Anschar Diamonds Blog

Let’s celebrate June’s official birthstone with a deep dive into the backstory of one of the most celebrated natural pearls in the world — the Hope Pearl — and its famous sibling, the Hope Diamond.



How these two museum-quality pieces were reunited after 156 years apart is a heartwarming and intriguing tale. Read on…

Back in the early part of the 19th century, a London banker named Henry Philip Hope amassed a collection of fabulous gems, including the deep blue 45.52-carat Hope Diamond and 150 extraordinarily rare natural pearls.



Hope’s namesake pearl, which was once believed to be the largest natural saltwater baroque pearl in existence, is set as a pendant, with the narrower end capped with a crown of red enameled gold set with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. The pearl stands two inches tall and weighs 450 carats.

It exhibits an irregular pear shape and a unique coloration, grading from dark bronze to white. Experts believe the baroque specimen is a blister pearl, which grows attached to the mollusk’s shell.

Both the Hope Diamond (purchased in 1824) and Hope Pearl (purchased between 1800 and 1810) were mentioned prominently in the 1839 publication titled “Catalogue of the Collection of Pearls and Precious Stones Formed by Henry Philip Hope, Esq.”

Hope, who never married, died that same year at the age of 65.

A bitter legal battle ensued among his three nephews. Each of them made claims on the estate, and after 10 years, a settlement was reached and the jewels were split up. The pearl ended up in the South Kensington Museum for many years, and was sold at a Christie’s auction in 1886 for £9,000 (about £950,000, or $1.18 million, in today’s valuation).

The Hope Diamond and Hope Pearl remained apart for the next 156 years. But then, in 2005, the diamond and pearl siblings enjoyed a momentous six-month reunion at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. The Hope Diamond was already a resident of the National Gem and Mineral collection at the National Museum of Natural History.

The Hope Pearl was one of 12 extraordinary specimens featured in a special exhibition called “The Allure of Pearls” in the Harry Winston Gallery of the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals. The Hope Pearl was loaned for the presentation by an unnamed collector from England.

Other specimens in the exhibition included La Peregrina, the Pearl of Asia, the Drexel Pearl, the Black Beauty, the Pearl of Kuwait, the Queen Mary Brooch with two large natural pink conch pearls, the South Sea Drops, the Survival Pearl and the Paspaley Pearl.

A natural pearl is extraordinarily rare and valuable because it is formed inside a mollusk totally by chance, without human intervention. A natural pearl forms when an irritant, such as a grain of sand, slips between the mollusk’s shell and its mantle tissue.

To protect itself from the irritant, the mollusk secretes layer upon layer of nacre, which is the iridescent material that eventually produces a pearl. Cultured pearls, by comparison, are grown under controlled conditions, where a bead is implanted in the body of the mollusk to stimulate the secretion of nacre.

Pearl is one of the three official birthstones for June. The others are alexandrite and moonstone.

Credits: Smithsonian/NMNH Photo Services.

The jewelry industry is mourning the passing of Sir Gabriel (Gabi) Tolkowsky, one of the most accomplished diamond cutters of all time. He was 84.



Most famous for cutting the Centenary Diamond from a 599-carat rough stone, Tolkowsky dedicated his life to releasing the beauty inherent in each precious stone he encountered.

The Tel Aviv-born Tolkowsky represented the sixth generation of master diamond cutters, which included his great uncle Marcel Tolkowsky, the inventor of the ideal-cut round brilliant diamond.

In July of 1986, the De Beers Group called Tolkowsky to its London headquarters to assess and appraise the 599-carat rough gem it had just recovered from South Africa's Premier Mine.

Tolkowsky said the diamond instantly changed his life.

"When I took it in my hands, it married my hand," he recounted in a 1999 documentary by EMS Productions. "It was part of myself... it gave me so many thoughts that I changed as a person."

"I was always occupied with all sorts of diamonds, but this one," he said, gesturing as if the stone was in his clenched fist, "it changed me, because in one shot I became part of it and it became part of me."

At the time, Tolkowsky didn't know that he would be called on a year later to take on the task of cutting the stone.

"When asked to cut it, I fell into my shoes," he said.



The process of cutting the Centenary Diamond became a three-year labor of love.

The first phase — to remove by hand 20 carats of surface flaws — took an excruciating 154 days. After that was accomplished, Tolkowsky submitted 13 sketches of possible cuts to the De Beers board. Eventually, they agreed on a modified heart shape.

