'Impossibly Rare' Violet Diamond Could Fetch $5 Million or More

Described as "impossibly rare" and "a complete fluke of nature," the largest violet diamond ever found at Australia's Argyle mine could sell for $5 million or more.

The 2.83-carat polished oval-shaped diamond, known as The Argyle Violet, will headline the 2016 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, the annual showcase of the rarest diamonds from the Argyle mine in Western Australia.

The Rio Tinto-owned mine generates more than 90% of the world's pink diamonds, and on rare occasion will yield a violet stone. In the past 32 years, Argyle has produced only 12 carats of polished violet diamonds for its annual tender. In fact, before the discovery of The Argyle Violet, the mine had delivered just one other 1-carat-plus violet-colored diamond — and that was in 2008.

The Argyle Violet is "a complete fluke of nature," Josephine Archer from Argyle Pink Diamonds told Yahoo7 News.

Rio Tinto’s general manager of sales Patrick Coppens added, “Impossibly rare and limited by nature, The Argyle Violet will be highly sought after for its beauty, size and provenance.”

Argyle’s master polisher Richard How Kim Kam worked for more than 80 hours cutting the 9.17-carat oddly-shaped rough diamond into its perfectly symmetrical final form. More than 69% of the diamond's weight was lost during the cutting process.

The Argyle Violet was assessed a color grade of "Fancy Deep Greyish Bluish Violet" by the Gemological Institute of America. Violet diamonds owe their unique color to the presence of hydrogen atoms in the chemical composition of the stone.

Experts believe The Argyle Violet is sure to attract offers of $1 million to $2 million per carat at Argyle's annual tender. That would put its selling price somewhere between $2.8 million and $5.6 million.

Argyle Pink Diamonds manager Josephine Johnson said, “We are very excited to announce this historic diamond ahead of our Tender launch. This stunning violet diamond will capture the imagination of the world’s leading collectors and connoisseurs.”

Credits: Images courtesy of Rio Tinto.

Jewelry Remains the Top Gift-Giving Category for Mother's Day; Spending to Exceed $4.2 Billion

Americans will be spending more than $4.2 billion on jewelry gifts for their moms this Mother's Day, according to survey results just released by the National Retail Federation. That dollar amount places "jewelry" at the top of all gift categories — a place it has occupied for four of the past five years.

The survey revealed that 35.4% of adults have jewelry on their Mother's Day shopping lists this year, up from 34.2% in 2015 and 31.7% in 2014. Nearly four in 10 men (39.2%) plan to purchase a jewelry item for the special moms in their world, while 31.7% of woman plan to do the same.

The average cost of a Mother's Day jewelry gift will be $95.71, with men expecting to spend $117.79 and women $69.82.

Total Mother's Day gift spending is expected to reach $21.4 billion in 2016, up slightly from $21.2 billion in 2015. Overall, men will spend $197.77 on Mother's Day gifts this year, while women will spend $147.99.

While jewelry remains to top category in terms of dollars spent, other strong categories include "special outings" ($4.1 billion), flowers ($2.4 billion), gift cards ($2.2 billion), consumer electronics ($1.9 billion), apparel ($1.9 billion) and personal services, such as spa treatments ($1.6 billion).

Mother’s Day greeting cards are still a gifting staple, with 78% of consumers reporting that they will buy a card for their moms. Total spending on cards will reach $792 million in 2016, according to the NRF.

The biggest spenders this Mother’s Day are expected to be 25- to 34-year-olds ($248.88). Their 18- to 24-year-old counterparts plan to spend an average of $188.87.

Mother's Day continues to draw wide interest and participation across all demographic groups. Overall, 84.4% of adults surveyed said they would be celebrating Mother's Day in 2016. That participation rate grows to about 95% for adults 18 to 34.

“Mother’s Day is the time when millions of Americans find special ways to express their love and gratitude for Mom,” said analyst Pam Goodfellow of Prosper Insights & Analytics, which conducted the survey of 7,000 consumers for the NRF. “While many will spend a little more than usual to pamper her, some consumers will provide unique experience gifts for the entire family to enjoy together.”

Don't forget: Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 8!

Image: Bigstockphoto.com

40 Contestants Pounce on 800-Pound Wedding Cake to Find the $2K Diamond Engagement Ring Baked Inside

Decked out in their "Star 98 Diamond Dive" T-shirts, 40 wildly enthusiastic contestants pounced on a 6-foot-tall, 800-pound wedding cake to try to find a $2,000 diamond engagement ring that was baked inside.

They destroyed the cake in a matter of seconds as onlookers at the Grand Teton Mall in Idaho Falls, Idaho, this past Saturday watched in amazement. A video of the event shows the cake being enveloped by a sea of humanity.

The 2nd Annual Diamond Dive was sponsored by local radio station Star 98 in conjunction with a local baker, who designed the cake, and a local jeweler, who provided the jewelry. In all, 16 rings were hidden in the cake, 15 of which were non-precious and represented other prizes. The grand prize was a genuine .50-carat princess-cut diamond engagement ring.

In order to qualify for the Diamond Dive, listeners of Star 98 had to call the station at designated times, starting on April 18. Forty people were eventually selected to participate in the messy, no-holds-barred cake-diving event.

To make the massive cake, the baker's team had to use 165 cake mixes, 54 dozen eggs, 192 pounds of sugar, 72 pounds of shortening and a quart of cake flavoring.

