Guest User 1/8/19 Guest User 1/8/19

Not Again! NYPD Rescues Another Engagement Ring From Utility Grate in Midtown

For the second time in five weeks, the New York City Police Department has rescued a diamond engagement ring from a utility grate near Times Square.

The metal grates, which were once famous for consuming spiked heels and small change, are now menacing bridal jewelry at an alarming rate.

The NYPD went as far as to send out this tongue-in-cheek public service announcement via its Twitter page: "PSA: Attention all newly engaged! Please avoid sewer grates at all cost! Thank you."

Back in early December, a British couple became international celebrities after a video of them losing their engagement ring down a utility grate in Times Square went viral.

The couple reportedly flagged down police officers on the night of the incident, but they were not able to access the ring in the darkness. The couple returned to the UK the next day without filing a police report or providing their contact information.

The NYPD was not about to give up the search, however, and detectives were back at the scene the next day, descending into the muck eight feet below the sidewalk to rescue the ring. The NYPD used its Twitter account to locate the couple, and within 24 hours they were found.

Two weeks later the couple was invited back to the U.S. to appear on the Ellen show, where they were not only reunited with their engagement ring, but also got to meet the hero detectives who found it. The show also gifted the couple $10,000 as a wedding gift.

On January 5, the Twitter account for NYPD Midtown North was buzzing with more news about an engagement ring that was rescued from a utility grate at 48th Street and 8th Avenue, just a block from Times Square. The post — which includes a photo of an oval diamond in a halo setting — gives credit for the recovery to the NYPD's Neighborhood Coordinating Officers (NCOs), Emergency Service Unit (ESU) and the Fire Department of New York City (FDNY).

In a tweet that begins with a blue diamond engagement ring emoji, the department wrote: "Ring in the new year & you won’t believe it — it fell down a sewer grate. It’s the first engagement ring we recovered in 2019. NCO’s along with ESU & FDNY were able to retrieve the ring. Sound familiar? Well this time we gave it back at the scene in lieu of the @TheEllenShow."

Unlike the British couple who reveled in their new-found fame, the woman who lost her ring at 48th Street requested to remain anonymous.

Credit: Image via Twitter.com/NYPDMTN.

Guest User 1/7/19 Guest User 1/7/19

'InStyle' Editor-in-Chief Laura Brown Raises the Bar for Engagement Ring Selfies

InStyle magazine's editor-in-chief Laura Brown raised the bar for engagement ring selfies last week when she posted to her Instagram page an impeccable close-up shot of her new Art Deco-inspired bling. The ring features a round center diamond surrounded by an unusual asymmetrical array of square and rectangular baguettes.

Comedian and writer Brandon Borror-Chappell surprised the Australian-born fashion guru with a marriage proposal while the two vacationed over the holidays with some adorable furry friends in the Land Down Under.

Brown teased the big news in an Instagram post that showed the couple embracing at the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs, Australia. The caption read: "What can I say: someone really digs kangaroos. I love you forever, @brandogeoffrey." Prominently seen on the ring finger of her left hand is a diamond engagement ring.

In a post the next day, Brown told her 251,000 Instagram followers how the sanctuary's team played a big role in the surprise proposal. A baby kangaroo and the engagement ring starred in the post.

"And we’re already parents!" she wrote. "This is Vegemite, just rescued by Brolga and Tahnee of @thekangaroosanctuary that morning. We can’t tell you how special these guys are. Kind and gracious and full of love. And also the greatest and sneakiest wingmen for @brandogeoffrey’s proposal. Thank you!"

Bowing to numerous requests for her to post a closeup of the ring, Brown obliged with a beautifully shot selfie.

"And for those of y’all who wanted a closer look at the ring, here it is," Brown wrote on her Instagram page. "Designed by my dear and brilliant mate Stefano Canturi. He is a genius. Am beside myself. Stefano and Patricia, we love you and thank you! @canturi" She punctuated the caption with a red heart emoji.