According to an account by leibish.com, the cutting and polishing of the Centenary Diamond took place in a specially designed underground room at the De Beers Diamond Research Laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa. De Beers ensured that the room was insulated from mechanical vibration and temperature variation, to minimize any influences that might interfere with the cutting of the stone.

When Tolkowsky's work was done, the stone weighed 273.85 carats, with a D color. It was rated both internally and externally flawless, with a total of 247 facets. According to leibish.com, the Centenary Diamond is the largest modern fancy cut diamond in the world, and the only one to combine old cutting methods with sophisticated, modern cutting technology.

Unveiled in 1991, it was later displayed at the Tower of London, according to debeers.com.

Among Tolkowsky's other high-profile accomplishments was the cutting of the Golden Jubilee Diamond, a 545-carat brilliant cushion-cut diamond, which the master cutter expertly crafted from a 755-carat rough gem. The polished gem presents 148 facets and displays a yellow-brown hue.

In 2002, Tolkowsky was knighted by the Belgian government for his contribution to the diamond industry.

Credit: Screen grab of Gabriel Tolkowsky via Youtube.com/EMS FILMS Ton Okkerse. Centenary Diamond courtesy of The De Beers Group.

Jewelry aficionados are expecting a wild ride today at Sotheby's New York, where two off-the-charts gemstones headline its Magnificent Jewels auction, starting at 10 a.m. EDT.



All eyes will be on Estrela de FURA (Lot 59) and The Eternal Pink (Lot 62). The first is a ruby that has been described as a “once-in-a-century” gem, and the second is a pink diamond that's “in a stratosphere of its own,” according to the auction house.



Although Sotheby's didn't set a pre-auction estimate for Estrela de FURA, jewelry insiders believe the cushion-cut, 55.22-carat gem has a chance to break two auction records that have stood since 2015: The largest sum ever paid for a ruby and the highest price-per-carat ever paid for a ruby.

The records are currently held by the 25.59-carat, cushion-cut Sunrise Ruby, which fetched $30.3 million, or $1.18 million per carat at Sotheby's Geneva. Experts believe the Estrela de FURA — the largest gem-quality ruby to ever appear at auction — should be able to snatch the first record, but may be hard pressed to capture the second.

Estrela de Fura was cut from a 101-carat rough stone discovered in Mozambique by Fura Gems in September of 2022. At the time, Fura touted the stone as an exceptional treasure of nature for its fluorescence, outstanding clarity and vivid red hue, known as “pigeon’s blood” — a color traditionally associated only with Burmese rubies.



Three lots later, bids for the 10.57-carat Eternal Pink are expected to eclipse $35 million.

Sourced at De Beers’ Damtshaa mine in Botswana in 2019, the 23.78-carat rough diamond that yielded The Eternal Pink was fashioned into an exquisite cushion cut by a team of artisans at Diacore. The cutters worked on the stone for “six intense months” in an effort to bring out the diamond’s electric “bubblegum” color.

The Eternal Pink is rated internally flawless with a color grade of “Fancy Vivid,” the highest possible for a colored diamond. Sotheby’s claims The Eternal Pink is the most vivid purplish-pink diamond ever to come to market.

“This color is the most beautiful and concentrated shade of pink in diamonds that I have ever seen,” commented Quig Bruning, Sotheby’s head of jewelry for the Americas.

The Eternal Pink will be vying for the price-per-carat record currently held by the 11.15-carat “Williamson Pink Star,” which earned $57.7 million, or $5.2 million per-carat, at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in October 2022. That selling price was more than 2.5 times the auction house’s pre-sale high estimate of $21 million.

The “CTF Pink Star” still holds the record for any gem sold at auction. The 59.6-carat pink diamond sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for $71.2 million in 2017.

Credits: Images courtesy of Sotheby's.

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



Lead singer Tony Burrows channels Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys in this song about summer romance and a promise ring on the beaches of 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 fascinating 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.

Once they had their song completed, husband-and-wife team hired session singers Burrows and Chas Mills to record the track as The First Class.

While the band may still suffer from the tag of “one-hit wonder,” Burrows amassed 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.” Burrows is still performing at the age of 81.

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 US Billboard Hot 100, settled at #13 on the UK charts and ascended all the way to #1 in Canada.

With summer just around the corner, 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.

Do 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



Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

About two weeks ago, a young couple established a GoFundMe page in a desperate attempt to piece their lives back together after the truck and trailer carrying all their belongings were stolen from a hotel parking lot near Denver.



Only a few days earlier, Matthew and Lindsey Fuller, along with their 18-month-old toddler, had opened a new chapter in the lives. The couple made the bold decision to move from Utah to Kansas to pursue some new opportunities.

