Aerial Photographer Employs Drone to Capture His Spectacular Mountaintop Marriage Proposal

A North Carolina-based aerial photographer launched a drone atop Grandfather Mountain to capture a surprise marriage proposal — his own — from a spectacular vantage point high above the peak.

Jordan Nelson, the owner of Boone-based Nelson Aerial Productions, had convinced his girlfriend, Meghan Frye, 24, to hike with him to MacRae Peak, at the altitude of 5,844 feet. Frye had no idea that her boyfriend was planning to propose or that he had brought his equipment to film the exact moment he would pop the question. She was hardly suspicious because he shoots these sensational vistas for a living.

Nelson, 27, chose Grandfather Mountain in scenic Linville, N.C., for his proposal because exactly three years ago this is where the couple hiked on their first date. They also returned on their anniversary one year later.

"We spent a lot of time on top of Grandfather Mountain," Nelson told ABC News. "That’s why I wanted to go back to that spot for the proposal.”

The drone's fabulous footage captures the couple from a bird's eye view as it circles the mountaintop. Nelson explained that the drone has an automatic setting that allows it to circle a specific point, in this case, the couple's exact location.

Nelson also used his smart phone to capture his girlfriend's reaction from an intimate, up-close perspective.

"It's been three years since we hiked in this spot," Nelson says in the lead-up to his proposal, and at this point Frye can hardly believe what is about to happen. She slaps him on the chest playfully and says, "Are you really? No you're not."

"At that point, I was getting pretty nervous,” he told The Today Show. "She thought I was joking with her, that it was a late April Fool’s joke! But when I reached into the bag to get the box that had the ring, she kind of just lost her breath. In the video you can hear her kind of just go really quiet and she just couldn’t breathe for a minute… and then she started crying and everything.”

Then Nelson gets down on one knee and continues his sweet proposal. "I want you to know that I love you," he says. "Will you marry me?"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Frye accepts Nelson's proposal and obliges when he asks her to show the ring.

"I was not expecting this," she says.

Nelson's innovative, high-flying proposal has earned the attention of national and international media powerhouses, such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, Reuters TV and the Daily Mail.

The aerial photographer is right at home filming in the rugged terrain of North Carolina. Just last week, he attended the Manhattan Film Festival for the screening of his work, Aerial Appalachian.

The happy couple is planning to wed in the fall of 2017. The venue will be the Linville Ridge Country Club.

“It’s on the mountain peaks across from Grandfather," Nelson told ABC News. "We want it on top of that mountain with Grandfather in the background.”

You can check out Nelson's breathtaking video here...

The Proposal at MacRae Peak from Nelson Aerials on Vimeo.

Credits: Screen captures via Nelson Aerials.

Mass. Woman Digs Through 5 Tons of Trash to Retrieve Her Precious Diamond Keepsakes

A Massachusetts woman, who accidentally threw away three valuable diamond keepsakes, is breathing a giant sigh of relief after donning protective gear and rooting out her family heirlooms at the bottom of a 5-ton mound of smelly trash.

How the jewelry ended up in the trash is an all-too-familiar scenario. Cecilia Callahan of Norwell, Mass., had been cleaning her best jewelry in preparation for a special dinner with her husband, Joe, to celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary.

She placed her 3.1-carat diamond engagement ring, 1.75-carat diamond pendant and her grandma's diamond ring — a treasure she's worn for more than 40 years — in an ultrasonic cleaner. When the pieces were glistening, she pulled them from the bath, wrapped them in paper towels and set them on the counter to dry.

The next morning, she hurried to clean off the kitchen counter before the trash collector arrived. She tossed the last few items — including the wadded-up, bling-laden paper towels — and ran the bag out to the curb.

Two hours later, she realized what she had done.

"I was having a heart attack," Callahan told Boston's NBC affiliate, WHDH-TV.

With the help of a neighbor, she and her husband contacted Waste Management and learned that the truck had yet to dump its load, so the truck was diverted to the nearby Braintree transfer station where 5 tons of refuse was spread across the floor of one of its bays.

