TV's Hottest Stars Step Out in Cool White Platinum at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards

TV's hottest stars stepped out in cool white platinum at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Among the A-listers preferring platinum as their accessory of choice were Emmy nominees Viola Davis, Maura Tierney and Heidi Klum. As usual, the extraordinary designs of Harry Winston, Fred Leighton and Lorraine Schwartz were front and center on the red carpet. Each designer chose platinum — the naturally white precious metal — to truly enhance the brilliance of the diamonds and colored gemstones in their head-turning creations.

Viola Davis, an Emmy nominee in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, looked stunning in a vibrant pink gown by Marchesa. Her jewelry by Harry Winston included cluster diamond chandelier earrings (16.39 carats), Secret Combination diamond bracelet (68.75 carats) and Traffic diamond ring (1.43 carats). The talented actress was nominated for her work on ABC's How to Get Away with Murder.

A nominee for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The Affair, Maura Tierney wore a gown by Christian Siriano and embellished it with vintage platinum jewelry provided by Fred Leighton. Her ensemble included 1930s-era diamond-and-aquamarine earrings and a 19th century rose-cut diamond cluster ring.

Project Runway's Heidi Klum, who was nominated in the category of Best Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program, delighted her fans in a sultry, cut-out gown by Michael Kors and platinum jewelry by Lorraine Schwartz. Dangling from Klum's ears were pear-shaped diamonds boasting a total weight of 32 carats. She also wore two diamond rings, with a total weight of 10 carats and 2 carats, respectively.

Making a big splash on the red carpet was Kristen Bell, who will star in NBC's The Good Place this fall. The actress wore a champagne bouffant gown by Zuhair Murad and accessorized it with breathtaking platinum jewelry by Harry Winston. Among her accessories were chandelier diamond earrings (9.2 carats), marquise cluster diamond bracelet (44.35 carats), round brilliant diamond ring (3.69 carats) and a diamond band (1.04 carats).

The Hollywood stars connected with their red carpet jewelry with the help of Platinum Guild International (PGI USA) and StyleLab as part of its Emmy Suite. Style expert Michael O'Connor was on hand to match celebrities with curated platinum pieces from renowned brands.

Other celebrities who chose to wear platinum jewelry for their Emmy appearances included Kirsten Dunst, Emmy Rossum, Lili Taylor, Allison Janney, Lara Spencer, Priyanka Chopra, Lilly Tomlin, Joanne Froggatt, Olivia Culpo, Anika Noni Rose, Michelle Dockery, Alexandra Billings, Connie Britton, Angel Parker and Charissa Thompson.

Credits: (Outside Source) via Getty Images.

Neanderthals Finally Credited With Making the 40,000-Year-Old Jewelry Discovered in France 67 Years Ago

Back in 1949, archaeologists discovered a trove of human-like bones and ancient jewelry in the Grotte du Renne cave in France. The artifacts dated back 40,000 years, during a time when modern humans coexisted with Neanderthals in that area.

The jewelry items were fashioned from animal teeth, shells and ivory. The elements were likely strung and worn as a necklace.

While the evidence seemed to connect the Neanderthals to the jewelry, the scientific community didn't believe Neanderthals had the capacity to express themselves symbolically. Our archaic cousins, they argued, simply didn't have the brain power to design and create items of adornment. Some scientists reasoned that the bones from the oldest layers of the excavation probably got mixed up with more recent ones by mistake.

The doubters were silenced recently when a team of European scientists, led by Matthew Collins, a bioarchaeologist at the University of York in the United Kingdom, reanalyzed the tiny bones found along with the jewelry. While they were unable to do conventional DNA testing because of the age and size of the bone samples, the team, instead, conducted a chemical analysis of the protein in the bones and compared them with known human and Neanderthal samples.

The results were conclusive. The samples were, indeed, Neanderthal.

This cutting-edge protein analysis pointed to the likelihood that the Neanderthals designed and fabricated the jewelry found in the cave. The evidence is also helping to change the way the scientific world has viewed Neanderthals. They were likely far more sophisticated and intelligent than scientists ever imagined.

Critics still hold out the possibility, however, that the Neanderthals may have simply taken the jewelry from humans or received the items as gifts from humans.

Scientists agree that Neanderthals and modern humans did interact socially during a time when humans were migrating across Europe and the Neanderthals, who had lived there for hundreds of thousands of years, were on the verge of dying out.

Credits: Jewelry by Dr. Marian Vanheren. Neanderthal man by Tim Evanson [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Visitors to NY's Guggenheim Museum May Take a Private Moment With a Fully Functional 18K Gold Toilet

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's 18-karat gold toilet at New York's Guggenheim Museum is giving the notion of "sitting on the throne" a whole new meaning.

