West Point's 'Ring Melt' Reaffirms the Bond Between Cadets and Their Distinguished Predecessors

This morning at a Rhode Island refinery, the donated class rings of 54 West Point graduates dating back to 1914 will be dropped in a crucible and melted into a solid gold bar. That ingot will be merged with new gold to create the class rings for the current cadets, symbolically and physically reaffirming the bond between the West Point Class of 2017 and its distinguished predecessors.

Relatives of 23 donors will present the rings for melting in a heartwarming and solemn event that will take place at Pease & Curren's Warwick, R.I., headquarters. The Class of 2017 will receive their class rings in August of 2016 during a ceremony at West Point.

Now in its 16th year, the "Ring Melt" was conceived by retired Lt. Col. Ron Turner, Class of 1958. He proposed that donations of class rings would be collected from West Point alumni and their descendants.

Wrote Turner, "We all were proud to receive our ring, the symbol of membership in the Long Gray Line. Perhaps we would have been even prouder had our new class rings included traces of the gold from rings of past graduates — some of whom served many years before we, our parents, or even our grandparents were born."

Each year, a sample would be extracted from the ingot of melted rings and added to the melt of the following year. The "legacy sample" would ensure that gold from all ring melts going back to the inaugural ceremony in 2001 is included in the production of rings for the upcoming senior cadets.

West Point is credited with originating the concept of the class ring in 1835, as West Point became the first American university to honor its senior class with a treasured keepsake of gold. Prior to this year's melt, 356 rings have been donated and melted, spanning the classes of 1896 to 1997. The oldest ring melted this year belonged to Major General Jens A. Doe, Class of 1914. He was the commanding officer of the 14th Machine Gun Battalion in World War I.

The names of all 54 West Point ring donors will be read aloud at the "Ring Melt" ceremony, which will be attended by a select group from the Class of 2017. The cadets will get to view the refining process and actually handle the solid gold bar in a symbolic demonstration of continuity with their brave predecessors, as seen in this photo from Pease & Curren's website.

Images via peaseandcurren.com; Screen captures via YouTube.com.

Music Friday: Haunting Gypsy Song Claims That If You Wear 'Golden Earrings' Love Will Come to You

Welcome to Music Friday when we frequently feature throwback songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, we have music legend Willie Nelson singing his rendition of the haunting love song, "Golden Earrings."

Originally performed by Murvyn Vye in the 1947 romantic spy film of the same name, "Golden Earrings" tells the story of the jewelry's mystical qualities.

The song begins like this: "There's a story the gypsies know is true / That when your love wears golden earrings / He belongs to you."

The next verse states: "An old love story that's known to very few / But if you wear those golden earrings / Love will come to you."

Now, if you're wondering why a guy is wearing golden earrings, the answer lies in the plot of the movie... On the eve of World War II, a British colonel, played by Ray Milland, escapes from the Gestapo to the Black Forest and poses as the mate of a beautiful gypsy (Marlene Dietrich) to elude his captors. In the poster, above, Milland is clearly wearing the golden earrings.

As Les Adams outlined for IMDB.com: "She pierces his ears for dazzling golden earrings, stains his skin, dresses him in [gypsy] clothes and teaches him to read palms. His disguise is perfect and he emerges unharmed from several encounters with Nazi patrols."

Over the past 69 years, "Golden Earrings" has been covered by no fewer than 50 artists, including Peggy Lee (who scored a hit in 1947), Bobby Darin (1964) and Nelson (1983).

In Nelson's rendition, the line "He belongs to you" is changed to "She belongs to you."

"Golden Earrings" was the sixth track on Nelson's album Without a Song, a release that ascended to #3 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album also ranked #54 on the U.S Billboard 200.

Willie Hugh Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas, in 1933, and during his 60-year career has demonstrated a wide range of talents. The American icon is a musician, singer, songwriter, author, poet, actor and activist. He has recorded more than 60 studio albums and appeared in more than 30 films and television shows. At 82 years old, he still has an active touring schedule.

He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, won the lifetime award of the Library of Congress in 2015 and was honored by Rolling Stone as one of the "100 Greatest Singers" and "100 Greatest Guitarists" of all time.

We're happy to present the audio track of Nelson's version of "Golden Earrings." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along.

"Golden Earrings"
Written by Victor Young, Ray Evans, Jay Livingston. Performed by Willie Nelson.

There's a story the gypsies know is true
That when your love wears golden earrings,
She belongs to you.

An old love story that's known to very few,
But if you wear those golden earrings,
Love will come to you.