Aided by Waste Management staffers and outfitted in protective gear, the husband-and-wife team waded for two hours through a mountain of garbage bags.

"Yeah, we were really in the trash," Callahan joked.

But then Callahan honed in on a familiar trash bag at the bottom of the pile.

"I pulled it out and it was mine," she said. "I was so excited."

Sanitation worker Joe McCarthy was surprised by the Callahans' success.

"It was like finding the Willy Wonka (Golden) Ticket," he told WHDH-TV. "You'll never find what she found."

Boston's ABC affiliate, WCVB-TV, reported that the Callahans were so impressed by the Waste Management team that they returned to the transfer station a few days later with pizza and calzones for the staff.

"They were so kind," said Cecilia Callahan. "They went above and beyond the call of duty. In this day and age you don't find so many nice people."

Credits: Video screen captures via WHDH.com.

15.99-Carat 'Jubilee Ruby' Sets U.S. Record for the Most Expensive Colored Gemstone Ever Sold at Auction

The 15.99-carat "Jubilee Ruby" lived up to its pre-sale hype last Wednesday when it smashed a record for the most expensive colored gemstone ever sold at a U.S. auction. The fiery top lot of Christie's Magnificent Jewels sale in New York fetched an impressive $14.16 million.

Billed as the most important ruby to appear at a U.S. auction in 25 years, the oval-shaped Burmese ruby is framed by round white diamonds in an 18-karat yellow gold and platinum mounting by Verdura.

The ruby was mined in the legendary Mogok Valley of Burma, which is famous for yielding world-class rubies that boast the most desirable pigeon's blood color. The extraordinary, saturated red color is attributed to the high chromium content in the ground. The element also gives the gems of that region a natural fluorescence that makes the stone “come alive” and appear internally illuminated.

“Top quality Burmese rubies of over 15 carats are an absolute rarity in the world of colored gemstones, and the record price of $18.3 million achieved for the 15.04-carat ‘Crimson Red Ruby’ at Christie’s Hong Kong in December 2015 exemplified the voracious appetite of collectors for these gems,” commented Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s International Head of Jewelry.

While the Jubilee Ruby set a new U.S. record, the $14.16 million selling price is barely half the amount achieved by the 25.59-carat Sunrise Ruby, which established a new world record for the highest price ever paid at auction for a ruby when it yielded $30.3 million at Sotheby's Geneva in May of 2015.

The other top lots at Christie’s April 20 sale included a 10.07-carat cushion-cut fancy intense purple-pink diamond ring and a perfect D color, flawless round brilliant-cut diamond weighing 40.43 carats. The purple-pink diamond ring, which carried a pre-sale estimate of $8 million to $12 million, sold for $8.84 million, while the flawless diamond fetched $7.22 million, also on the low-end of the pre-sale estimate of $7 million to $10 million.

Credits: Images courtesy of Christie’s.

Music Friday: Twenty One Pilots' Frontman Tyler Joseph Dedicates 'House of Gold' to His Mom

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Twenty One Pilots' frontman Tyler Joseph delivers an uplifting tribute to his mom in the 2013 release, "House of Gold."

In this song about the fear of aging, Joseph's mom asks her singer/songwriter son if he'll take care of her in her twilight years. Written as an exchange between him and his mom, Joseph sings, "She asked me, 'Son, when I grow old / Will you buy me a house of gold? / And when your father turns to stone / Will you take care of me?'"

Joseph responds that he will not only make her the "Queen of everything you see," but he'll also bring her fame and cure her of disease.

"House of Gold" is the fourth track of the indie pop group's third studio album, Vessel. The song, which features Joseph on the ukulele and bandmate Josh Dun on the drums, became a top-10 hit on Billboard's U.S. Alternative Songs chart. The album ascended to #21 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and was certified "gold" with more than 500,000 copies sold. The song had initially appeared as a bonus track on Twenty One Pilots' second studio album, Regional at Best.

