Die-Hard Cubs Fans Live a Dream, Get Engaged While Holding the World Series Trophy at Wrigley Field

With the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series for the first time in 108 years, die-hard fans Christopher Lenard and girlfriend Lindsay Fuhs did something that no other couple has ever done before — get engaged in front of the iconic ivy-covered wall at Wrigley Field while holding the World Series trophy.

It happened on Friday as five million elated Cubs fans from all over the city celebrated the end of "The Curse," the longest World Series drought in Major League Baseball history.

The young couple was invited to take part in the World Series Trophy photo op thanks to Fuhs' connections with the team. Her dad, Rick, is a scoreboard operating and groundskeeper, who has worked for the franchise for 38 years.

The couple also has close ties to Wrigley Field. This is where the couple first dated, and Fuhs worked as an usher at Wrigley for two years when she was in high school.

The Commissioner’s Trophy was brought to Wrigley Field so team employees and loved ones could enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pose with the once-elusive trophy.

In a video posted to YouTube, we can see the happy couple as they stand in front of the ivy in centerfield. Fuhs is wearing a broad smile, Cubs cap and Cubs National League Champions t-shirt while carefully holding the trophy. Her boyfriend — decked out in a Cubs jersey and Cubs cap — is standing proudly at her side.

Nobody is aware that he has a surprise hidden in the front-left pocket of his jeans.

After the official photos are taken, Fuhs calls for one more shot and aims her gaze at a second photographer. Lenard calls for one more shot, as well, but it's for a different reason.

At that moment, Lenard pulls the ring box from his pocket, gets down on one knee and proposes to his startled girlfriend.

"Oh, my God," Fuhs gasps.

"Will you marry me?" asks Lenard.

"Yes!" exclaims Fuhs.

To free up her left hand, which is locked onto the precious trophy, a member of the Cubs promotion team steps in to assist. Fuhs turns her attention to her fiancé and new diamond engagement ring.

The couple kisses, embraces and basks in the glory of a Cubs World Series win and the prospects of an exciting life together.

Fuhs documented her monumental day with more than 100 photos on Facebook. The couple's story has gone viral, with stories on USAToday.com, MLB.com, ESPN.com, Chicago Sun Times, Yahoo Sports and 63,000 views on YouTube.com.

The "W" on the nail of her ring finger resembles the famous "Win" flag, which Cubs fans fly as a symbol of their dedication to the team.

In explaining his motivation for popping the question at Wrigley Field, Lenard wrote on YouTube.com, "The Cubs won for the first time in 108 years and I decided to do something literally no one has ever done before."

It doesn't get much better than that.

Check out the video below...

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.com; Photos via Facebook/Lindsay.Fuhs.

Graff Unveils the World's Largest D-Flawless Heart-Shaped Diamond

Laurence Graff, the billionaire jeweler whose name is attached to some of the most famous diamonds in the world, has introduced the Graff Venus, the world's largest D-flawless heart-shaped diamond.

About the size of a walnut and weighing 118.78-carats, the Graff Venus was painstakingly extracted from a 357-carat rough diamond that was sourced last year at the Letšeng Mine in Lesotho.

Heart-shaped diamonds are generally a high-risk proposition for cutters because the unusual shape is prone to cracking during the cleaving and polishing process. Graff's risk was multiplied many times due to the enormous size and value of the stone.

The process took 18 months, during which Graff and his team analyzed every excruciating detail of the rough stone. They even had to develop special tools to cut the stone.

The computer-generated illustration shows how the heart-shaped diamond (dark blue outline) was segmented from the rest of the original rough. Twenty-two additional diamonds were culled from the same piece.

The London-based chairman of Graff Diamonds — whose diamond collection includes the 24.78-carat Graff Pink, 102.79-carat Graff Constellation and the 31.06-carat Wittelsbach-Graff — couldn't be more proud of his latest creation, calling it "absolute perfection."

"The stone itself is beyond words," he said. "It is the most beautiful heart-shape diamond I have ever seen.”

The Gemological Institute of America agreed by awarding its highest grades to the Graff Venus. The stone was rated D-color, flawless, Type IIa with excellent polish and symmetry. Type IIa diamonds are almost or entirely devoid of impurities.