According to the Aussie designer's Instagram page, Brown's ring is called "Stella" and reflects a style meant to appeal to "modern romantics."

Images via Instagram/laurabrown99.

Guest User 1/4/19 Guest User 1/4/19

Music Friday: Kelly Clarkson Sings, 'You Used to Make Me Feel Like a Diamond'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome new songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, pop star Kelly Clarkson sings about rejuvenating a listless relationship in her 2017 gospel-inspired release, "Heat."

In the song, Clarkson assumes the role of a woman whose marriage is suffering because the passion seems to be gone. Although she still loves her husband, she hammers home the sobering message that the status quo isn't good enough...

She sings, "Baby I deserve it, don't let me down / You used to make me feel like a diamond / Now it don't even seem like you're tryin' / So give me one good reason that I should need you."

In real life, Clarkson and her husband/manager Brandson Blackstock have made a concerted effort to remain fully devoted to each other — no matter what obstacles get in the way.

"[My husband and I] put our kids down and it's like date night every night," she told Entertainment Weekly. "We don't want to be one of those relationships where the passion is gone because you're so tired."

Described by music critic Michael Cragg of The Observer as "pure unadulterated joy," "Heat" was released as the third single from Clarkson's eighth studio album, Meaning of Life. The song peaked at #17 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, while the album hit #2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and #4 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart.

Clarkson, who is currently a coach on The Voice, performed "Heat" on that show in early December and on NBC's New Year's Eve telecast a few days ago.

Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, in 1982, Kelly Brianne Clarkson rose to fame in 2002 after winning the inaugural season of American Idol. Since then, Clarkson has sold more than 25 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide. She has earned three Grammy Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, four American Music Awards and two Academy of Country Music Awards.

Please check out the video of Clarkson’s live performance of “Heat” as part of her "Nashville Sessions" series at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

"Heat"
Written by Andre Davidson, Sean Davidson, Mick Schultz, Jessica Ashley Karpov and Michael Pollack. Performed by Kelly Clarkson.

I'm stumblin' through the darkness
There ain't no sign of a spark here
I'm used to feelin' that fire
You watered down that desire
I put my work in, day in, day out
Baby I deserve it, don't let me down
You used to make me feel like a diamond
Now it don't even seem like you're tryin'
So give me one good reason that I should need you

Come turn this around
(Oh, whoa, oh)
No, no, don't let us down
I need more heat from ya, baby
Make me feel weak for ya, babe
(Oh, whoa, oh)
And I feel alive
(Oh, whoa, oh)
Like my heart's in the wild
I need more heat from ya, baby
Make me feel weak for ya, babe

I'm slippin' out of your fingers
Keep coolin' down like November
I'm used to feelin' that fever
I wanna dive in you deeper
I put that work in, day in, day out
Baby I deserve it, don't let me down, no
Give me one good reason that I should need you

Better than that
Better than that
You know I love you
Better than that
Better than that
So come on love me
Better than that
Better than that
Oh we can do so much
Better than that
Better than that

Screen capture via YouTube.com/Kelly Clarkson.

Guest User 1/3/19 Guest User 1/3/19

Demantoid Garnet Is the Rarest and Most Valuable Variety of January's Birthstone

First discovered in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1851, the vivid green demantoid garnet is the rarest and most valuable variety of January's birthstone.

Demantoid is derived from the Dutch word for diamond, "demant." The stone owes its impressive diamond-like brilliance to two main factors: A high refractive index and a high dispersion (its ability to separate light into the spectrum of colors). Demantoid, in fact, boasts the highest dispersion rating of all gemstones, including diamond.

The green gem was a favorite of designer Carl Fabergé, who incorporated demantoid into the famous jeweled eggs and other fanciful jewelry he created for the Russian Imperial family. Russian mining of demantoid garnet was suspended after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, but finally resumed in the 1970s.