As the excitement unfolded on Saturday, the only person who knew the exact location of the diamond ring was the baker.

As if describing an Olympic event, Star 98 program manager Preston Lee joked to Local News 8, "So these are dedicated people. They've been training. They've been warming up for the past few years. Now, all that training is coming together for one moment, for the diamond dive."

All 16 rings were found within 15 minutes, and emerging victorious with the genuine engagement ring was Nick Musetti, who admitted he didn't have a significant other.

"I'm thinking about selling it because I don't have anyone to give it to," he lamented.

Check out the fun video below...

Images: Screen captures via YouTube; Facebook/Sugar Shell; Facebook/Star 98.

Music Friday Flashback: Lynn Anderson Nearly Let 'Rose Garden' Slip Away Because of the Diamond Ring Reference in the Lyrics

It's a little known fact that country music singer Lynn Anderson was nearly dissuaded from recording her signature song, "Rose Garden," in 1970 because of the diamond ring reference in the lyrics.

Although Anderson really liked the tune penned by Joe South, her producer (and husband) Glenn Sutton felt it was a "man's song" because of the following line: "I could promise you things like big diamond rings / But you don't find roses growin' on stalks of clover / So you better think it over."

As luck would have it, Anderson had some extra time left in one of her studio sessions and Sutton finally agreed to record the song with an up-tempo arrangement accompanied by a mandolin player and a full string section. Columbia executive Clive Davis was so impressed with the results that he insisted the song be released as a single for the country and pop markets.

The song not only topped the U.S. Billboard Country chart, but it also reached #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and became a major pop hit internationally. It went to #1 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and Norway. "Rose Garden" is considered one of the most successful country crossover songs of all time.

Anderson told the Associated Press in 1987 that "Rose Garden" was perfectly timed to appeal to the youth of 1970.

"It was popular because it touched on emotions,'' Anderson said. "It was out just as we came out of the Vietnam years and a lot of people were trying to recover. This song stated that you can make something out of nothing. You take it and go ahead."

The song's key line, "I never promised you a rose garden," essentially means "I never told you it was going to be easy."

"Rose Garden" netted Anderson a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1971, while South picked up two Grammy nominations, one for "Best Country Song" and the other for "Song of the Year."

Born in Grand Forks, N.D., Lynn Rene Anderson generated crossover hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and continued to tour until her death in July 2015 at the age of 67.

Singer Dolly Parton said at the time, "Lynn is blooming in God's Rose Garden now. We will miss her and remember her fondly."

Check out the video of Anderson performing "Rose Garden" for a German TV show. The video, which features some unusual dance moves by the studio audience, has been viewed about 1.6 million times. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along. Enjoy!

"Rose Garden"
Written by Joe South. Performed by Lynn Anderson.

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time
When you take you gotta give so live and let live
Or let go oh-whoa-whoa-whoa
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden

I could promise you things like big diamond rings
But you don't find roses growin' on stalks of clover
So you better think it over
Well if sweet-talkin' you could make it come true
I would give you the world right now on a silver platter
But what would it matter
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Come along and share the good times while we can

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden

I could sing you a tune and promise you the moon
But if that's what it takes to hold you
I'd just as soon let you go
But there's one thing I want you to know
You better look before you leap, still waters run deep
And there won't always be someone there to pull you out
And you know what I'm talkin' about
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Come along and share the good times while we can

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain some time,
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.

Woman Loses Engagement Ring in Hawaiian Surf; Snorkeler Spots It By Chance Two Days Later

A New Englander's Hawaiian vacation went from glorious to disastrous — and then back to glorious — when a diamond engagement ring lost in the surf and presumed gone forever was miraculously spotted by another snorkeler only two days later.

The hero of our story, Mike "Shay" Smith, said the brilliance of the gemstone made all the difference. While searching underwater for interesting shells, the glint of something unusual caught his eye.

“That was just random luck," Smith told KHON2. "While I was out snorkeling, I just happened to catch a glimpse of a sparkle at the bottom and scooped it up.”

Smith intended to find the rightful owner by posting information about his precious find on Craigslist. While viewing the Lost-and-Found section, he was stunned by a post from vacationer Laura Mitrowski, who was looking for a similar ring.

Only a few days earlier, the Massachusetts resident had relished an afternoon snorkeling in the surf off Lawai Beach, Kauai. But, when she returned to the beach, she knew something didn't feel right...

“We’ve been married 12 years. As soon as I got out of the water my hands felt funny,” Mitrowski told ABC News. “I was sitting down in my chair and I’m like, ‘Oh no, it came off in the water,’ and my husband was still out in the water, and I was waving to him crying hysterically on the beach.”

Mitrowski enjoys the surf and loose rings have never been a problem in the past.

"I’ve been swimming tons of times and my rings have never fallen off," she told ABC News. "The fact we found it is unbelievable.”

Smith replied to Mitrowski's ad and asked her to describe any unusual details about the ring. When she told him that the band was cracked, Smith knew he had the right woman. By the next day, the diamond ring was back on her finger.

“I was like in shock," Mitrowski told KHON2. "I didn’t think anyone was going to find it, because I figured if it was lost in the ocean, it was going to be lost forever. “I couldn’t believe it. I was in disbelief. I was crying.”

Mitrowski offered a $300 reward, which Smith refused, at first, and then accepted.

Credits: Images courtesy of Laura Mitrowski.

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.