Visitors who pay the museum's $15 admission fee are encouraged to visit the unisex washroom on the fourth floor, where they can take a private moment with a fully functional commode fit for a king or queen. The exhibit opened on Thursday.

Gothamist.com estimated the value of the potty to be somewhere between $1.4 million and $2.5 million, and a Guggenheim spokesperson affirmed that it will be cleaned with special wipes every 15 minutes. Reviewers are cautioning, however, that the seat is very heavy to lift and, of course, one might be slightly uncomfortable with a security guard standing just outside the door.

The exhibit called "America" offers the visitor "unprecedented access to something of unquestionable value,” according to museum curator Nancy Spector. “In a gallery environment where visitors are constantly being told, 'don’t touch,' this is an extraordinary opportunity to spend time completely alone with a work of art by a leading contemporary artist."

The Guggenheim Museum noted on its website that the exhibit “offers a wink to the excesses of the art market but also evokes the American dream of opportunity for all.”

Cattelan told the The New York Times that he was happy that his work was not on a pedestal. "It’s not in a gallery. It’s in a little room, just waiting for you whenever you need it,” he said, adding, “When I saw it in there the other day for the first time, I cried. Well, almost.”

"This is 1 percent art for the 99 percent,” he told the New York Post.

On its Twitter page, the Guggenheim Museum posted a lighthearted notice about the opening of the irreverent installation: "Are you sitting down? Maurizio #Cattelan: "America" opens tomorrow, 9/15, in one of the museum’s public restrooms."

Catalan's artwork has generated a buzz throughout traditional and social media. CBS News' "Sunday Morning" ran a segment about the exhibition yesterday and the The New York Times posted its review last Thursday.

Lucky Times writer Randy Kennedy got to preview the facilities on opening day and reported the following: “As a formal matter, I’ll say that the sculpture really looks its best when in use, sparkling so much it’s almost too bright to look at, especially during the flush, which may be a new postmodern sublime.”

Kennedy noted that the "America" exhibit will remain in place and in use indefinitely.

Credit: Image via Twitter.com/Guggenheim Museum.

Music Friday Flashback: Tony Burrows Asks His 'Beach Baby' to Wear His Ring in 1974's Summertime Classic

Welcome to our Music Friday Flashback when we revisit fabulous oldies with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today's featured song is "Beach Baby," a popular 1974 singalong from the British one-hit wonder called The First Class.

Lead singer Tony Burrows — in his best American accent — channels Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys in this song about a summer romance on the beaches of Southern California. He sings, "We couldn't wait for graduation day (oh oh, no) / We took the car and drove to San Jose (oh oh oh) / That's where you told me that you'd wear my ring / I guess you don't remember anything."

What's interesting about "Beach Baby" is that is was written and performed by UK natives. John Carter and his wife, Gillian (Jill) Shakespeare, composed the song in their home in East Sheen, South West London. Despite being 5,400 miles from "old L.A., when everybody drove a Chevrolet," the writing team perfectly captured the vibe of the surf music popularized by The Beach Boys 10 years earlier.

The First Class was the studio creation of Carter and Shakespeare. Once they had their song completed, they hired session singers Burrows and Chas Mills to record the track as The First Class. While the band may suffer from the tag of "one-hit wonder," Burrows has an impressive resume. He was the voice behind a number of other hits, including Edison Lighthouse's "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" and Brotherhood of Man's "United We Stand."

Often mistaken as a Beach Boys standard, "Beach Baby" became a summertime favorite on both sides of the pond. In 1974, it zoomed to #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, settled at #13 on the U.K. charts and ascended all the way to #1 in Canada.

Before we officially say goodbye to summer, let's turn up the volume on "Beach Baby." The video, below, features a live performance by The First Class, with Burrows singing lead vocals. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Beach Baby"
Written by Gillian Shakespeare and John Carter. Performed by The First Class.