Fine-quality demantoid garnets are rarely found in sizes larger than 2 carats, a fact that makes the examples on this page all the more impressive.

The cushion-cut demantoid, above, is a world-class gemstone and one of the largest and finest faceted demantoids known. The 11.24-carat gem was mined in Russia in the late 1990s and exhibits the highly prized vivid intense emerald-green color. The gem joined the Smithsonian Gem and Mineral Collection in 2011.

The 6.96-carat oval demantoid, below, is from the Green Dragon Mine in Namibia and exhibits a medium dark yellowish-green color. It was purchased on behalf of the Smithsonian in 2014 with funds from the Tiffany & Co. Foundation.

Interestingly, George F. Kunz, who was Tiffany and Co.'s vice president of gemology from 1879 until his death in 1932, was a big fan of demantoid garnets and reportedly purchased all the rough material he could get his hands on.

Demantoid gems are usually high in clarity but may contain distinctive "horsetail" inclusions that seem to spray out from the center of the stone. A beautiful, well-formed inclusion can increase the value of the gemstone considerably, according to the International Color Stone Association.

Demantoid garnet is currently mined in Iran, Namibia, Pakistan, Italy, Madagascar and Canada, but the Russian demantoid continues to set the standard by which all the others are judged.

African-origin demantoid tends to be yellowish-green, olive green or brownish, due to higher concentrations of iron. Russian material, on the other hand, owes its color to chromium and tends to be vivid green.

Other garnet varieties seen in jewelry include pyrope, almandine, andradite, grossularite, hessonite, rhodolite, tsavorite, spessartine and uvarovite.

Credits: Photo of 11.24-carat demantoid garnet by Harold and Erica Van Pelt/Smithsonian. Photo of 6.96-carat demantoid garnet by Greg Polley/Smithsonian.

Guest User 1/2/19 Guest User 1/2/19

This Multi-Cooker Does a Lot of Things, But Producing Fine Jewelry Isn't One of Them

Imagine Shiloah Avery's surprise when she unpacked the box to her new Instant Pot on Christmas morning only to find a gold and diamond wedding ring inside. While the multi-cooker is famous for doing so many things — it combines an electric pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, browning pan and warming pot in one handy unit — producing fine jewelry is not one of them.

"I pulled the bottom packaging material out and there was a wedding ring in the bottom of it. And it wasn’t just like an engagement ring, it was an actual wedding band and ring," the Port Orchard, Wash., resident told Q13 Fox. "...You could tell it'd been someone's ring for a long time."

Avery was determined to find the rightful owner. First, she contacted the company that makes the Instant Pot and put in a service ticket. But, feeling the need to be even more proactive, Avery posted a note about the ring to the Port Orchard Facebook group.

"I could only imagine if that was me, and it was sad," Avery said. "It's somebody's possession, especially being a wedding ring, so I wanted to make sure it got back to the owner."

A few months earlier, Joann Johnson had been shopping for an Instant Pot at the Walmart Supercenter in Port Orchard. Only the large version was on display, so Johnson opened a box containing a smaller one to get a look at the product. Sometime during that maneuver, the wedding ring slipped off her finger. It was only a few days short of her 20th wedding anniversary.

When she returned home and realized the ring was gone, Johnson also turned to the Port Orchard Facebook group for help, asking anybody who might encounter a diamond band at Walmart to please turn it in to customer service.

"Didn’t get any responses other than 'Gee, hope you find it,'" Johnson told Q13 News.

Avery's post did much better. Within 12 hours, the rightful owner had come forward.

Johnson said "it was like an electrical shock going through me" when she saw Avery's Facebook photo of an Instant Pot along with the caption, "I found a ring."

Johnson contacted Avery and proved the ring was hers by drawing a picture of it.

The two women met for the first time with the Q13 News cameras rolling. Johnson told the news team that Avery is her "Christmas angel" and that the return of her ring is truly a Christmas miracle.

