Located just a short skip from The City of Love, Disneyland Paris has been named the world's most popular place to pop the question.
Wedding-planning website Hitched.co.uk reports that one in 500 proposals worldwide takes place at the Paris venue — and we're certain that many suitors staged their bended-knee photo op squarely in front of the picturesque Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Hitched based its findings on the analysis of hashtags used on Instagram. For many couples, the first thing they do after celebrating their engagement is announce the big news on social media. The researchers at the wedding website analyzed the data from hashtags, such as #bridetobe and #engaged. They also used geotagging to define the most popular landmarks associated with engagement messaging.
The results seem to confirm that a Disney Park is not only "the happiest place on Earth," but also the most romantic. Disney dominates the "Most Popular Places to Propose" list, placing three properties in the Top 10.
Ranking #2 on the list is Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida (one in 555 proposals), and placing #8 is Walt Disney’s Epcot, also in Orlando (one in 1,428 proposals).
Disneyland Paris offers a six-page brochure that promotes a "wedding proposal service" that promises to make your special moment "a magical affair" in the most fabulous of settings. The park can provide a dedicated representative to manage all the details of the proposal, including the perfect location, photographer and flowers. The representative also can schedule a romantic dinner with personalized table decorations, and reserve an enchanting room sprinkled with rose petals.
Rounding out the Top 10 list of the Most Popular Places to Propose are #3 Centennial Lakes Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota (one in 625 proposals), #4 Eiffel Tower in Paris, France (one in 679), #5 The Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, California (one in 1,000), #6 Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge, New York (one in 1,111), #7 Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada (one in 1,250), #9 Big Bear Lake, California (one in 1,666) and #10 Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia (one in 2,000).
The 6.16-carat blue diamond originally presented in 1715 as a wedding gift to Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain, has emerged on the market for the first time and will be offered for sale at Sotheby’s Geneva on May 15. It is expected to fetch between $3.7 million and $5.3 million.
Sotheby's noted that the blue diamond was gifted to Farnese by the governor of the Philippine Islands on the occasion of her wedding to King Philip V of Spain, the grandson of Louis XIV, King of France. Blue diamonds were viewed as the ultimate royal gift in the 17th and 18th centuries because the color blue was identified as "the color of the kings."
Even though it had remained in the same family for more than 300 years, "The Farnese Blue" was never seen in public. In fact, except for close relatives and the family jewelers, no one knew of its existence.
Secreted away in a "royal casket," the pear-shaped, fancy dark grey-blue diamond traveled across Europe, as Elisabeth and Philip’s descendants married into Europe’s most important dynasties. The "casket" likely refers to a rectangular jewelry box that is shaped like a casket, not a coffin.
The gift from the governor of the Philippine Islands was given to the Queen at the urging of the Spanish government. Governors of Spain's colonies from Mexico to the East Indies were encouraged to send wedding presents to Madrid.
In August of 1715, a fleet of 12 Spanish ships carrying a fortune in gold bullion and enormous emeralds set sail from Cuba, but were devastated by a hurricane in the gulf of Florida. Only one ship survived the voyage back to Spain, and that was the ship carrying the blue diamond.
"It is difficult to put into words the excitement of holding between thumb and forefinger a gem discovered centuries ago, knowing it originated in the legendary Golconda diamond mines of India," noted David Bennett, Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewelry Division and Co-Chairman of Sotheby’s Switzerland. "This stone has witnessed 300 years of European history, and in color is reminiscent of historic Golconda blue gems, such as the Hope Diamond.”
"The Farnese Blue" will embark on an international tour before returning to Geneva for the May 15 Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale. The diamond will make appearances in Hong Kong (March 29 - April 2), London (April 7-10), New York (April 13-17), Singapore (April 27-28), Taipei (May 1-2) and Geneva (May 12-14).
Credits: Diamond images courtesy of Sotheby's. Elisabeth Farnese image by Louis-Michel van Loo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you the hottest songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Taylor Swift wants to wear her new boyfriend's initial on a chain around her neck in the introspective 2017 hit, "Call It What You Want."
Written by Swift and collaborator Jack Antonoff, this deeply personal tune recounts how falling in love again helped her recover from a very dark time when her "castle crumbled overnight."