You remember back in old L.A. (oh oh oh)
When everybody drove a Chevrolet (oh oh oh)
Whatever happened to the boy next door
The sun-tanned crew-cut all-American male

Remember dancing at the high school hop (oh oh oh)
The dress I ruined with the soda pop (oh oh oh)
I didn't recognize the girl next-door
The beat up sneakers and the pony tail

Beach baby, beach baby, give me your hand
Give me something that I can remember
Just like before, we can walk by the shore in the moonlight
Beach baby, beach baby, there on the sand
From July to the end of September
Surfin' was fun, we'd be out in the sun every day

Mmm, I never thought that it would end (ooh ooh)
Mmm, and I was everybody's friend (ooh ooh)
Long hot days
Blue sea haze
Jukebox plays
But now it's fading away

We couldn't wait for graduation day (oh oh, no)
We took the car and drove to San Jose (oh oh oh)
That's where you told me that you'd wear my ring
I guess you don't remember anything

Beach baby, beach baby, give me your hand (give me your hand)
Give me somethin' that I can remember (give me something to remember)
Just like before we can walk by the shore in the moonlight
Beach baby, beach baby, there on the sand (there on the sand)
From July to the end of September (from July to September)
Surfin' was fun, we'd be out in the sun every day

Beach baby, beach baby
Beach baby, beach baby
Beach baby, beach baby
Do do, do do do do
Beach baby, beach baby
Beach baby, beach baby
Beach baby, beach baby
Do do, do do do do
Beach baby, beach baby
Beach baby, beach baby
Beach baby, beach baby
Do do, do do do do
Beach baby, beach baby
Beach baby, beach baby
Beach baby, beach baby
Do do, do do do do
Beach baby, beach baby
Beach baby, beach baby
Beach baby, beach baby
Do do, do do do do

Credit: Image screen capture via YouTube.com.

Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell Trades Her Bejeweled Crown for a Cushion-Cut Diamond Engagement Ring

On the same day Betty Cantrell ended her reign as Miss America 2016 and handed over her bejeweled crown to successor Savvy Shields of Arkansas, the outgoing pageant winner announced her engagement to boyfriend Spencer (Spinny) Maxwell — and revealed her new diamond ring.

Cantrell couldn't have been more excited about the exchange of bling.

The 22-year-old beauty's Instagram page lit up on Sunday with a photo of Cantrell snuggled up to her new beau, with an engagement ring prominently displayed on her left hand, which rested against his chest.

"And now finally I can say my Fiancé!" the Georgia native announced in the caption of her snapshot. "To the man who let me be Miss America for a year, to the man who is moving to Nashville with me to help me achieve my dreams as a country music singer, to the man who so selflessly lets me shine, to the man who never gave up on me... to the love of my life. Forever and always, your dreams are my dreams. I love you Spinny." She closed her announcement with the following hashtags: #tonewdreams #truelove #fiance #engaged #finally.

Cantrell was back on Instagram a few moments later with another photo: the closeup of the ring. Captioned "Because I'm OBSESSED!!!!!" the image shows a detailed view of a sizable cushion-cut diamond in a four-prong setting on a minimalist yellow gold band. Cantrell added that @spinnymoose [Spencer] knows how to pick a ring." She used the hashtags #engaged #fiance #finally #rock #cushioncut.

Cantrell and Maxwell will be moving to Nashville so the former Miss America can pursue a career in country music. She revealed on her Instagram page that she's already completed three tracks for her first album. Cantrell met Maxwell in March of 2015, but kept their romance out of the spotlight while Cantrell served her year-long assignment as Miss America.

Cantrell also used her Instagram page to share a selfie of her and Shields. She congratulated the 21-year-old on her win and wished her the best as Miss America 2017. The 96th Miss America pageant took place at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Credits: Images via Instagram.com/bettycantrellmusic.

Master Sculptor Wallace Chan to Exhibit 'Rise of Heart' and 40 Other Gem Creations in NY Next Month

Visitors to New York City next month will have a rare opportunity to see the amazing gemstone creations of Chinese master sculptor Wallace Chan. The installation at the Park Avenue Armory from October 21-26 will mark the first time Chan has exhibited his work in New York.

Regarded as the world’s leading art fair, TEFAF New York Fall will showcase Chan's 7-foot-tall "Rise of Heart."

Crafted in titanium, the gemstone-intensive sculpture depicts what Chan calls the "queen of Chinese gardens" — the peony flower — encircled by graceful butterflies. The breathtaking work is embellished with 925 rubies (357 carats), 470 citrines (3,622 carats), 500 amethysts (1,078 carats) and a vibrant burst of yellow diamonds.

Chan notes on his website that the peony is a sign of spring, as well as a symbol of affection, feminine beauty, riches and honor. The airy butterflies are a symbol of beauty, love and joy.

“Do flowers attract butterflies or is it the other way round? I wonder about that relationship,” Wallace told a writer for design blog, Lavender's Blue. “I’m always very curious! I like to study the sky and earth, to capture the universe in my works. The universe is my teacher!”

Also on display in New York will be 40 other Chan masterpieces. Some of his work is so vivid and lifelike that it looks like it could crawl away.