The Graff marketing team believes the diamond will eventually be incorporated into a pendant, brooch or tiara.

According to the Robb Report, Graff has had a role in cutting and polishing more than half of the 20 most exceptional diamonds discovered during the past century.

The Letšeng mine, which sits at an altitude of 10,000 feet in the tiny kingdom of Lesotho near the southern tip of Africa, has a long history of producing top-quality diamonds in huge sizes. The 357-carat rough diamond from which the Graff Venus was extracted had netted $19.3 million for Gem Diamonds in September of 2015. At the time, it was sold to a unnamed buyer.

Credits: Graff Venus images courtesy of Graff Diamonds. Rough diamond courtesy of Gem Diamonds.

NOVA Series 'Treasures of the Earth' Explores the Origin and Allure of Gems and Precious Metals

Tonight, PBS will broadcast the first of an epic three-part NOVA series called "Treasures of the Earth: Gems, Metals, and Power." The 60-minute shows will take us on a stunning journey deep within the earth to discover the incredible forces of nature that forge gemstones, precious metals and other valuable resources.

"Our earth is a master chef," says geologist Lung Chan in the first episode. "She knows how to cook."

In the first hour, subtitled "Gems," NOVA literally crisscrosses the globe to get an insider's view of the gem trade— from the workshop of an iconic luxury jeweler in New York City to a sapphire mine of Sri Lanka, from North Carolina's emerald fields to the jade-laden Forbidden City of China.

Not only does NOVA cover the beauty, value and intrigue behind these exquisite treasures, but also delves into the amazing role these gemstones play in helping geologists unravel the mysteries of plate tectonics. NOVA will also explore the riches that may have originated in space.

"Treasures of the Earth: Gems, Metals, and Power" will air on November 2, 9 and 16. The second episode will cover precious metals and the third episode with tackle the subject of power as it relates to the control of natural resources.

In "Metals," NOVA will look at the astounding properties that have made them the pillars of human civilization. From the enduring luster of gold, to the conductivity of copper and the strength of steel, metals have reshaped societies and defined eras, according to NOVA.

In the third segment, "Power," the viewer will learn the energy secrets locked in the molecules of natural resources, such as coal, oil and natural gas. NOVA will also look at climate change and the hunt for cleaner forms of energy.

Credits: Images via pbs.org.

Perot Museum in Dallas Houses the Most Magnificent Examples of November's Birthstones

Topaz and citrine share the spotlight as the official birthstones for the month of November. And perhaps nowhere in the world can you see bigger and more magnificent examples of these gem varieties than at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas.

You thought we were going to say "the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.," but here's the catch.

The Smithsonian has loaned 29 of its biggest faceted gems to the Perot Museum for a limited showing that runs through January 17, 2017. Among the specimens headlining the “Giant Gems of the Smithsonian” exhibition is the famous 22,892-carat American Golden topaz, a 19,747-carat smoky citrine and a football-shaped 7,033-carat irradiated blue topaz.

The American Golden Topaz is the third-largest faceted gemstone in the world. Sourced in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and tipping the scales at a whopping 10.1 pounds, the American Golden Topaz was cut by Leon Agee over a period of two years in the late 1980s from a 26-pound stream-rounded cobble owned by Drs. Marie L. and Edgar F. Borgatta.

In the top photo, the faceted gem sits in the foreground while two other natural topaz crystals are nearly the size of the seated young girl. They weigh 70 pounds and 111 pounds, respectively, but are not part of the Perot exhibit.

Sourced in Bahia, Brazil, the modified marquise-shaped smoky citrine was faceted in 1987 by Michael Gray and acquired by the Smithsonian in 2013. At 8.7 pounds, it's the largest smoky citrine in the National Gem Collection.

It's a common jewelry industry practice to irradiate pale-colored topaz, which becomes a brilliant blue after the process. The football-shaped gem you see here likely started out as colorless or pale yellow-brown, according to the Smithsonian. Discovered in Ouro Preto, Brazil, the 3.1-pound gem was gifted to the Smithsonian in 1981.

“Giant Gems of the Smithsonian” is making its temporary residence at the Lyda Hill Gems and Minerals Hall, which is one of the Perot Museum's most popular exhibits.