She sings, "I want to wear his initial / On a chain round my neck, chain round my neck / Not because he owns me / But 'cause he really knows me."
Her new boyfriend is British actor and model Joe Alwyn, and Swift has been spotted wearing a script initial "J" engraved on silver charm pendant.
Following her split from Tom Hiddleston and an emotionally draining public feud with Kanye West, Swift stepped out of the spotlight to make new music and hit the reset button. What resulted was the 15-track Reputation, an album that topped the charts in 14 countries and sold more than 2 million copies in its first week.
"Call It What You Want" is the penultimate song on an album that takes the listener of an emotional journey from rebellion and anger to true love. The single topped out at #27 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #24 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.
Swift fans will notice similarities between the lyrics of "Call It What You Want" and her 2008 hit, "Love Story." In both songs, the heroine wants to run away with her boyfriend...
In "Love Story"... "Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone / I'll be waiting, all that's left to do is run / You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess / It's a love story, baby just say yes."
In "Call It What You Want"... "I recall late November, holdin' my breath / Slowly I said, 'You don't need to save me / But would you run away with me?' / Yes."
Born in Wyomissing, Pa., Swift was not an average schoolgirl. By the time she was 11, Swift was already performing regularly at karaoke contests, festivals and fairs near her home in Berks County. When she was 14, her parents moved the family to Nashville, where Swift would be better positioned to pursue a career in country music. At the age of 17, Swift was topping the country charts. Swift is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums and 130 million single downloads. She has won 10 Grammy Awards, one Emmy, 21 Billboard Music Awards and 12 Country Music Association Awards.
Please check out the official lyric video of "Call It What You Want." You can also follow along, below...
"Call It What You Want"
Written by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff. Performed by Taylor Swift.
My castle crumbled overnight
I brought a knife to a gunfight
They took the crown, but it's alright
All the liars are calling me one
Nobody's heard from me for months
I'm doing better than I ever was, 'cause
My baby's fit like a daydream
Walking with his head down
I'm the one he's walking to
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to
My baby's fly like a jet stream
High above the whole scene
Loves me like I'm brand new
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to
All my flowers grew back as thorns
Windows boarded up after the storm
He built a fire just to keep me warm
All the drama queens taking swings
All the jokers dressin' up as kings
They fade to nothing when I look at him
And I know I make the same mistakes every time
Bridges burn, I never learn, at least I did one thing right
I did one thing right
I'm laughing with my lover, making forts under covers
Trust him like a brother, yeah, you know I did one thing right
Starry eyes sparkin' up my darkest night
My baby's fit like a daydream
Walking with his head down
I'm the one he's walking to
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to
My baby's fly like a jet stream
High above the whole scene
Loves me like I'm brand new
(Call it what you want, call it what you want, call it)
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to
I want to wear his initial
On a chain round my neck, chain round my neck
Not because he owns me
But 'cause he really knows me
Which is more than they can say, I
I recall late November, holdin' my breath
Slowly I said, "You don't need to save me
But would you run away with me?"
Yes (would you run away?)
My baby's fit like a daydream
Walking with his head down
I'm the one he's walking to
(Call it what you want, call it what you want, call it)
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to
My baby's fly like a jet stream
High above the whole scene
Loves me like I'm brand new
(Call it what you want, call it what you want, call it)
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to
Call it what you want, yeah
Call it what you want
To
Chinese researchers have successfully restored the vision of blind mice by replacing their deteriorated photoreceptors with artificial ones made from gold and titanium.
Using jewelry-industry metals to reverse blindness could prove to be a game changer in the treatment of debilitating eye diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and macular degeneration.
In the study, scientists from Fudan University and the University of Science and Technology of China swapped out degraded photoreceptors — the sensory structures in eyes that respond to light — with replacements made from titanium nanowires studded with gold flakes.
The researchers reported that the once-blind mice began responding to green, blue and ultraviolet light. Their pupils dilated, confirming that the photoreceptors were, in fact, working. Essentially, the missing links between the eyes and the brain had been reestablished.