“It’s been fun making a new friend,” Avery told Q13 Fox. “And it’s been really nice having a good ending to it.”

Credits: Screen captures via q13fox.com.

Guest User 12/28/18 Guest User 12/28/18

Music Friday: Seth Ennis Shares Story Behind His Proposal in the Newly Released 'Xmas'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome new songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, country music newcomer Seth Ennis shares the story behind his holiday marriage proposal in the newly released "Xmas."

The Georgia-raised 23-year-old turned to Instagram on December 23 to share a snippet of his new song, along with the caption, "She said yes." Then, three days later, he confirmed his engagement with a photo of him and his now-fiancée Janna Nevil celebrating with glasses of champagne.

In the song, Ennis says he can't wait to see his girlfriend's face when she sees the ring that he picked out. We also learn that Ennis' proposal has been a year in the making. It started last Christmas when he revealed his intentions to Nevil's dad.

Ennis sings, "I bet you didn't know at Christmas / I was talkin' to your daddy / I told him me and you were in love / And I just want to make you happy / For ever and ever keep loving you better / And never give up or leave / And baby next Christmas / I'm gonna ask you to marry me."

In a romantic example of life imitating art, Ennis stood by his lyrics and popped the question during the Christmas holiday. In the catchy chorus, he sings "Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes / Say yes to me" — and she did.

Born in Dothan, Ala., Ennis began playing the piano at the age of 7. By the time he was in middle school, he was also a talented guitarist and drummer. The son of a military colonel, Ennis honed his talents as he spent his formative years on a military base in Japan.

“Country music is not that big in Japan,” he noted in his official bio. “If I were raised in Georgia my whole life, I’d probably sound a lot different than I do. But because of how much I moved around, and all the cultures I experienced, my sound is especially diverse.”

Ennis got his big break by being in the right place at the right time.

“There was a battle of the bands competition here in Nashville and when one of the bands dropped out, I got the call,” Ennis said. “I called my players together and we killed it.”

The victory earned Ennis a coveted spot at CMA Music Festival. That performance caught the eye of Sony, which signed him to a record deal in 2016.

In early 2019, Ennis will be embarking on a 14-city tour with performances in New York, Boston, Silver Spring, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Detroit, Minneapolis, Louisville, Atlanta, Orlando, North Myrtle Beach, Charlotte and Raleigh.

Please check out the audio track of Ennis performing "Xmas." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Xmas"
Written and performed by Seth Ennis.

I bet you didn't know at Christmas
I was talkin' to your daddy
I told him me and you were in love
And I just want to make you happy

For ever and ever keep loving you better
And never give up our leave
And baby next Christmas
I'm gonna ask you to marry me

Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me
Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me

Keeping it a secret
and trying to keep it that way
Until the holiday season
Gets harder every day

But even more than I do
When I just tell you
I want to see your face alright
When you see the ring I picked out
Old friends in your new home town
In December when you say

I can't believe I didn't know at Christmas
When I was talkin' to your daddy
I told him me and you were in love
And I just want to make you happy

For ever and ever keep loving you better
And never give up or leave
And baby next Christmas
I'm gonna ask you to marry me

Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me
Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me

I remember back in high school
Dreaming of what you'd be like
Hoping that I'd find the kind of girl who
is from a hometown like mine

Before I met you in that church
Took you out to that concert
Told my momma that I found my wife
When you know you know I knew the whole time

But I bet you didn't know at Christmas
That I was talkin' to your daddy
I told him me and you were in love
And all I want to do is make you happy

If you had me for ever and ever keep loving you better
And never give up or leave
And baby next Christmas
I'm gonna ask you to marry me

Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me
Say yes, say yes, I hope you say yes
Say yes to me

Credit: Image via Instagram.com/seth_ennis.