But, the excitement of a new beginning in Wichita turned into a heart-wrenching nightmare when a Denver-area fire investigator told them that their stolen trailer had been located, but was reduced to ashes. The investigator had been aware of the couple's plight via local reporting and social media.

"Finding out that it had all been burned. That was hard," Lindsey told Salt Lake City NBC affiliate KSL-TV.

But despite the horrific news, Lindsey still held onto a glimmer of hope.

"Maybe my rings hadn't melted," she said. "Maybe some of the books didn't get burned."



When the couple arrived at the impound station, they saw their trailer burned beyond recognition. A pile of charred rubble.

"Just ash, basically," Matthew said.

Undaunted, the couple dove into the mess to see what they could salvage.



Within four minutes, Lindsey's engagement ring emerged from the ashes, a little scorched, but otherwise intact.

"We had been praying we would find it, and finding it within four minutes of getting there, it just felt like a miracle," Lindsey said. "There really aren't words for the relief we felt finding that."

The Fullers call it the "miracle ring" because this was not the first time the ring, or its valuable center stone, had been lost. Previously, the oval-shaped diamond had fallen out at a beach, but was recovered.

"We thought even if we find nothing else, this ring is so precious to us," Lindsey added.

Despite the tragedy, the ring symbolizes the perseverance that will carry this young family into the future.

"We're going to try to keep [it] by our side as long as we live," Matthew said. "Although we lost everything, we have the thing that really started our relationship still with us."

The family's recovery efforts got off to a great start. A GoFundMe goal of $30,000 already has been surpassed by nearly $3,000. The Fullers told KSL-TV that they are extremely grateful to friends, neighbors and complete strangers who have helped them in their moment of total loss.

You can see KSL-TV's full report here.

Credits: Screen grabs via www.ksl.com.

Back in the early 1830s, a renowned Finnish mineralogist named Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld was perplexed by a mineral sample he had received from Count Lev Alekseevich Perovskii, a Russian nobleman and fellow mineralogist.



Sourced in Russia's Ural Mountains, the curious green gem seemed to be an emerald, but something was not right. Emeralds have a hardness of 7.5 to 8.0 on the Mohs scale, and this Russian gem was rating an 8.5.

Later in the evening, he inspected the same stone under candlelight and was surprised to see that the gem's color had transitioned from a teal green to a raspberry-red.



The mystery was solved. Nordenskiöld (1792-1865) had stumbled upon a brand new color-change variety of chrysoberyl that was an emerald by day and a ruby by night. But now it needed a name...

The Finn recommended “diaphanite” — from the Greek "di," meaning two, and "aphanes," meaning unseen, or "phan," meaning to appear or show.

But Nordenskiöld's suggestion would soon be overruled by Count Perovskii (1792-1856), who sought favor with the Russian Imperial Family.

In 1834, the color-change gem with the working title of "diaphanite" would take the official name of "alexandrite" in honor of the 16th birthday of Alexander II, the future Russian tsar.

Today, alexandrite is prized for its unique characteristics, beauty and rarity. It is also one of the official birthstones for the month of June, alongside pearl and moonstone.

The color-change gem wasn’t included on the original modern birthstone list, which was published in 1912 by the American National Retail Jewelers Association, now known as Jewelers of America. Alexandrite, along with citrine, tourmaline and zircon, were added in 1952. The list remained untouched until 2002, when tanzanite became an official birthstone for December. In 2016, spinel joined peridot as a birthstone for August.

The color-changing property of alexandrite that allows it to exhibit a raspberry-red color under incandescent light and a teal green color when illuminated by daylight has been attributed to the presence of chromium in the gem’s chemical makeup. The chromium allows the gem to absorb light in the yellow and blue parts of the spectrum.

In addition to Russia, alexandrite has been sourced in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, India and Myanmar.

Credits: Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld image by Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Alexandrite images by User: at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

If it seemed like Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke was struggling to keep the Larry O’Brien Trophy aloft during Monday night's post-game awards presentation to the newly crowned NBA champions, there's good reason.



The 24-karat-gold-vermeil-over-silver trophy weighs as much as a three-year-old child.

In 2022, artist Victor Solomon and Tiffany & Co reimagined the trophy, giving it a forward-leaning motif that symbolizes the league "looking ahead to its future." But while the trophy is just slightly taller than its predecessor (25.5 inches vs 24.5 inches), its weight has nearly doubled, from 15.5 to 30 pounds. (By comparison, the mammoth NHL Stanley Cup stands 35 inches tall and weighs 34.5 pounds).