Credit: Photos of American Golden Topaz with child, smoky citrine and blue topaz courtesy of Smithsonian. Display photo of American Golden Topaz by Observer31 at English Wikipedia [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Perot Museum by Joe Mabel [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

$3M Victoria's Secret Fantasy Bra Glitters With 9,000 Diamonds and Emeralds

More than 9,000 diamonds and emeralds weighing 450 carats embellish the 2016 Bright Night Fantasy Bra by Victoria's Secret. The $3 million bra will be worn by model Jasmine Tookes at the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which will be seen December 5 on the CBS Television Network.

This year's highly anticipated Fantasy Bra was conceived by Eddie Borgo, a New York-based accessories designer, who incorporated many of the elements from his jewelry and handbag collections.

“It was important to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show collection team that the design represented some of the different iconography, shapes and techniques that we use consistently within my namesake collection,” Borgo told Vogue.com.

The result was an edgier design that features an emerald-studded padlock, emerald tassel, and diamond-encrusted spikes and studs. The jewels were handset in 18-karat white gold by AWMouzannar, a Beirut-based fine jewelry company with locations in London, Chicago and Kuwait City. The Bright Night Fantasy Bra took seven months and more than 7,000 man-hours to create. Behind all the embellishment is the company's "Beautiful by Victoria’s Secret" bra.

Borgo was excited to work with emeralds, claiming he was drawn to the stone's vividness.

“The color of a true emerald is inimitable,” he said.

Tookes, who was in New York City last week to unveil the new Fantasy Bra, also was excited by the inclusion of emeralds in the design.

“They are one of my favorite gemstones," she told Vogue.com. "I have a lot of rings that have emeralds on them, so this matches perfectly with my jewelry collection.”

When it came to fitting Tokes for the $3 million bra, Borgo left nothing to chance. The designer utilized a virtual scan on Tookes's body as well as a plaster mold.

Tookes was surprised to become the latest in a series of high-profile models to have the honor of wearing the Fantasy Bra. She follows in the footsteps of supermodels Gisele Bündchen, Claudia Schiffer and Tyra Banks.

“It’s such an honor for me to join a whole group of women who are icons, and who I grew up watching over the years,” Tookes said.

For the first time in its history, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show will take place in Paris.

Credits: Instagram.com/VictoriasSecret; screen captures via vspressroom.com.

Music Friday: Newly Engaged Colbie Caillat Compares Falling in Love to Sitting on Top of a 'Goldmine'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great new songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today we shine our spotlight on the newly engaged Colbie Caillat, who sings about falling in love in her brand new release, "Goldmine."

Composed by Caillat and three collaborators, "Goldmine" captures the elation of finding the perfect soulmate. Billboard magazine described "Goldmine" as "a sunny number that's liable to have you whistling along in glee."

Caillat sings, "Fly me back to the moon where you took me / The very first time that you kissed me / In the sweet starlight of your endless eyes when you lit this fire / Feels like we're sitting on top of a goldmine / Flame so bright that it won't die / In a billion years it'll still be here 'cause our love is a goldmine / Yeah, our love is a goldmine."

"Goldmine" is the second track on Caillat's new album, The Malibu Sessions. The single stands at #37 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, and the album, which was released October 7, is climbing the Billboard 200 and is currently at #35.

Caillat told Billboard magazine that "Goldmine," which was originally penned by Taylor Berrett, was passed along to her by a mutual friend, Kara DioGuardi.

"Within three minutes of hearing [Berrett's] idea I was singing it on repeat," she told Billboard. "I ran upstairs and played it for Jason Reeves [her regular writing partner) and we instantly started writing to it. We called Kara on Skype so the three of us could write it together. She was at her cozy house in Maine and we were at our beach house in California. Within minutes we finished the song and started recording it right away. This happy, warm song is definitely one of the most unique ways I've ever written."

The song meshed perfectly with Caillet's own experience. She started dating guitarist/singer Justin Young in 2009 and the couple was engaged in May of 2015.

A native of Malibu, Calif., the 31-year-old Caillat got national attention in 2008 when she recorded "Lucky," a duet with Jason Mraz. The song earned a Grammy in the "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance" category. Caillat has sold more than 6 million albums and 10 million singles worldwide.