The name Twenty One Pilots was derived from an Arthur Miller play called All My Sons, in which a World War II contractor knowingly delivers defective airplane parts, reasoning that fixing the problems would be too costly. The tragic result is the loss of 21 pilots. Apparently, the bandmates were inspired by the lessons of the story — to avoid shortcuts and always act with integrity.

Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Twenty One Pilots' early fan base was made up of Ohio State University students.

The video below was shot against the stunning backdrop of Sydney Harbor during the group's Australian Tour. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"House of Gold"
Written by Tyler Joseph. Performed by Twenty One Pilots.

She asked me, "Son, when I grow old,
Will you buy me a house of gold?
And when your father turns to stone,
Will you take care of me?"

I will make you
Queen of everything you see
I'll put you on the map
I'll cure you of disease

Let's say we up and left this town
And turned our future upside-down
We'll make pretend that you and me
Lived ever after, happily

She asked me, "Son, when I grow old,
Will you buy me a house of gold?
And when your father turns to stone,
Will you take care of me?"

I will make you
Queen of everything you see
I'll put you on the map
I'll cure you of disease

And since we know that dreams are dead
And life turns plans up on their head
I will plan to be a bum
So I just might become someone

She asked me, "Son, when I grow old,
Will you buy me a house of gold?
And when your father turns to stone,
Will you take care of me?"

I will make you
Queen of everything you see
I'll put you on the map
I'll cure you of disease

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.

Shirley Temple's 9.54-Carat Blue Diamond Ring Comes Up Short at Sotheby's New York

Shirley Temple's 9.54-carat blue diamond ring was billed as the star of Sotheby's New York auction on Tuesday, but went unsold when the bidding stalled at $22 million, short of the reserve price and well below the high estimate of $35 million.

"The Shirley Temple Blue Diamond is an exceptional stone in quality, rarity and provenance. It has been an honor to share its story with collectors, connoisseurs and Temple's loyal fans over the past few months," Sotheby's noted a statement. "Unfortunately, tonight wasn't its night in the salesroom, but we remain fully confident that it will find a buyer."

Temple was nearly 12 years old and had just wrapped up her new film, The Blue Bird, when her father, George Francis, surprised the box office phenomenon with a cushion-cut fancy deep blue diamond in an Art Deco-inspired platinum setting. George Francis paid $7,210 for the ring 76 years ago, which is equivalent to about $122,000 today. The diamond had earned a grade of VVS2 and was presented at the auction in its original platinum setting.

As an adult, Shirley Temple Black became a diplomat, serving as a United Nations delegate, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and later as the U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia. She reportedly wore her blue diamond ring throughout her life. She died in February of 2014 at that age of 85.

The poor showing for Temple's blue diamond came only two weeks after the slightly larger and internally flawless 10.10-carat “De Beers Millennium Jewel 4” set an Asian auction record at Sotheby’s Hong Kong when it sold for $32 million. The pre-sale estimate for the fancy vivid blue gem had been $30 to $36 million.

On May 18 at Christie’s Geneva, the 14.62-carat rectangular-cut “Oppenheimer Blue” has a chance to set a new record for the highest price ever paid for a diamond of any color. The current record of $48.5 million is held by the 12.03-carat cushion-shaped internally flawless “Blue Moon” (now called “Blue Moon of Josephine”). The Oppenheimer Blue boasts a VVS1 clarity and is the largest fancy vivid blue diamond ever offered at auction.

Images courtesy of Sotheby’s. Shirley Temple promo shot ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection.

Lakers Present Kobe Bryant With 4.87-Carat Diamond Retirement Ring

Kobe Bryant added another diamond ring to his collection of Lakers bling. Before his final game as an NBA player, Lakers owner and president Jeanie Buss presented the 20-year superstar with a dazzling diamond retirement ring in a private ceremony with his wife, Vanessa — who received a matching ring — and their daughters, Gianna and Natalia. Bryant, in true Hollywood style, scored an astounding 60 points in his final contest.