The new design also features a stylish detail, where the 24-karat gold vermeil has been masked to reveal the underlying sterling silver along the "ribs" of the ball and the rope details of the net.

In addition, the disc-shaped base now has two levels instead of one. The top disc lists the first 75 NBA champions. And starting in 2022 and going forward, the name of the NBA champion team will been etched on the bottom disc. Designer Solomon also added a nearly hidden element — the underside of the trophy features the new NBA Finals logo.

Solomon told The Robb Report in 2022 that his favorite feature of the new Larry O’Brien Trophy is the two-part cylindrical base that honors the past while welcoming the future.

“On the surface of the top layer, we’ve etched all previous championship-winning teams and corresponding years, and the second layer has open real estate to etch the next 25 champions — designed to take us up to the 100th anniversary of the league,” he said.

Tiffany reported that the artisans at its hollowware workshop in Cumberland, RI, require more than 65 hours over six months to complete a single NBA championship trophy. Gold and silversmithing techniques, such as engraving, casting and etching are required to complete each piece.

Trophies are permanently possessed by the championship team and generally displayed in the team's arena.

Along with the reimagined Larry O’Brien Trophy, which honors the accomplishments of the NBA’s third commissioner, the league revealed five other trophy designs, which are annually presented to the NBA Finals MVP, the two conference champions, as well as the Eastern and Western Conference MVPs.

The NBA’s relationship with Tiffany & Co. spans 46 years, with the luxury house having designed and manufactured the Larry O’Brien Trophy since 1977, the league’s conference championship trophies since 2001 and the Bill Russell Trophy (NBA Finals MVP) since 2005.

Credits: Screen grab of Stan Kroenke lifting the trophy via Youtube.com/NBA. Photo of trophy grouping courtesy of NBA.

An international team of astronomers has discovered a white dwarf star that's in the early stages of crystallizing into a cosmic diamond.



A white dwarf star is the compressed dying remnant of a star much like our Sun. But, once a star uses up its fuel, it shrinks in on itself and starts to cool off. Since it’s made mostly of carbon, the crystallization of the super-dense material produces a diamond.

The team led by Alexander Venner of the University of Southern Queensland in Australia identified a white dwarf star dubbed HD 190412 C in a quadruple star system called HD 190412. Although it's 104 light-years away, the researchers were able to peg the star's temperature at about 11,420 degrees Fahrenheit (6,300 degrees Celsius).

That seems blazing hot, but it's cool for a star.

According to the researchers, the temperature-mass profile of HD 190412 C suggests that the core of the star is starting to transform into a dense "cosmic diamond" made up of crystallized carbon and oxygen. Their findings are detailed in a paper accepted for publication in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Before we too excited about the prospect of a mining mission to a distant star, we need to wrap our heads around just how far the white dwarf is from Earth and how long it will take the crystallization process to complete.

The 104 light-year distance from Earth to white dwarf HD 190412 C is equivalent to 610 trillion miles — or about 95,000 round-trips from Earth to Pluto.

What's more, the researchers did the math and determined that the time for a white dwarf star to transition into a stone-cold diamond would be about a "quadrillion" years (that's a million billion years).

This is not the first time astronomers have speculated about a star made of diamonds.

Back in 2004, researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics identified a white dwarf star 50 light-years away in the constellation Centaurus. The astronomers playfully promoted the star as the galaxy's largest diamond. They even calculated its weight in jewelry-industry terminology, at 10 billion trillion trillion carats.

The astronomers called the white dwarf “Lucy” as a nod to the Beatles’ classic song, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.” Officially, the dwarf star is known as “BPM 37093.”

The study of white dwarf stars is extraordinarily challenging because they are extremely difficult to see. Lucy, for example, shines today with only 1/2000th of our Sun's visual brightness.

Lacking visual clues, astronomers have relied on other methods to pinpoint a white dwarf in space. Lucy happens to do an “orbital tango” with a pulsar, or fast-spinning neutron star.

HD 190412 C shares a gravitational bond with its three sister stars in a quadruple star system. Because the other stars in the system have not degraded to white dwarf status, the researchers were able to study them to determine the likely composition of the white dwarf's core.

In the future, white dwarf star hunters will be utilizing the data derived from the European Space Agency's Gaia project, which is surveying nearly two billion cosmic objects to create the most precise three-dimensional map of our galaxy. White dwarf stars may be hard to see, but Gaia has the ability to measure the positions of objects are extremely faint — 400,000 times fainter than can be seen with the naked eye.