Interestingly, the titanium and gold photoreceptor replacements need no outside power source to function. They simply remain in physical contact with retinal cells and pass the animal's natural electrical impulses to the visual cortex. The photoreceptors remained implanted in the mice for eight weeks, during which the animals showed no ill side effects or discomfort.
The team's findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
The researchers were not able to measure visual acuity or whether the mice regained full color vision, so there is still much work to be done. Nevertheless, the Chinese study paves the way for fascinating future research — and these advancements could mean a very bright future for people suffering from blindness.
A tiny diamond found at South Africa's Cullinan mine is credited with preserving and ferrying an unstable, never-before-seen deep-Earth mineral 400 miles to the surface.
Scientists at the University of Alberta's Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences discovered a minuscule sample of the elusive mineral "calcium silicate perovskite" trapped within the rough diamond that measured only .031 millimeters in diameter. It was polished to give researchers a clearer view of the inclusion trapped inside.
Calcium silicate perovskite is believed to be the fourth-most-abundant mineral on Earth and makes up as much as 93% of Earth's lower mantle. Despite being so plentiful, scientists could only hypothesize its existence. Nobody could actually see it because the mineral's crystal lattice deforms as it moves toward the surface.
“Nobody has ever managed to keep this mineral stable at Earth’s surface,” lead researcher Graham Pearson, a geochemist at the University of Alberta, said in a press release. “The only possible way of preserving this mineral at Earth’s surface is when it’s trapped in an unyielding container like a diamond.”
While most diamonds are formed under intense pressure at a depth of 93 to 124 miles, the diamond encasing the calcium silicate perovskite was likely formed 400-plus miles below the surface. The pressure at that depth is equivalent to 240,000 times the pressure at sea level.
Diamonds can be blasted to the surface during volcanic eruptions. The vertical superhighways that take the diamonds on their journey are called kimberlite pipes.
"Diamonds are really unique ways of seeing what's in the Earth," Pearson said.
The mineral's composition was confirmed by X-ray and spectroscopic analysis. Future research will focus on the age and origin of the material.
The scientists also noted that chemical clues found in the diamond reveal that it formed out of the remains of oceanic crust, supporting the theory that the Earth undergoes a recycling process that brings crust material into the deep mantle.
Researchers at the University of Alberta published their findings in the journal Nature.
Credit: Image courtesy of Nester Korolev, University of British Columbia.
A spectacular 24.70-carat cushion-shaped ruby ring will share top billing with "The Circle of Heaven" jadeite bracelet at Sotheby's Hong Kong on April 3. Both items are expected to fetch more than $10 million when they hit the auction block at the Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Spring Sale.
Rubies found in the Mogok region of Myanmar (formerly Burma) are famed for their top-grade pigeon-blood color. The Burmese ruby coming up for bid at Sotheby's Hong Kong will be of particular interest to buyers because Mogok-sourced specimens in excess of 20 carats are said to be among the rarest gems in the world.
The ruby is secured with yellow-gold prongs and surrounded by D-color pear-shaped diamonds (internally flawless to VVS1). The shank is set with pavé-set brilliant-cut diamonds. The pre-auction estimate for the piece is $10.4 million to $11.7 million.
Co-starring in Hall 5 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on April 3 will be a superb jadeite bracelet known as "The Circle of Heaven." Displaying a brilliant emerald green color, fine texture and high translucency, the bracelet boasts a pre-sale estimate of $10.2 million to $12.8 million.
Fine-quality jadeite is highly cherished, especially in Chinese culture. Jadeite symbolizes benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, bravery and honesty. The ancient Chinese revered jadeite as the "stone of heaven."
Other notable items to be presented in Hong Kong include a beautiful array of colored diamond, sapphire and emerald rings...
• A Rare Fancy Blue Diamond Ring. This step-cut fancy blue diamond weighs 14.18 carats and is surrounded by a halo of round pink diamonds. The pre-sale estimate is $5.9 million to $7.7 million.
• A Sapphire and Diamond Ring. An impressive 10.18-carat Kashmir sapphire is the centerpiece of this ring by Cartier. Displaying a velvety blue color, the sapphire is accented by a pair of triangular diamonds. Sotheby's set the pre-auction estimate at $1.2 million to $1.7 million.