“You changed history," Buss told Bryant in a segment captured by Time Warner Cable SportsNet. "There is no going back and comparing you to anybody, because nobody’s ever been like you. And we’re so fortunate that you were part of our franchise and part of our history.”

According to a Lakers press release, the ring was designed by renown jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills and features round white diamonds with a total carat weight of 4.87 carats set into 70 grams of 14-karat yellow and white gold.

On the sides are Bryant’s two jersey numbers and his nickname “Black Mamba” with a swirl of black snakeskin. Between his first and last names on the front of the ring are 20 diamonds representing every season Bryant spent with the Lakers. The top depicts the Larry O'Brien championship trophy and five larger diamonds for each title won.

On one side, "TWENTY YEARS" sits above a No. 8 Lakers jersey along with the years 1996 and 2005, the timeframe during which it was worn. The other side features a No. 24 jersey and the years 2006 and 2016.

Bryant remarked, "Wow, are you kidding me?" while opening the ring box.

Buss' brother and Lakers co-owner, Jesse Buss, honored Bryant on Facebook with a heartfelt tribute. Reflecting on his youth, Buss recalled a family trip to the beach when he was 8 years old. His dad, then-owner Jerry Buss, was walking to and from telephones talking to then-general manager Jerry West, who was raving about a draft prospect named Kobe Bryant. When he returned to his family, Jerry Buss told them, "There's this kid, Kobe, who is going to be the next great player, and I think we can get him."

“At the time, I didn't realize what the business of the NBA really meant, or how teams were put together, so it didn't really dawn on me how much this would mean for the @lakers," Jesse Buss wrote. "I can tell you now that watching Kobe play for the last 20 years has been nothing but jaw-dropping and inspiring to me, and to so many basketball fans around the world and especially amongst the Purple and Gold. I'm thankful for everything Kobe brought to our beloved franchise and to the game of basketball... The one thing that saddens me is that I wish my Dad was here for this moment, and that he could give Kobe one last hug on his way off the court. I hope he leaves the game with no regrets, and truly from the bottom of our hearts: THANK YOU KOBE! We all love you. #kb20 #lakers"

Credits: Lakers.com; Jason of Beverly Hills.

Music Friday: Mika Celebrates Youth in His 2009 Teen Anthem, 'We Are Golden'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, English singer Mika performs his uplifting 2009 teenage anthem, "We Are Golden," a celebration of youth that encourages young people to dream big and acknowledge how awesome they are.

Mika told The Daily Mail how the song came together. "I lost myself in a teenage world," he said. "[The song is] about trying to convince yourself that you're special."

He also revealed to The Sun that the song was inspired his own experiences of being bullied in school. "I was thinking how things were as a teenager," he said. "I worried about surviving into my 20s. That song is dark but it's also saying, 'I'm going to survive.'"

Mika chants, "We are not what you think we are / We are golden, we are golden / We are not what you think we are / We are golden, we are golden."

The terms "we are gold" and "we are golden" come up frequently in popular music. Because of the precious metal's impressive characteristics, songwriters use "gold" as a metaphor for someone or something that is untarnished or pure.

Music buffs may remember Joni Mitchell using this phrase in "Woodstock," her 1970 classic. She sings, "We are stardust / We are golden / And we've got to get ourselves / Back to the garden." The garden, in this case, is symbolically the Garden of Eden.

"We Are Golden" was released as the first single from Mika's second studio album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much. The song charted in more than 20 countries and was featured in TeenNick promos during the fall of 2009. It was also used as the theme song for Fox's broadcast of the 2009 Teen Choice Awards.

Born Michael Holbrook Penniman, Jr., the 32-year-old British singer/songwriter stylized his name as MIKA. He got his big break in 2007 when he was named the #1 breakthrough act in a BBC poll of music critics.

Please check out the video of Mika's high-energy performance of "We Are Golden." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"We Are Golden"
Written and performed by Mika.