Credit: Illustration by Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics / Travis Metcalfe, Christine Pulliam, Ruth Bazinet.

The Kansas City Chiefs' next-level Super Bowl Championship ring features 629 diamonds, 35 rubies, surprising hidden elements and a twist-off top that doubles as a pendant.



The innovative jewelry was revealed on Thursday during a red carpet ring ceremony at Union Station in Kansas City, where players, coaches, staff and ownership received their rewards for a spectacular season that culminated in a 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.

Brimming with symbolism and cutting-edge features, the rings contain 609 round diamonds, 16 baguette diamonds, four marquise diamonds and 35 custom-cut genuine rubies totaling approximately 16.10 carats.

Crafted in 10-karat white and yellow gold, the ring top prominently features the Chiefs logo created from 16 genuine custom-cut rubies set in yellow gold. These rubies represent the number of total division titles won by the franchise during a history that dates all the way back to its first title in 1962, when the team was known as the Dallas Texans.

The arrowhead portion of the logo is set with 50 diamonds, symbolic of the 50th anniversary of the opening of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Set behind the logo are three Lombardi Trophies, each of which is set with a marquise-shaped diamond at the top.

When combined, the baguette diamonds in the base of the Trophies total 16, a nod to the 16 different players who scored touchdowns in the Chiefs 2022 regular season. The red backdrop is created from 19 custom-cut genuine rubies and is encircled by a row of 38 diamonds. The encircling diamonds represent the 38 points the Chiefs scored in Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The title of WORLD CHAMPIONS accents the left and right side of the ring top. A row of 54 diamonds is set along the perimeter of the ring top in yellow gold, symbolizing the combined 54-point deficits that the Chiefs overcame in its last two Super Bowl postseason runs. On three occasions the Chiefs trailed by 10 points and once by 24 points.



Ring manufacturer and designer Jostens described how the ring top can be completely removed and converted into a pendant via a hidden bail that seamlessly folds into the ring top.



Once the top is removed, the main part of the ring reveals a miniature version of the Arrowhead stadium rendered in yellow gold, and centered by a green field set with Lombardi Trophies. The number of trophies in this hidden element range from one to three, depending on the length of the recipient’s time with the organization.

Encircling the stadium is a quote from Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt that reads, “ARROWHEAD STADIUM IS MY FAVORITE PLACE ON EARTH.”



The backside of the removable pendant displays the championship year-dates the recipient has spent with the Chiefs organization as well as the 50th anniversary logo and an image of the Lombardi Trophy. The bail is set with eight diamonds.



The left side of the ring displays the player’s name in raised yellow gold. A row of 13 diamonds separates the name from the lower panel, where the player's jersey number is set with diamonds in white gold. A sketch of the iconic GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium serves as the background in contrasting yellow gold. The Chiefs three championship year-dates are also shown on flags within the stadium, while the date of Super Bowl LVII can be seen on the scoreboard.



The right side of the ring is a tribute to the team's fanbase, CHIEFS KINGDOM, also rendered in raised yellow gold. A row of 10 diamonds separates the two panels and represents the Chiefs’ active streak of 10 consecutive winning seasons. This feat is the longest active stretch in the NFL. The Super Bowl LVII logo is brought to life in white gold and set with a singular marquise-shaped diamond. Below the logo is the final score and team abbreviations from Super Bowl LVII. The right side is completed with a special detail – individual Lombardi Trophy-shaped confetti fills the background behind the logo.



The palm side honors Hunt, by featuring his initials on a yellow gold football. The interior of the ring has Coach Andy Reid’s motto “EDGE” immortalized in bold red as a reminder of the theme of the championship-winning season. Also included is the recipient’s unique signature above the scores and team abbreviations from the 2022 playoffs.

Credits: Photos courtesy of Jostens.

As a teenager living in Nashville in the 1950s, Caroline Reeves had her eye on the class ring worn by her high school sweetheart, Eddie Lamm.



To Reeves, the ring would be far more than a token of affection. It was an engagement ring.

"And I was the type of person that would have committed myself to him for the rest of my life with that ring," she told David Begnaud in a recent segment for CBS Mornings.

But Lamm wasn't ready to make a commitment. He had aspirations of flying planes for the Air Force.

On their final high school date, Lamm asked Reeves for a kiss.



Recalled Lamm, "We pulled up in her driveway and I said,' May I kiss you?' And so I kissed her goodnight, then, not knowing that that's the last time I would kiss her in 64 or 65 years."