• An Important Emerald and Diamond Ring. Sporting a rich, natural saturation, this step-cut 14.72-carat Colombian emerald is set in a ring by Cartier. The ring's pre-sale estimate is $1.1 million to $1.4 million.
Gold, platinum and diamonds literally rained from the sky over the frigid city of Yakutsk in eastern Siberia last Thursday.
The wild display of flying treasure — worth 21 billion rubles or $368 million — was attributed to the failed cargo hatch of a Cold War-era transport plane called the Antonov An-12. The aircraft was carrying gold bars, platinum bars and loose diamonds on behalf of Chukota Mining and Geological Company. About 99% of all Russian diamonds are mined in Yakutia, where winter temperatures routinely hit -35C (-31F).
According to The Siberian Times, the plane had been loaded with 10 tons of precious metals and gemstones when it lifted from Yakutsk airport.
Shortly after takeoff, the heavy cargo shifted, ripping through the cargo door and damaging a portion of the fuselage. Nearly 200 gold bars fell from the plane, littering the runway with gold and platinum bars. The damaged plane continued to fly for 16 kilometers (10 miles) — dropping more treasure along with way — before landing at the nearby Magan airport.
Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported that technicians who had prepared the plane for takeoff may have failed to properly secure the cargo.
Police immediately sealed off the runway and began the task of retrieving about 3.4 tons of precious metal ingots. A typical gold bar weighs 12.4 kilograms or 27.3 pounds, so it is fortunate that nobody was hurt by the plummeting precious metal.
Yakutsk, which is the capital of Yakutia or the Sasha Republic, is frequently cited as the coldest major city in the world.
The Siberian Times had a little fun with that fact, tweeting, "It's -21C in Yakutia, sunny, we expect showers of diamond, platinum and gold... Plane loses its $368 million cargo; gems and precious metals rain over Russia’s coldest region as police and secret services stage emergency search."
Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.com/The Siberian Times. Map by Google Maps.
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you new songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, former American Idol Scotty McCreery delivers a first-hand account of his mountaintop marriage proposal to future bride Gabi Dugal in his brand new single, "This Is It."
In the song, the 24-year-old McCreery tells the story of a young couple's unforgettable moment "at the top of the world."
He sings, "Girl I know that you've been waiting and talking to your friends / Wondering if and wondering where and wondering when / Well I've been waiting too, holding on to this ring / For the right words to say, for the right time and place, for me to get on one knee."
McCreery revealed in an AXS Patio Sessions interview that he and his co-writers collaborated on the song the past September, only two weeks before he had planned to pop the question on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.
"I told my co-writers the story and we just kinda wrote the song around that," he said. "It's very visual and paints the picture of how the engagement went down."
Writing the song before the engagement was a tad risky for the North Carolinian. Although he had all the "wheres and whens and hows" mapped out perfectly, there was still a possibility that something could go awry.
“If things hadn’t gone to plan and we hadn’t gotten to the mountain, I probably would have had to scrap the song," said McCreery. "But luckily it all worked out.”
Friends since kindergarten, McCreery and Dugal, a pediatric nurse, had been dating for six years. They plan to marry this year.
"Engaged life is great," McCreery told theboot.com. "I'm really happy."
"This Is It" is the sixth track from McCreery's third studio album, Seasons Change. The album releases today, March 16.
A native of Garner, N.C., Scott Cooke McCreery has the distinction of being the youngest male ever to win an American Idol competition. He was only 17 when he prevailed during the Season 10 finale in May of 2011.
Please check out the video of McCreery's AXS Patio Sessions performance of "This Is It." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...
"This Is It"
Written by Scotty McCreery, Frank Rogers and Aaron Eshuis. Performed by McCreery.
Way up in the mountains, four thousand feet high
There's a trail through the trees to a cliff where Carolina meets the sky
Oh, and there's a view I just can't describe
No, I'm not there yet, just a few more steps, baby wait
Okay, you can open your eyes
This is it, this is now, this is what I've been talking about
Looking out, can't you see forever?
