"The Spirit of the Rose" — a 14.83-carat fancy vivid purple-pink diamond that's so special it has its own website — is expected to fetch up to $38 million when it hits the auction block at Sotheby's Geneva on November 11. Sourced in 2017 at Alrosa’s Ebelyakh deposit in Yakutia, Russia, the oval-shaped sparkler was […]
Highlighted by a 396.30-carat pleochroic kunzite, the “Picasso Kunzite Necklace“ is the next stop on our virtual tour of the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Pleochroism is an optical phenomenon in which a gemstone presents multiple colors when observed at different angles. The impressive cushion-cut kunzite […]
University of Alabama staffer Victoria Giattina defied all odds last week by locating a missing diamond in the cavernous confines of the 101,800-seat Bryant–Denny Stadium. Even more amazing is the fact that the assistant director of event management and external operations completed her impossible assignment in less than 30 minutes. The drama unfolded after last […]
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fabulous songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, music legend Van Morrison serves up his 2006 interpretation of "Big Blue Diamonds," a frequently covered song that was first released 70 years ago. Written by Earl J. "Kit" Carson, "Big Blue Diamonds" […]
There's an unusual nut from Queensland, Australia, that will never find its way into a candy bar or portable protein pack. That's because the Yowah nut is actually a naturally forming concretion — an inedible ironstone nodule that looks very much like a nut. What's even more fascinating about Yowah nuts is that when they're […]
There's an unusual nut from Queensland, Australia, that will never find its way into a candy bar or portable protein pack. That's because the Yowah nut is actually a naturally forming concretion — an inedible ironstone nodule that looks very much like a nut. What's even more fascinating about Yowah nuts is that when they're […]
A previously unrecorded example of an ancient “Ides of March” gold coin commemorating the assassination of Roman dictator Julius Caesar in 44 BC has been confirmed by rare coin authenticators in the United States and the United Kingdom. Only three are known to exist. One expert described the nickel-sized rarity as “a masterpiece of ancient […]
Eighteen months ago, an unnamed Japanese private collector plunked down $13.7 million for a D-flawless, 88.22-carat oval diamond at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. He gifted it to his eldest daughter and named it “Manami Star” in her honor. Yesterday, it was deja vu all over again for the devoted dad, as his winning bid of $15.6 […]
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Lorde channels Hunger Games protagonist Katniss Everdeen in “Yellow Flicker Beat,” a dark jam that’s infused with references to gemstones and precious metals. In the first verse, Lorde sings, “I’m a princess cut […]
Paraiba tourmaline is the most prized variety of October’s birthstone. The vivid teal, turquoise and neon blue stones caused a sensation when they were first discovered in Brazil's tropical, coastal state of Paraiba in 1987. Worldwide demand sparked a mining frenzy and, within five years, the supply beneath "Paraiba Hill" was largely tapped out. With […]