By the burning fire, they will glow with ev'ry coal.
You will hear desire whisper low inside your soul.
So be my gypsy;

Make love your guiding light,
And let this pair of golden earrings
Cast their spell tonight.

Willie Nelson image via YouTube screen capture. "Golden Earrings" movie poster via Wikipedia (Fair Use).

Missing Platinum-and-Diamond Wedding Band Turns Up in Toddler's X-Ray

A Seattle-area mom learned the hard way why it's not a great idea to leave a sparkly platinum-and-diamond wedding band within a toddler's reach.

The mischievous 14-month-old boy named Brady apparently swiped the ring from the bathroom counter while his mother was washing her hands.

The proud dad — a Reddit user who calls himself “IAMCLARKGRISWOLD” (in homage to Chevy Chase's character in the beloved National Lampoon movies) — posted the news of the missing ring and his next course of action...

“My wife couldn’t find her wedding ring yesterday,” he wrote. “We decided to have our baby X-rayed just in case.”

Mom and dad's hunch was right on the mark, as the X-ray revealed the ring squarely in toddler's gut.

Doctors at the local children's hospital didn't see an immediate danger and, after holding their little patient for observation for eight hours, advised the parents to return home and wait for the jewelry to re-emerge naturally.

They also warned that the natural process could take up to two weeks, which meant the parents and two siblings, ages 5 and 7, had to prepare themselves for a long run of around-the-clock diaper vigils. If the ring did not pass naturally, doctors were prepared to remove the ring surgically.

The dad posted to Reddit, “Now we dissect each diaper like 5th grade science class.”

Fortunately for Brady and his family, the platinum-and-diamond ring emerged nine hours later with no ill effects.

The dad wrote, "We can't believe how quickly it passed, and it didn't seem to cause him any pain on the way out. What a trooper. What a pooper."

Reddit users were quick to chime in.

"Just remember; one day you will be asked to give a speech at your child's wedding," wrote starstarstar42. "I would lead off with this."

RoboKraken69 contributed this comical dialog...

"Hey honey, have you seen the remote?"

"No, just go X-ray the baby."

Another user added, “Isn’t your baby more precious now?”

Pediatrician Jennifer Shu told CNN that babies put things in their mouths to explore objects around them, and they will continue to do so until they are 2 or 3 years old.

That's all the more reason to keep your precious baubles safely out of the reach of the little ones — and your pets. But that's another story...

Photos via Bigstockphoto.com; Reddit/iamclarkgriswold.

Silver Miners in Ancient Greece Demonstrated Surprising Technical Skill, Say Archaeologists

Archaeologists have discovered a 5,000-year-old silver mine that radically rewrites the history of how the precious metal was unearthed in ancient Greece. Although they were believed to be slaves who had no option but to toil in stifling and dangerous conditions, ancient miners were far more sophisticated than historians ever imagined.

Archaeologists conducting a subterranean investigation of the Thorikos silver mine found a surprisingly complex system of galleries, shafts and chambers — about 5km of conduits in all.

The skill and physical abilities employed by the ancient miners to dig these channels, access the ore deposits from the bedrock and then to properly process them outside of the mine reflected a triumph of human ingenuity, reported New Historian.

Silver played an important role in the history of the Greek people. In fact, the precious metal contributed to Greece's great wealth and domination over the Aegean world. And one of country's greatest sources of silver was the coastal city of Thorikos, about 35 miles southeast of Athens.

Some parts of the mine included open spaces that hadn't been touched in more than 5,000 years. Based on the pottery and stone hammers found on the site, the archeologists concluded that the mine was likely operational as far back as 3200 BC. Tool marks on the walls, graffiti, oil lamps and crushing areas were evidence of the omnipresent activity of the underground workers.

“Extracting the silver would have required an exceptional amount of resources and an advanced technical system of a scale unique in the ancient world,” noted University of Lorraine professor Dr. Denis Morin, who supervised a team of mining archaeologists. “Mapping these cramped, complex and braided underground networks, the ramifications of which are sometimes located at several levels, represent a real challenge in scientific terms.”

The archaeologists are planning to continue their work at the Thorikos mine, hoping to learn more about ancient extraction techniques and how the precious metal was eventually made into coins for circulation.

The earliest coins from the 6th century BC were made from electrum, an alloy of gold and silver. Later in the same century, technology advanced far enough to allow for the simpler production of pure gold and pure silver coins.

Here are some examples of the earliest silver coins. One is a silver slater of Aegina (404-340 BC) and the other is a silver drachma (404-340 BC).

Mining image courtesy of Ghent University; Silver slater via Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons; Silver drachma via Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.