Take my hand, just take it in
This is a moment we won't forget
On top of the world, here, together
If there ever was a time for a perfect kiss, this is it
Girl I know that you've been waiting and talking to your friends
Wondering if and wondering where and wondering when
Well I've been waiting too, holding on to this ring
For the right words to say, for the right time and place, for me to get on one knee
This is it, this is now, this is what I've been talking about
Looking out, can't you see forever?
Take my hand, just take it in
This is a moment we won't forget
On top of the world here together
If there ever was a time for a perfect kiss, well this is it
This is it
Now you're walking down the aisle
And I can't help but smile
This is it, this is now, it's what I've been talking about
Looking out, I can see forever
So take my hand, just take it in
This is a moment we won't forget
On top of the world, here, together
Surrounded by our family and our friends
If there ever was a time for a perfect kiss
This is it
Quick action and perfect timing are credited with saving $100,000 worth of diamond jewelry from a ghastly demise at the Hall County landfill, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.
This past Friday, a Georgia woman (who wishes to remain anonymous) mistakenly threw away two diamond rings and a tennis bracelet. Even though she felt sick to her stomach when she realized what had happened, her timely call for help made all the difference in getting the jewelry back.
Had she alerted authorities just 15 or 20 minutes later, the garbage truck containing her precious keepsakes would have dumped its cargo at the face of the giant landfill and the jewelry would have been compacted into the ground.
Instead, Hall County’s Solid Waste Director Johnnie Vickers was able to divert the truck to a sorting station, where five crew members tore through 10 tons of garbage. Their only clue was that the jewelry was in a black trash bag.
Three hours later, with prospects looking gloomy, the treasure was found.
Sorting through a holding area containing 10 tons of trash from a single truck is much more manageable task than sorting through a landfill area, where convoys of trucks dump their loads for compacting.
Vickers told gainsvilletimes.com that if the truck ended up at the landfill, "1,000 people couldn’t have found [the jewelry]. It would have been gone forever.”
The solid waste director said that he receives one or two calls per week from frantic customers who have accidentally trashed valuable possessions, such as their keys, wallet or purse.
“We try to treat it just like it’s our own," Vickers told gainesvilletimes.com. "People make mistakes and accidents happen. We do our best to try to get them their property back — if there’s a possibility of getting it back.”
The colossal 910-carat diamond recovered from the Letšeng mine in January was sold on Monday for $40 million. Dubbed the "Lesotho Legend" to honor its country of origin, the Type IIa, D-color rough specimen is the fifth-largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered.
The Lesotho Legend also has the distinction of being the largest gem-quality diamond ever unearthed at Letšeng, a mine that has earned the reputation for being the highest dollar-per-carat kimberlite mine in the world.
Despite having a land mass slightly smaller than Maryland, Lesotho is an international powerhouse when it comes to turning out huge, top-quality stones. Some of Letšeng's most impressive finds include the Lesotho Promise (603 carats), Letšeng Star (550 carats) and Lesotho Legacy (493 carats).
NationalJeweler.com reported that the Lesotho Legend was purchased at tender by Antwerp-based diamond supplier Samir Gems and other partners. The company will now face the challenge of mapping and cleaving the oddly-shaped rough diamond to yield the optimal number of polished diamonds while losing the least amount of carat weight. A rough diamond of 910-carats could result in 10 to 30 gem-quality polished stones of various shapes and sizes, according to experts.
When Gem Diamonds Ltd. announced its discovery in January, we guessed that the rough diamond would sell for about $50 million. That estimate was based on the recent sales of huge diamonds exhibiting nearly identical characteristics.
The 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona (#2 on the all-time list) had fetched $53 million in September of 2017, while the 812-carat Constellation (#7 on the all-time list) was sold for $63 million in May of 2016. Both were D-color, Type IIa diamonds, which means they were colorless and chemically pure with no traces of nitrogen or boron impurities.
In a statement, Gem Diamonds' CEO Clifford Elphick said, "We are delighted with the outcome of the sale of this iconic diamond, which demonstrates the exceptional quality of the Lesotho Legend itself, as well as reaffirming the unique quality of the Letšeng diamond production."
United Kingdom-based Gem Diamonds Ltd. holds a 70% stake in the Letšeng mine with the government of Lesotho owning the remaining 30%.