Some trivia: Caillat's road to stardom has not always been paved with gold. The artist auditioned for American Idol twice and was rejected both times. Caillat rose to fame through social networking website Myspace.

Please check out the uplifting video of Caillat's live performance of "Goldmine" at Paste Studios in New York City. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Goldmine"
Written by Taylor Berrett, Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi, Jason Bradford Reeves and Colbie Caillet. Performed by Colby Caillet.

If all I had was a dollar and your bright smile
I'd have a dollar more than I would need to get by
'Cause I'm a billionaire if you count every sunrise
Waking by your side and every good night
If all you had was the way that I love you
You'd have more honey than the honey bees in June
I'll keep you laughing, keep you smiling, keep your dreams true
Long as I have you, nothing we can't do

Fly me back to the moon where you took me
The very first time that you kissed me
In the sweet starlight of your endless eyes when you lit this fire
Feels like we're sitting on top of a goldmine
Flame so bright that it won't die
In a billion years it'll still be here 'cause our love is a goldmine
Yeah, our love is a goldmine

If everything we ever owned disappeared today
We'd build a castle in the sand somewhere far away
Don't need no money, no TV, don't need no microwave
Just the ocean waves and the love we make

Fly me back to the moon where you took me
The very first time that you kissed me
In the sweet starlight of your endless eyes when you lit this fire
Feels like we're sitting on top of a goldmine
Flame so bright that it won't die
In a billion years it'll still be here 'cause our love is a goldmine

We'll be rich in wrinkles, old and gray
When the rising tide sweeps us away

Until then fly me back to the moon where you took me
The very first time that you kissed me
In the sweet starlight of your endless eyes when you lit this fire
Feels like we're sitting on top of a goldmine
Flame so bright that it won't die
In a billion years it'll still be here 'cause our love is a goldmine

Feels like we're sitting on top of a goldmine
Flame so bright that it won't die
In a billion years it'll still be here cause our love is a goldmine
Yeah, our love is a goldmine

Credit: Screen captures via YouTube.com.

Cleveland Cavaliers' First-Ever Championship Rings Are Teeming With Symbolism... and 400 Diamonds

The Cleveland Cavaliers commemorated their first-ever NBA crown Tuesday night with super-symbolic championship rings that reflect the spirit of a team that defied all odds to become the first in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.

Designed in 10-karat white gold with 14-karat gold accents, the rings are encrusted with more than 400 diamonds weighing 6.5 carats. The massive 165-gram, two-tone rings are the league's heaviest to date.

When the Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 7, 93-87, they completed a thrilling run that delivered to the City of Cleveland its first major sports championship in 52 years.

The most interesting part of the design is the way manufacturer Baron Championship Rings represented the team's unprecedented comeback. Set into the bottom of the band are seven gemstones. The white diamonds represent the Warriors' victories in Games 1, 2 and 4, and the deep red garnets represent the Cavaliers' victories in Games 3, 5, 6 and 7.

The face of the ring features the Cavaliers' "C" logo carved from a dark red garnet. The "C" has a black drop-shadow that represents the lucky black-sleeved uniforms that helped turn the series around in Game 5.

The basketball atop the Larry O’Brien Trophy on the face of the ring is replaced by a one-carat round diamond, signifying the team's first championship.

The words "WORLD" and "CHAMPIONS" border the top and bottom of the ring in contrasting yellow gold. The words are rendered with 216 diamonds, a nod to Cleveland's area code. Cascading along the right and left edges of the ring are 46 diamonds, representing the number of years the Cavaliers have been in existence.

Encircling the top of the ring are the numbers of each of the players rendered in gold and spaced by a diamond. In addition, each ring has a custom yellow gold banner that features the player's number encrusted in diamonds. The banner hangs over the skyline of Cleveland rendered in white gold. The Roman numerals "LII" sit under the bridge. This represents the 52 years the city had been waiting for a championship. The drought is now "water under the bridge." Also under the bridge are Cleveland's initials "CLE" in raise gold lettering.