Huge Diamonds Just Keep Coming: 404-Carat Gem-Quality Stunner Unearthed in Angola

And the world-class diamonds just keep coming... Hot on the heels of Lucara's discovery of a 1,111-carat gem-quality rough diamond at its Karowe Mine in Botswana, rival Lucapa announced it unearthed a spectacular 404-carat diamond about 2,500 miles north at its Lulo Diamond Project in Angola.

Like the Lucara diamond, the Lucapa stone is of the extremely rare and chemically pure Type IIa gem variety. The newly discovered rough diamond, which weighs 2.8 ounces, measures 2.7 inches across and boasts a D color, is estimated to be worth about $14 million.

"We're not used to valuing 400-carat diamonds, but if we look at other diamonds slightly less weight than this, you're looking in the order of [$14 million]," Lucapa chairman Miles Kennedy told ABC Australia.

Experts have set the value of the Lucara diamond — recently dubbed “Lesedi La Rona (Our Light)" — at $66 million.

The 404-carat diamond set two records. It's the largest diamond ever found in Angola (the previous record holder weighed 217.4 carats), and it's also the largest diamond ever unearthed by an Australian-based mining company. Rival Lucara is based in Canada.

Kennedy told ABC Australia that many skeptics questioned his company's foray into a "very, very remote part of Angola." It was a parcel of 3,000 square kilometers of untouched ground more than 430 miles from the coast. Kennedy called the discovery a "wonderful vindication of eight years of pretty hard work."

Kennedy reported that diamonds weighing more than 10.8 carats are considered "special" by his mining company. Over the past six months, the Lulo diamond fields in Angola have yielded more than 100 of these special diamonds. Four were greater than 100 carats in weight.

He also noted that the cash injection made possible by the sale of the 404-carat diamond would allow the mining company to expand operations in Angola.

Images: Lucapa Diamond Company; Google Maps.

Leap Day Role Reversal: Women Get to Propose to Their Men on February 29

Get ready for some romantic Leap Day role reversals, as single ladies from coast to coast get down on one knee and propose to the men of their dreams. For more than 1,500 years, February 29 has been reserved for women who have waited far too long for their men to pop the question.

The concept of women proposing to men on Leap Day has its roots in 5th century Ireland when St. Brigid of Kildare forged a deal with St. Patrick to permit women to propose to men every four years. In Ireland, Leap Day is also called Bachelor's Day.

Apparently, this Irish traditional was then brought to Scotland by Irish monks. Legend states that in 1288, the Scotts passed a law that allowed women to propose on Leap Day. If the man refused the proposal, he would have to pay a fine, ranging from a kiss, to a silk dress or a pair of gloves. In upper-class circles, the fine for a proposal denial was 12 pairs of gloves. Presumably, the gloves would hide the shame of not wearing an engagement ring.

In English law, the day February 29 had no legal status, so people believed that traditional customs held no status on that day either. Hence, women were free to reverse the unfair custom that permitted only men to propose marriage.

In contemporary times, the idea of a woman proposing to a man at any time during the year is generally acceptable to the masses. Three-quarters of the respondents to a 2014 AP-WE tv poll said it would be fine for the woman to do the proposing, in theory. In the survey, nearly half of single women who hope to get married someday said they would consider proposing.

In practice, however, only about 5% of those currently married say the woman proposed, and the figure is no higher among couples wed within the past 10 years.

A stigma still seems to linger around the idea of a woman doing the proposing. During the 20th century, postcards, ads and articles would mock women for their aggressive behavior, casting them as desperate and unworthy. But, certainly, times have changed.

In 2010's romance/comedy Leap Year, Amy Adams is frustrated when another anniversary passes without a marriage proposal from her boyfriend. Aware of the Irish tradition that allows women to pop the question on Leap Day, she travels to Dublin to track down her fiancé in time to deliver a marriage proposal on February 29.

Image: BigStockPhoto.com

Music Friday: Neil Diamond Sings, 'Gold Don't Rust, Love Don't Lie' in His 1996 Country Classic

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, the legendary Neil Diamond sings about how "gold don't rust" and "love don't lie" in a country classic from his 1996 Tennessee Moon album.

Diamond, who was a pre-med student at New York University and can certainly find his way around a periodic table, took an interesting fact about a chemical property of gold and spun it into a love song.

Besides its rarity, value and radiance, gold in its purest form is an element that will never oxidize or rust. That's why it's been used for jewelry and coinage for millennia.

In "Gold Don't Rust," Diamond assures his lover that she doesn't have to worry when he goes away. His feelings will continue to shine.

He offers her a 24-karat commitment, singing, "Gold don't rust / Love don't lie / I'll be true 'til the day that I die. / Trust in me, you will find / Baby, you're the gold in this heart of mine / And that gold will shine / For a long, long time."