Guest User 12/27/18 Guest User 12/27/18

Oops! Famous 'Diamond Planet' Is Actually a 'Sapphire Planet,' New Research Suggests

Super-Earth 55 Cancri e, which made headlines in 2012 as "the diamond planet," needs to be reclassified as a sapphire planet, according to astronomers at the Universities of Zurich and Cambridge.

"We are turning the supposed diamond planet into a sapphire planet," said astrophysicist Caroline Dorn, the lead author of new research published in the British journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS).

Previously, scientists speculated that one-third of the 55 Cancri e super-Earth, which is 40 light-years away in the constellation of Cancer, might be composed of pure diamond. The presence of carbon, combined with the planet's high density and extreme heat created the perfect conditions for creating diamonds. Taking a stab at the potential value of a diamond planet, a Forbes columnist did the math and came up with a value of $26.9 nonillion. That’s $26.9 followed by 30 zeros.

But, Dorn and her team say that new observations of 55 Cancri e, as well as two other super-Earths, have forced them to discard the theory of a "diamond in the sky." They determined that these new, exotic planets share a number of characteristics. They all formed at high temperatures close to their host star and contain high quantities of aluminum oxide — the compound that makes up sapphire and ruby.

"Perhaps it shimmers red to blue like rubies and sapphires, because these gemstones are aluminium oxides which are common on the exoplanet," said Dorn.

One of the super-Earths studied by Dorn and her colleagues is just 21 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. Super-Earth HD 219134 b orbits its star in just three days and boasts five times the mass of Earth, but has a lower density. Computer models showed that it is likely rich in the chemical building blocks of sapphires and rubies, but — unlike the Earth — contains very little iron.

Credit: Image by NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Guest User 12/26/18 Guest User 12/26/18

1,109-Carat Lesedi La Rona Likely Weighed 2,774 Carats Before Fracturing Into 5 Pieces

A senior research scientist at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) believes the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona — the second largest rough diamond ever found — actually weighed at least 2,774 carats before it fractured into five pieces during the sorting process at Lucara's Karowe mine in Botswana in November 2015.

Lucara had previously reported that the 813-carat "Constellation” and a 374-carat unnamed "shard" had broken off Lesedi La Rona. The total weight of the original rough diamond, had it remained intact, would have been 2,296 carats.

But, after getting a chance to study the trio, plus other large diamonds recovered during the same time period at Karowe, Dr. Ulrika D’Haenens-Johansson and her team from the GIA were able to identify two other rough diamonds that likely broke off the original. Those gems weighed 296 carats and 183 carats, respectively.

"Due to the similarity in their external characteristics — which include cleavage faces — as well as their extraction locations and dates, it was suspected that these stones might have originated from a larger rough that had broken," Dr. D’Haenens-Johansson wrote in the Fall 2018 issue of Gems & Gemology.

The five pieces totaled 2,774 carats, which is equivalent to 1.22 pounds (.55 kilograms). Had the original survived the recovery process, it would have still rated second behind the largest gem-quality rough diamond of all time — the 3,106-carat Cullinan, unearthed in South Africa in 1905.

Lucara CEO Eira Thomas told diamonds.net that evidence indicates the larger stone broke up both because of natural effects and being knocked around during the recovery process. The mining company has reportedly installed additional X-ray transmission (XRT) technology to ensure exceptional stones are identified and pulled from the line before they can be fractured.

The Constellation set a world record for a rough gem when Nemesis International and De Grisogono partnered to purchase it for $63 million in 2016. Graff bought the 374-carat "shard" for $17.5 million in May 2017 and subsequently paid $53 million in September 2017 for Lesedi La Rona.

Credits: Images courtesy of Lucara Diamonds.

Guest User 12/21/18 Guest User 12/21/18

Music Friday: 5 Golden Rings Shine in This Famous Mashup of 'The 12 Days of Christmas'

Welcome to a special holiday edition of Music Friday when we bring you fabulous songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today we present one of the most popular Christmas tunes on YouTube — Straight No Chaser’s clever mashup of “The 12 Days of Christmas.” To date, the original version of a cappella group's “12 Days” has been viewed more than 22 million times.