The opposite shoulder of the ring shows the player's last name in 14-karat yellow gold along with the championship year of 2016 in white gold. The "0" in the year is replace with the NBA logo. Under the year is the shape of Ohio encrusted with 11 diamonds to signify the number of years the team has been under the current ownership.

On the interior of the ring is one of 16 puzzle pieces and the team's chant, "Automatic Work." The puzzle represents a motivational strategy used by management to propel the team through the playoffs. Each player and head coach Tyronn Lue were assigned a puzzle piece that, when fully assembled, depicted the image of the Larry O'Brien trophy. The team knew that it would take 16 wins (or puzzle pieces) to win the championship.

The black diamond punctuating the puzzle piece is a second nod to the black-sleeved uniforms that sparked the team's turnaround.

The Cavaliers received their rings prior to their victorious home opener against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. More than 2,000 full- and part-time employees of the Cleveland Cavaliers' organization will receive replica rings.

Credits: Images courtesy of Baron Championship Rings.

De Beers Vacuums Gem-Quality Diamonds From the Ocean Floor

Many eons ago, the Orange River ferried precious diamonds from the center of South Africa westward all the way to the Atlantic coast — eventually scattering millions of carats across the ocean floor.

Today, five massive production vessels operated by De Beers — in partnership with the government of the Republic of Namibia — are recovering those gem-quality diamonds from a remote location more than dozen miles off the southwestern edge of the African continent.

The operation, called Debmarine Namibia, employs a 285-ton vacuum that scours the ocean floor 400 feet below sea level. A seabed crawler uses flexible hoses to bring diamond-bearing gravel to the surface. According to The Wall Street Journal, the mining operation yields a handful of diamonds for every 180 tons of material processed.

The publication described the fleet's high-security recovery rooms, where X-ray machines help separate the diamonds from worthless gravel. The concentrate is collected in jam-sized jars and taken to De Beers's land-based sorting operations via helicopter a few times each week.

When the undersea terrain is too uneven for the giant vacuum, the focus turns to the other ships, which use use drills to probe and extract material just 18 inches below the surface. There is no need to drill deeper because the diamonds are scattered just below the top layer of gravel.

A few decades ago, it would have been unfathomable for diamond companies to pursue deep-sea mining. But breakthroughs in technology are making this type of project viable and lucrative.

While sea-based diamonds account for just 4% of De Beers's annual production by carat weight, they account for 13% by value. This is because 95% of the diamonds pulled from the ocean floor are of gem-quality. This compares to just 20% of gem-quality diamonds coming from De Beers's top mine in Botswana. Some experts surmise that the diamonds in the ocean have endured such a pounding for so long that only the gem-quality ones could stay intact.

The Debmarine Namibia operation has yielded 16 million carats, so far. De Beers predicts that it will take about 50 years to "mine out" the licensed area that covers 2,300 square miles. It starts about 3 miles offshore and extends seaward 10 to 20 miles.

De Beers has aggressively invested in its sea-based operations. In August, the company added to its fleet the SS Nujoma, a $166-million exploration and sampling ship.

Credits: Images courtesy De Beers. Map by GoogleMaps.com.

Diamond Jewelry Worn by Catherine the Great 250 Years Ago Highlights Sotheby's Geneva Auction

A lavish diamond necklace worn by Catherine the Great 250 years ago is one of the highlights of Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels & Noble Jewels auction in Geneva on November 16.

The jewelry offers a rare glimpse at the grandeur and elegance surrounding the Russian Royal Family and, specifically, Catherine II, Empress of Russia. One of the great leaders in Russian history, Catherine the Great (1729 – 1796) commissioned the diamond necklace and bowknot clasp as two separate pieces between 1760 and 1780.

Catherine the Great was a connoisseur of fine jewelry. Her magnificent collections were crafted by the most highly skilled French jewelers. Sotheby's noted that stylistically, the necklace with bow clasp is consistent with traditional designs of the late 18th century, which would have been fastened around the neck using a ribbon or stitched directly onto clothing.

The necklace boasts 27 graduated cushion-cut diamonds in open settings on an articulated band. The ribbon bow clasp also features cushion-shaped diamonds in an openwork floral pattern. The jewel carries a pre-sale estimate of $3 million to $5 million.