"Gold Don't Rust," which Diamond co-wrote with Gary Burr and Bob DiPiero, was the seventh track of Diamond's 23rd studio album, Tennessee Moon. The album, appropriately, was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, which confirmed sales of more than 500,000 copies.

Over the course of his stellar 54-year career as a singer-songwriter-musician, Diamond has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Billboard magazine ranks him third behind Elton John and Barbra Streisand on the list of the most successful adult contemporary artists of all time.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Diamond was a member of Erasmus Hall High School's Chorus and Choral Club along with close friend Streisand. Diamond got his first inspiration to write his own songs when folk singer Pete Seeger visited a summer camp he was attending as a teenager.

"And the next thing, I got a guitar when we got back to Brooklyn, started to take lessons and almost immediately began to write songs," he told Rolling Stone.

Just 10 credits short of an undergraduate degree from New York University, Diamond dropped out of college to take a 16-week assignment writing songs for Sunbeam Music Publishing. The job paid $50 per week. Later in his career, he would joke, "If this darn songwriting thing hadn't come up, I would have been a doctor now." The 75-year-old Diamond continues to tour regularly and his shows are said to be better than ever.

Scroll down for the audio track of Diamond's "Gold Don't Rust." The lyrics are here if you'd like to sing along...

"Gold Don't Rust"
Written by Gary Burr, Bob DiPiero and Neil Diamond. Performed by Neil Diamond.

I know you worry ev'ry time I go away
You wonder will these
Sweet, sweet feelings shine or fade
Well, that's a question
You don't have to ask
What heaven makes,
It always makes to last

Gold don't rust
Love don't lie
I'll be true 'til the day that I die
Trust in me, you will find
Baby,
You're the gold in this heart of mine
And that gold will shine
For a long, long time.

I wish that I could give you
What you need from me.
But what good
Is a promise or a guarantee?
Love is still a simple act of faith
And a faithful heart
Is always worth the wait

Gold don't rust
Love don't lie
I'll be true 'til the day that I die
Trust in me, you will find
Baby,
You're the gold in this heart of mine,
And that gold will shine
For a long, long time

Love is still a simple act of faith
And a faithful heart
Is always worth the wait
Gold don't rust
Love don't lie
I'll be true 'til the day that I die
Trust in me, you will find
Baby,
You're the gold in this heart of mine
And that gold will shine
For a long, long time
Baby you're the gold
In this heart of mine
And that gold will shine
For a long, long, long time
Yeah

Credit: By Gresbek (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

World's Second-Biggest Gem-Quality Diamond Has a New Name: 'Lesedi La Rona'

"Lesedi La Rona," which means "Our Light" in Setswana (the national language of Botswana), is the new name of the 1,111-carat gem-quality diamond discovered at Lucara's Karowe Mine in November of 2015. Thembani Moitlhobogi is 25,000 Pula richer after five judges picked "Lesedi La Rona" from more than 11,000 entries. The prize is equivalent to about $2,215.

"'Lesedi La Rona' symbolizes the pride and history of the people of Botswana," Lucara CEO William Lamb said in a statement. "The outpouring of pride and patriotism shown by all the participants in the contest was incredible."

The gem will soon embark on a road show to find a buyer.

"The biggest challenge on the road show is that the weight-to-value ratio of the stone makes it potentially the highest-value item on the planet," Lamb told Reuters.

"So because of the security around the stone, there will be no telling people where we are going to be taking it. We are not going to be putting any of that information out because we want to protect our asset."

Lucara had honored the people of Botswana with the task of officially naming the mammoth diamond, offering a cash prize to the Botswana citizen who could come up with the best moniker for the epic stone. Entrants were invited to submit their suggested name and their rationale for their choice. The 11-day competition ended on January 28.

Five executives from both the Lucara and the Karowe mines made up the judging panel. Entries were submitted on an anonymous basis, and to ensure transparency and independence during the name selection process, the audit firm of Ernst & Young was retained to oversee the competition.

The spectacular, chemically pure Type IIa diamond — the biggest diamond ever recovered in Botswana and the second largest ever found in the world — could be worth more than $66 million. Lucara has yet to set a price for the stone because the conventional scanners used to evaluate a rough diamond's potential worth are not large enough to accommodate its size.

Slightly smaller than a tennis ball and weighing nearly a half-pound, "Lesedi La Rona" has been called the "diamond of the century." Only the 3,106-carat Cullinan, found in South Africa in 1905, was larger.

Images courtesy of Lucara Diamond.

