star,” a 73.11-carat fancy vivid yellow diamond, is being promoted as the top lot at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale in New York City on June 9. Characterized by the Gemological Institute of America as “a standout item in the extraordinary world of gemstones,” the cut-cornered square, step-cut diamond boasts a VS2 clarity rating […]
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you chart-topping songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, we have Kenny Chesney singing the #1 country music single of 2002, “The Good Stuff.” In the song, a young man learns some critical life lessons from a middle-aged barkeep who recently lost […]
Since the 8th grade, Christian Liden of Poulsbo, WA, has dreamed of creating a special ring for his future wife with gemstones and gold he mined himself. With his recent discovery of a 2.2-carat yellow diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AR, Liden is about to turn that dream into a reality. […]
Rio Tinto just unveiled the “heroes” of its 2021 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, the final collection of rare pink, red and blue gems from the now-shuttered Argyle mine in the remote east Kimberley region of Western Australia. During its 37 years of production, the mine famously produced between 90% and 95% of the world’s pink […]
For St. Louis Cardinals superfan Erica Pulley and her boyfriend, Jeremy Gregge, Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium was a dream come true. Not only was their surprise marriage proposal captured on the giant-sized video board in centerfield, but star catcher Yadier Molina was so taken by the romantic moment that he paused his at-bat during […]
“The Sakura Diamond,” a 15.81-carat gem that takes its name from the Japanese word for cherry blossom, set two records at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Hong Kong on Sunday. The flawless, rectangular mixed-cut stone became the largest fancy vivid purple-pink diamond ever to appear at auction, and then went on to achieve a record […]
Welcome to Music Friday when we often feature throwback songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. In late March 1969, Dennis Yost and Classics IV reached #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with "Traces," a melancholy song about a man looking back on his life and longing for the […]
Actress Kat Dennings and her rocker boyfriend Andrew W.K. turned to Instagram last Thursday to tell the world — in very few words — that they were officially engaged. In a post that included closeups of the 2 Broke Girls star wearing her new three-stone engagement ring, the 34-year-old simply wrote, "Don’t mind if I […]
As a homage to humanity, designer/artist Reena Ahluwalia has painted her interpretation of the "Mouawad — Miss Universe Power of Unity" crown — an opulent headpiece that features 1,728 white diamonds and three golden canary diamonds originating from Botswana. The diamond painting was commissioned by Mouawad co-guardian Fred Mouawad. The piece will be auctioned, with […]