As everyone knows, the jewelry reference in this holiday favorite comes on the fifth day of Christmas when “my true love gave to me, five golden rings.”

Straight No Chaser’s “12 Days” is famous for its comic infusions of other songs, such as “I Have a Little Dreidel” and Toto’s “Africa.” SNC’s version of the popular Christmas song was inspired by a 1968 comic arrangement of the song by Richard C. Gregory, a faculty member of The Williston Northampton School in western Massachusetts.

Originated on the campus of Indiana University in 1996, Straight No Chaser is truly a grassroots, internet-inspired phenomenon. The 10-man group owes its worldwide fame to a video of its 1998 performance that was first posted to YouTube eight years later. That video went viral and caught the attention of Atlantic Records CEO Craig Kallman, who signed the group to a five-album deal in 2008.

“The 12 Days of Christmas” appeared at the eighth track from the group's debut studio album, Holiday Spirits, which peaked at #46 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart.

The song's origin can be traced to England in 1780, where is was published as a chant or rhyme. The standard tune associated with it is derived from an arrangement credited to English composer Frederic Austin in 1909. Interestingly, he's the one who came up with the idea of prolonging the phrase "five... golden... rings..."

Straight No Chaser is currently on tour with shows set for in Indianapolis, Mesa, Hollywood, Oakland, Portland, Honolulu, Kahului and Waimea.

Check out the video of Straight No Chaser’s live performance of “The 12 Days of Christmas.” We know it will brighten your holidays. Enjoy!

Credit: Promotional photo courtesy of Atlantic Records.

Guest User 12/20/18 Guest User 12/20/18

Flight Test Engineer Proposes With Engagement Ring That Reached the Edge of Space

Virgin Galactic reached a remarkable milestone last week when it successfully launched two pilots into suborbital space 50 miles above the Earth aboard the VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo. While the company led by Richard Branson made a giant leap in its efforts to achieve safe commercial space flight, a little known fact about the mission is that a diamond engagement ring had been stowed on board.

Branson, who is obviously a romantic at heart, ordered that the ring take the ride to the edge of space. And when the ring returned with the crew safely to Earth last Thursday, Branson was ready to hand it off to flight test engineer Brandon Parrish.

As Branson explained in a tweet, "What better way to propose than with a ring that had just flown to space?"

On the tarmac, Parrish went down on bended knee and delivered his surprise proposal to Veronica McGowan, a structural engineer.

"You are more beautiful inside and out than an entire universe full of stars," Parrish said. "And there is no one I can picture spending the rest of my life with better than you, so..."

At this point, Branson stepped forward and passed the space-flown ring to Parrish.

With the ring in hand, the groom-to-be turned back to McGowan and said, "Will you marry me?"

McGowan excitedly nodded, "Yes," the couple embraced and then he placed the ring on her finger.

Parrish and McGowan work for The Spaceship Company, an affiliate of Virgin Galactic that was responsible for manufacturing the SpaceShipTwo, a craft that travels at three times the speed of sound. That's about 2,283 miles per hour.

It is likely that McGowan now possesses the only engagement ring on the planet that has traveled to the edge of space. (Technically, the flight reached the "edge of space" because NASA says "space" officially starts at 62 miles above the Earth.)

Interestingly, the US Air Force gives astronaut wings to pilots who fly at heights greater than 50 miles above the Earth. A CNET.com reporter wondered if McGowan's diamond engagement ring should earn honorary astronaut wings for its journey.

We're wondering if Parrish and McGowan are considering a Star Trek-themed wedding aboard a Virgin Galactic spaceship.

Credit: Images courtesy of Virgin Galactic. Screen captures via Twitter/Richard Branson.