Teenage dreams in a teenage circus
Running around like a clown on purpose
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?
No givin' up when you’re young and you want some

Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running

Waking up in the midday sun
What’s to live for?
You could see what I’ve done
Staring at emotion
In the light of day
I was running from the things that you’d say

We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden
We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden

Teenage dreams in a teenage circus
Running around like a clown on purpose
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?
No giving up when you’re young and you want some

Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running
Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running

I was a boy at an open door
Why you staring
Do you still think that you know?
Looking for treasure
In the things that you threw
Like a magpie
I live for glitter, not you

We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden
We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden

Teenage dreams in a teenage circus
Running around like a clown on purpose
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?
No giving up when you’re young and you want some

Now I’m sitting alone
I’m finally looking around
Left here on my own
I’m gonna hurt myself
Maybe losing my mind
I’m still wondering why
Had to let the world let it bleed me dry

We are not what you think we are
We are not what you think we are
We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden

Teenage dreams in a teenage circus
Running around like a clown on purpose
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?
No giving up when you’re young and you want some

Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running
Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running

We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden

Credits: YouTube screen captures.

Diamond and Sapphire-Encrusted $4 Million Sneakers to Be Auctioned for Charity

Encrusted with hundreds of carats of white diamonds and blue sapphires, this $4 million pair of customized Li-Ning Way of Wade 4s are the most expensive sneakers in the world.

Dan Gamache of Mache Custom Kicks collaborated with luxury lifestyle brand Bicion to design this one-of-a-kind footwear fantasy that will be auctioned to raise money for Soles4Souls. Since 2006, the charity has donated 26 million pairs of shoes and sneakers to underprivileged children in 127 countries.

Named after Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade, the shoes feature diamonds and sapphires set in 18-karat gold on the back heel logo, tongue logo and midsole. They even come with a solid gold hang tag and a custom display case with an 18-karat gold base and LED lighting.

The customized Way of Wade sneakers have been dubbed "The Fire Monkey," a tribute to the Chinese Year of the Monkey, a year that represents prosperity, new business ventures and ambition. In Chinese tradition, the lucky monkey hails the chrysanthemum as its flower of choice. The custom sneakers incorporate a gemstone-adorned flower pattern reminiscent of the chrysanthemum.

"In a time when celebrities have increasing power, the fact that the Bicion team has chosen to put that influence to good use is amazing," Soles4Souls CEO Buddy Teaster told popsugar.com. "Their donation to Soles4Souls will literally put shoes on the feet of hundreds of thousands of people in the year ahead."

"Doing custom sneakers for what seems like forever, it always seems hard to top the last project," Gamache said about his partnership with Bicion. "This is something different, something special. To have the opportunity to design and create the most expensive sneaker in the world is a humbling opportunity. But to know that this sneaker will help put shoes on children's feet across the globe is an amazing feeling. It makes my work and everything I have ever done worth it."

Images via Bicion; YouTube screen captures.

Average Engagement Ring Spend Edges Up to $5,871, Reports The Knot

The average amount spent on an engagement ring in the U.S. edged up to $5,871 in 2015, according to The Knot's ninth annual Real Weddings Study. That number rose only a touch from 2014's average cost of $5,855. The engagement ring is the second-highest-priced item on an average couple's list of wedding expenses. Only the reception venue, at $14,788, rated higher.

The Knot reported that weddings continue to be one of the most important — and most expensive — events in couples' lives. Overall, brides and grooms spent $32,641 on their weddings in 2015, and that tally doesn't include the honeymoon. The cost of the average wedding is up about $1,400 compared to last year and by more than $5,500 over the past five years. That increase was driven by a number of key categories: reception venue (+$1,950), ceremony site (+$652) and reception band (+$545).