Diamond-Ownership Study Reveals NY Ranks #1 in Quality While Maryland Earns #1 Spot for Size

A fascinating new diamond-ownership study reveals that New York ranks #1 in quality, while nearby Maryland rates #1 in size.

The survey by WP Diamonds, which specializes in the buy-back of diamonds, jewelry and watches, reviewed market data based on 15,000 consumer inquiries covering all 50 states. With this data, WP Diamonds was able to assign rankings to the states based on diamond value, diamond size and diamond shape.

The states that rank highest for the average value per carat are New York, Florida, California, Connecticut and Maryland. Rounding out the top 10 are New Jersey, Massachusetts, Kansas, Tennessee and Colorado.

The states where size really matters are Maryland, Michigan, Illinois, Alaska, New York, Texas, Florida, Virginia, Arkansas and California.

It's interesting to note that four states — including New York, Maryland, Florida and California — made the top 10 on both lists. New York is #1 in quality but also #5 in size. Maryland is #1 in size and #5 in quality.

The report also affirmed that the most popular diamond shape is round (55.38%), followed by princess (22.07%), marquise (4.8%), emerald (4.47%), cushion (4.12%), oval 2.67%, radiant (2.58%), pear (2.54%), heart (0.71%), Asscher (0.19%) and baguette (0.09%). WP Diamonds noted that the oval cut has gained in popularity since the company's first year in business. The oval now ranks sixth, up two places since 2010.

Even though the round and princess shapes account for more than three-quarters of the diamonds monitored in the survey, WP Diamonds was able to determine the states in which consumers are willing to step out of the box. For instance, marquise diamonds are most favored in Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia and Missouri, while emerald-cut diamonds are most popular in Rhode Island, Kansas, Texas, West Virginia and South Dakota. The cushion cut finds a receptive audience in Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina, Texas and Delaware. The up-and-coming oval shape gets a boost from Texas, Connecticut, West Virginia, California and Oregon.

WP Diamonds also reported the states with the most expensive second-hand jewelry. These include California, Florida, North Dakota, North Carolina and New Mexico.

See the full report here...

Images: Courtesy of WP Diamonds.

NRF: Consumers Will Spend $4.45 Billion on Jewelry This Valentine's Day

Romantic shoppers are set to spend $4.45 billion on necklaces, earrings and other jewelry items this Valentine's Day, according to a new survey published by the National Retail Federation (NRF). The jewelry category was narrowly edged out by "An evening out," which is expected to be the top category and generate $4.49 billion in sales. Flowers will lag well behind at $1.99 billion.

This year's Valentine-related jewelry purchases are predicted to be up 50.8% compared to 2010, when they tallied $2.95 billion.

The NRF reports that nearly one in five Valentine celebrants (19.9%) plans to purchase jewelry this year, with the average retail expenditure of about $166. By comparison, an average "evening out" is expected to cost $87, and the average gift of flowers will retail at $41.

Jewelry budgets will vary greatly, depending of the person's gender, income level and age.

For instance, men will outspend women $207 to $127, while those earning more than $50,000 per year will outspend their lower-earning counterparts by a tally of $191 to $126. Survey respondents ages 35 to 44 will be the most generous, spending $205, while the most cost-conscious age group (18- to 24-year-olds) will spend $126.

How much one intends to spend on a Valentine's gift also depends on who will be the recipient. Spouses will spend about $99 on each other, which is about double what they will spend on their children or parents ($50). Survey respondents also plan to buy gifts for co-workers ($54), friends ($36), children's classmates or teachers ($36) and pets ($26).

Overall, there are signs that people, in general, are less enthusiastic about Valentine's Day than they were in the past. Exactly 54.8% of respondents will celebrate on February 14, down from 63.4% in 2007. Despite the fall off in interest, total Valentine's Day retail spending is expected to climb to $19.7 billion, a survey high.

For the first time, the NRF asked consumers if they hoped to receive or plan to give a gift of "experience," such as tickets to a concert, a spa service or an art lesson. According to the survey, 24% said they plan to give a gift of experience, while nearly four in 10 (38.8%) said that they would love to receive a gift of experience.

“As the first major consumer holiday of 2016, Valentine’s Day could provide a positive boost in spending our economy needs,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Low gas prices and guaranteed promotions from retailers large and small should help consumers as they look for the perfect gift for their friends and family. Looking ahead, we’re optimistic consumers are in a good place when it comes to spending on discretionary items like gifts.”

The NRF’s 2016 Valentine’s Day spending survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to Valentine’s Day. The survey was conducted for NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The poll of 7,293 consumers was conducted from January 5-12, 2016, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.

Image: BigStockPhoto.com