The world renowned Hong Kong-based artist is famous for developing "The Wallace Cut," a special technique he uses to carve a three-dimensional portrait into the non-faceted back of a gemstone. Using a dentist’s drill with a specially adapted blade, the sculptor grinds away at the gemstone to render a subject who seems to be looking in several directions at once.

The drill, which spins at 36,000 times per minute, generates so much heat that the process has to take place under cold water or else the stone could be easily damaged.

“It means I can’t see clearly when I’m cutting,” Chan told CNN. “It becomes a very repetitive process. I make one cut, take it out of the water to check it, dry the stone, check it again, and if it’s fine I put it back in the water and make another cut.”

At TEFAF (The European Fine Art Foundation) New York Fall, Chan will exhibit among 93 other experts representing a range of art from antiquity through the early 20th century.

Credits: Images via wallacechan.com.

Surprising Season Finale of 'Bachelor in Paradise' Delivers Three Engagements and Three Stunning Rings

More than 5.5 million fans of ABC's top-rated Bachelor in Paradise witnessed three romantic, teary-eyed proposals — and three stunning engagement rings — during last week's season finale.

In a surprising turn of events, not one, but three couples found love during their few short weeks in Mexico. Making the ultimate commitment to tie the knot were Josh Murray and Amanda Stanton, Evan Bass and Carly Waddell, and Grant Kemp and Lace Morris.

Here's a close-up look at their rings, which were designed by Neil Lane...

Murray popped the question to Stanton with a double-halo-style engagement ring that features a square emerald-cut diamond center stone set in platinum with a pavé diamond band. An insider told US Magazine that the 3-carat diamond ring is valued at $85,000.

Murray's emotional proposal had fans swooning and fighting to hold back the tears: "You are the sweetest, kindest, most loving, generous woman that I have ever met," Murray said. "I'm so blessed to spend the rest of my life with you. So, Amanda, my love, will you marry me?"

Not to be outdone, Bass expressed his devotion to Waddell with a silly limerick followed by a emotion-filled declaration of love.

"Carly, our life in Paradise has been nothing short of epic," he said. "My love for you has only gotten stronger. And the love I feel from you is the most amazing, inexplicable, mind-blowing thing that I just never in a million years thought I would get. I feel like my heart beats to your soul... Carly, I wanna chase after the fairy tales, and go on all of the adventures, and find all of the interesting things in this world to explore… I wanna start a life with you. I want you to be my wife."

Bass presented Waddell with a split-shank, halo-style platinum engagement ring centered by a pear-shaped 3.3-carat fancy pink diamond accented with rose-gold prongs and a band of white pavé diamonds. Us Magazine reported the ring's value at approximately $90,000.

Kemp chose for Morris an engagement ring featuring an Art Deco-inspired, square-cut 3.5-carat diamond framed by an octagonal border of 20 smaller round-cut white diamonds. With a value of $98,000, this ring is the priciest of the three.

The handsome suitor got down on one knee and asked Morris for her hand in marriage: "When I look at you, there's no way that I would not want you in my life," he said. "I love you when you're happy. I love you when you're stubborn. I love you when you're sad. I even love you when you're screaming at me. But, mostly, I love you when you're Lace. Lace, will you marry me?"

Credits: Couples via ABC. Rings courtesy of Neil Lane.

Swiss Luxury Jeweler De Grisogono Purchases Rights to Cut the 813-Carat 'Constellation'

Swiss luxury jeweler De Grisogono has purchased the rights to cut and polish the world's most expensive rough diamond, the $63 million, 813-carat "Constellation."

The diamond will be cut in Antwerp and will likely yield the world's largest D-flawless diamond, weighing between 300 and 350 carats. The cutting and polishing process is expected to be completed by May 2017.

De Grisogono entered a partnership with Dubai-based Nemesis International, which had acquired the rough diamond from Lucara Diamond Corp. for $63 million in May. The value of De Grisogono's deal with Nemesis was not disclosed.

The colorful founder of De Grisogono, Fawaz Gruosi, referred to the stone as his "princess," "his collaborator" and "his woman."

"I love her and I hate her," he said. "Love because something like this is so exceptional — I could never dream to be able to have a stone like this in my own hands — and hate her because I don't know how I'm going to dress her."

"(This is) the first time we've taken such a historic stone and had full creative freedom to do what we want with it," De Grisogono CEO John Leitao told CNN.

Back in November of 2015, Lucara miners discovered two enormous gem-quality rough diamonds at its Karowe Mine in Botswana. The pair tipped the scales at a combined 1,922 carats. The larger of the two was the 1,109-carat "Lesedi la Rona," which failed to meet the reserve price at Sotheby’s London on June 29. The smaller of the two was the Constellation.