Other key findings from the survey include the following:
• The most expensive place to get married is Manhattan ($82,299), while the least expensive is Alaska ($17,361).
• The most popular month to get engaged is December (16%).
• The average length of an engagement is 14.5 months.
• The most popular months to get married are October (17%) and September (15%).
• The average marrying age of the bride is 29 and the groom is 31.
• Manhattan has the oldest brides (32.8 years) and the oldest grooms (35.4 years).
• On average, the bride's parents contribute 44% of the overall wedding budget, while the bride and groom contribute 43% and the groom's parents pitch in 12%. "Others" account for 1% of the budget.
• The average number of guests at a wedding is 139, down from 149 in 2009.
• The average cost per wedding guest is $237, up from $194 in 2009.
• 40% of couples had a family member or friend officiate their ceremony, compared to 29% in 2009.

Here are the average costs of key bridal services: reception band ($3,833), photographer ($2,618), florist/décor ($2,300), ceremony site ($2,089), wedding/event planner ($1,996), videographer ($1,824), wedding dress ($1,469), rehearsal dinner ($1,296), reception DJ ($1,171), transportation ($792), ceremony musicians ($703), wedding cake ($575), invitations ($445), groom's attire and accessories ($269), favors ($267), officiant ($266), wedding day hair styling ($114) and wedding day make-up ($95).

The popular wedding planning website also revealed that couples are using their mobile devices to find the vendors who will create their perfect event. Exactly 89% of couples reported using their smartphones to help plan their wedding.

The 2015 Real Weddings Survey captured responses from nearly 18,000 U.S. brides and grooms married between January 1 and December 31, 2015.

Credits: Bridal couple shot via BigStockPhoto.com; Infographic courtesy of The Knot.

NY Mets Earn National League Championship Rings Blazing With 110 Diamonds and 42 Sapphires

The defending National League Champion New York Mets returned to Citi Field on Thursday to host their home opener and to claim the spoils of their unlikely run to the 2015 World Series — impressive white gold rings featuring 110 diamonds and 42 blue sapphires.

Even though they eventually fell to the Kansas City Royals in five games, the Mets were proud of a season that saw the team go on a late-season surge to overtake the Washington Nationals to win the East Division, and then knock out the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs in the playoffs.

Created by Jostens, the 10-karat white gold National League Championship rings feature the team's iconic NY logo fashioned from 42 round sapphires. The logo is set atop an infield base path surrounded by a field of pavé-set diamonds. The words "NATIONAL LEAGUE" and "CHAMPIONS" surround the top and bottom of the ring in raised white gold against a black ground. In all, the ring has a total gem weight of 2.75 carats.

"[The] guys were excited to get the rings," manager Terry Collins said. "That's what you play for. I know these guys are getting paid and they're getting paid a lot of money, but when you can win a ring, that means it's extra special."

Mets team captain David Wright noted that although a second-place ring is nice, the real goal is capturing a World Series ring. "I think all of us will wear that proudly,” Wright said. “At the same time, it’s time to move on. We want that first place ring, so I think it kind of reminds you that there is still work to be done."

Adorning both sides of the players' rings are the iconic arches of Citi Field, which are patterned after the brick exterior of historic Ebbets Field, where the Brooklyn Dodgers played from 1913 to 1957.

One side of the ring features the player's name above a silhouette of the New York skyline, overlaid with the Mets script logo that sits atop an image of the Brooklyn Bridge. The player's number is featured below the bridge.

The other side features the National League Championship Series (NLCS) logo and the Major League Baseball logo surrounded by the words "NEW YORK" and the championship year 2015.

The inside of the ring is inscribed with the years of the Mets' five National League championships (1969, 1973, 1986, 2000 and 2015) set next to a silhouette of the Warren C. Giles National League Trophy with NEW YORK etched above the trophy.

About 750 people in the Mets organization received a National League Championship ring. Notably absent from that group was Steven Boldis, the long-time Mets mascot, Mr. Met. Boldis, who has worn the mascot costume for 15 years, was publicly miffed by the snub. The New York Daily News reported that the Mets organization denied the ring because the mascot worked only half of the minimum number of hours to qualify.

On May 29, the first 15,000 fans to arrive at Citi Field will receive a replica of the Mets' 1986 World Series ring.

Credits: Ring photos courtesy of Jostens. Mr. Met photo via Facebook/New York Mets.