According to Sotheby's, the survival of an 18th century jewel of this stature is almost unheard of outside royal or museum collections. Oftentimes, these pieces from the 1700s would have been broken up or reworked to align with later fashions.

At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the Russian Imperial treasure was moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow, and the jewels were stored in sealed cases in the Kremlin. Thirteen years later, a number of items — including the diamond bow necklace — were taken to London and offered at auction at a sale of “The Russian State Jewels.” For the next 89 years, the diamond necklace with the bow-shaped clasp would be possessed by only two private collectors.

Interestingly, the current owner obtained the necklace at a Sotheby's auction in 2005. At that time, it sold for $1.5 million, which was on the high end of the pre-sale estimate.

Also expected to fetch $3 million to $5 million at Sotheby's Geneva sale is a suite of colored diamond jewels that date to the early 1700s and are suspected to have ties to Russian royalty.

The jewelry suite — which includes a necklace, brooch and earrings — contains colored diamonds that may have been part of a gift Empress Catherine I of Russia (1684-1727), wife of Peter the Great, gave to Sultan Ahmed III to negotiate the end of the Siege of Pruth in 1711. Apparently, the Sultan accepted the sumptuous gift, leading to a peace treaty between Russia and the Ottoman Empire.

The gemstones were then used by the Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1842 – 1918) for the present necklace, which he offered to the wife of Teufik of Egypt, possibly for the birth of the last Khedive of Egypt and Sudan in 1874, according to Sotheby's.

“These two stunning jewels carry with them a fascinating insight into the luxury and opulence of the Russian court," said David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewelry Division. "It is difficult to overstate their rarity and historical importance, and I am thrilled to be able to present them side by side this autumn."

Credits: Images courtesy Sotheby’s.

Smog Free Tower Is Turning Beijing's Polluted Air Into Fun Jewelry

In September 2015, we reported on a Netherlands-based artist and innovator named Daan Roosegaarde, who was on a mission to install 23-foot-tall “Smog Free Towers” in cities with the most polluted air.

What made the concept even more intriguing was that the super-sized air purifiers conceived by Roosegaarde and his team of experts would be partly financed by the sale of jewelry made from the compressed smog particles captured by The Towers.

A little more than one year later, Roosegaarde's dream has become a reality as one of his “Smog Free Towers” made its debut in the Chinese capital of Beijing.

According to Roosegaarde, the tower sucks up polluted air, processes it on the nano level via positive ionization and then releases the clean air back into the city. The Towers create smog-free bubbles of public space, which boast air quality 75% more clean than the rest of the city.

Each Smog Free Tower is capable of processing 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour. The device runs on green wind energy and uses no more electricity than a water boiler (1170 watts).

Inspired by the fact that diamonds are composed of carbon, Roosegaarde came up with the idea of using high pressure to form the carbon pollutants into a square black “gemstone” that can be set onto a fashionable ring or cufflink. Each Smog Free Cube is encased in clear resin and measures 8.4mm. The jewelry is made of stainless steel and costs about $270.

Each cube represents the purification of 1,000 cubic meters of air. One Smog Free Tower will be capable of producing 300 Smog Free Cubes per day if it runs 10 hours per day.

"The Smog Free Project is about the Smog Free Tower providing clean air, but it's also about the Smog Free Ring creating an engagement and making the people in China part of the solution, instead of just feeling part of the problem," Roosegaarde told Reuters.

“We warmly welcome the Smog Free Project to Beijing. This project is key in our agenda to promote clean air as a 'green lifestyle' among Chinese citizens," said Liu Guozheng, Secretary-General of The China Forum of Environmental Journalists. "Our goal is to guide the public to a healthier lifestyle, low carbon development and to raise awareness amongst the public and reduce smog.”

The Smog Free Project in China has earned the support of the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection.

China has earmarked $2.6 trillion for environmental protection between 2016 and 2020, according to state news agency Xinhua. That's positive news for Roosegaarde, who expects to add hundreds of Smog Free Towers throughout the world's most populous nation. China's population stands at 1.36 billion.

Last year's Kickstarter campaign for the Smog Free Project yielded €113,153 (about $123,000), an amount more than double the initial goal of €50,000.

Credits: Images via StudioRoosegaarde.net.