Both diamonds have been rated Type IIa by the Gemological Institute of America. Diamonds in this rare and coveted subgroup are chemically pure and often show extraordinary optical transparency.

The Constellation is the sixth-largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, according to NationalJeweler.com.

Credits: Facebook/Lucara Diamond Corporation.

Bruce Springsteen Serenades Young Couple During Epic Onstage Marriage Proposal

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen created a memory that will last a lifetime when he stopped his encore performance of "Jersey Girl" to invite a young couple onstage for an unforgettable marriage proposal.

Michael McCloskey had waited all evening for Springsteen to perform that special song because he knew it would be the perfect time to propose to his Jersey Girl, Jillian Rabadan. Nearly four hours into the concert, it was finally McCloskey's moment to go down on one knee and present Rabadan with a diamond ring.

The surprised girlfriend said "Yes" and the concertgoers in their section screamed their approval.

Springsteen and the East Street Band were halfway through a beautiful rendition of the Tom Waits' classic song when The Boss noticed the commotion in the pit near the front of the stage.

"What's going on down there?" Springsteen asked.

Band member Stevie Van Zandt pointed to his ring finger, signaling to Springsteen that the couple had just gotten engaged.

"You need to come up here and do it," Springsteen said.

As the couple found their way over the barricade and onto the stage, Springsteen announced, "Love is in the room tonight."

Springsteen handed the microphone to McCloskey, who told the crowd of 55,000 that he and Jill had been dating for eight years. "We've been to a ton of shows together and this is by far the highlight of them all," he said.

McCloskey then turned to his girlfriend and said, “Jill, you’re my best friend. I love you more than anyone else in the world. I love you more than music itself. Hell, I love you more than Bruce. Sorry, Bruce! I’m so happy you said yes, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

The couple embraced and the sold-out stadium went crazy.

Springsteen then encouraged McCloskey to dance with his new fiancée while Springsteen and the band segued into the final verse "Jersey Girl."

Springsteen sang, "'Cause down the shore everything's all right / You and your baby on a Saturday night / Nothing matters in this whole wide world / When you're in love with a Jersey girl."

The song and concert came to a rousing conclusion with an impressive display of fireworks in the night sky.

“Bruce was amazing,” Rabadan told a local CBS affiliate. “He was so nice, and I can’t believe he did that for us."

Said McCloskey, “He could have just given us a shout-out or a wave, but he invited us up on stage. He gave us a serenade and a slow dance and a memory that’ll last a lifetime.”

See the videos of how the scene played out at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey...

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.com/Compumom226; YouTube.com/pointblank482000.

Latest in Wearable Tech: This Ring Lets You See and Feel Your Lover's Heartbeat in Real Time

The latest wearable technology — the HB Ring — allows you see and feel your lover's heartbeat in real time. Conceived by a company called TheTouch, the rings have the ability to link up with each other from across town or across the planet.

To see and feel the real-time heartbeat of one's partner, the user simply double taps on the HB Ring. A red stripe that's visible through the ring's sapphire body flashes a single time to confirm the request was sent. A few seconds later — after making a connection with the companion's ring — the red stripe flashes with the real-time heartbeat of the partner. The user can also feel a vibration from the ring that matches the heartbeat rhythm.

To protect one's privacy, the responding ring shows no indication that it is transmitting a real-time heartbeat.

The ring, which seems simple but actually houses 100 individual components, captures the heartbeat using a sensor.

Available in stainless steel or rose gold, the rings feature a unibody sapphire crystal surface that is virtually unscratchable. The HB Rings are 3.9mm thick, 12.1mm wide and available in six sizes.

Even though the rings include electronic components, they can withstand short exposures to water, such as hand washing. The rings are not designed to be submerged for long periods of time, so swimming with the ring or taking it into a hot tub is definitely out of the question.

The HB Rings are the result of 2.5 years of product development that utilized the expertise of Czech, Swiss, German and Japanese engineers and manufacturers.

The rings are connected to a smartphone app via Bluetooth and will function as long as they are charged and the users have access to data or Wi-Fi. With typical usage (about 10 to 15 touches per day), the monthly data consumption will be about 300KB to 450KB, according to the company.

The rings are priced at $599 per pair for the stainless steel version and range up to $2,990 for the rose gold pair. The rings come with two single chargers and one double charger. The rings are currently powered up via a USB connection, but TheTouch is reportedly working on a wireless charging option.

The products are now in the pre-order stage. The rose gold rings will start shipping in November 2016, with the stainless versions following a month later.

Credits: Images via Facebook.com/thetouchx.