Even though they had dated for several years, Lamm failed to reassure her that they would have a future together, and she sensed that the relationship was over.

"I opened that car door and I got out of that car and ran up the steps and slammed the door and went upstairs and cried all night," she told Begnaud. "That was it."

Two years later, both Reeves and Lamm would be married to other people and their life trajectories would be heading in different directions.

But Reeves never forgot her first love, nor that class ring.

Reeves, now 82, would go on to become Miss Nashville 1959, an interior decorator, novelist and magazine writer. Her first marriage ended in the 1980s, and her second husband passed away in 2001.

Lamm, 85, would move to California and serve 21 years in the US Air Force, flying KC-135s. His 60-year marriage to Polly Piper was cut short when she lost her battle to ALS in 2021.

Over the course of the 60-plus years that the former high school sweethearts were apart, Reeves and Lamm admitted that they often wondered how the other was doing. Reeves remembered Lamm as the cutest boy on campus. Lamm recalled being star struck the first time he laid eyes on Reeves.

"It was all over," he said.

Unexpectedly, during the spring of 2022, Lamm was overcome by the need to contact his high school girlfriend.

It took nine tries before Reeves would answer the phone.

"I don't answer unsolicited calls," she joked.

When she finally picked up, all the feelings they had for each other started rushing back.

After a few days of catching up, Lamm professed his love and booked a flight from California to Nashville.

She picked him up at the airport and at first glance she was totally blown away.

"He peeked his head into my car and I just — he took my breath away," Reeves said. "I've never seen anything like it in my entire life. I just can't even explain it."

She confessed on national TV that she was so excited about the reunion that she zoomed to a Fedex parking lot near the airport after closing time.

"And I got out [of the car] and jumped around and we hugged and kissed," she said, "and I remember looking up at the security lights and insects were swirling all around."

Three months later, Lamm popped the question.



He explained how he wanted to give Reeves a traditional engagement ring, but she wouldn't settle for anything less than the class ring he wore in high school.

"I love it. And I love you," she said, punctuating the sentiment with a kiss.

When asked how she would describe the newest chapter of their lives, Reeves said, "Miraculous."

"It's miraculous that we found our love again," she said.

Today, Reeves and Lamm are newlyweds.

"And we asked God all the time, 'Why did you do this?' And now we know: To take care of each other," she concluded.

See the full segment, below...



Credits: Screen captures via Youtube.com / CBS Mornings.

The lavish garnet and gold "Trumpington Cross" that was found with the remains of a 16-year-old girl who lived during the 7th century signals that she was from an elite family and one of England's earliest Christian converts.



In 597 AD, Pope Gregory had dispatched St. Augustine to England on a mission to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxon kings.

The noble class was first to adopt the new religion, so archaeologists from the University of Cambridge believe the teenager discovered by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit at Trumpington Meadows on Cambridge’s southern limits was likely a member of the aristocracy, if not royalty.



One of only five Trumpington Crosses known the exist, the teenager's ornate pendant measures 3.5 cm (1.4 in) in diameter and was inlaid with 63 garnets. The gold loops on the back of each arm of the cross indicates that it may have been worn as a brooch, sewn onto to the front of a garment.

Delicate gold and garnet pins connected by a gold chain were also found near the teenager's neck, a sign that the pins probably secured a long veil to an outer garment of fine linen. Also found near the body were an iron knife, glass beads and a chain which would have hung off her belt.

The body was found in a reclined position on a wooden-framed bed, which is an extremely rare occurrence. Only 18 bed burials have been documented in the UK. Bed burials are more common in Germany, and this is where scientists have been able to add another layer of intrigue to the young woman's story.

Brand new “you are what you eat” isotopic analysis of the young woman’s bones and teeth conducted by bioarchaeologists Dr. Sam Leggett and Dr. Alice Rose, and archaeologist Dr. Emma Brownlee, during PhD research at the University of Cambridge revealed that she moved to England from somewhere near the Alps, perhaps southern Germany, sometime after she turned seven years old.

Leggett and Rose also found that once the girl had arrived in England, the proportion of protein in her diet decreased by a small, but significant, amount. This change occurred close to the end of her young life, showing that the period between her migration and burial near Cambridge was tragically short. Previous analysis indicated that the young woman had suffered from illness, but her cause of death remains unknown.

“So it seems that she was part of an elite group of women who probably traveled from mainland Europe, most likely Germany, in the 7th century, but they remain a bit of a mystery," said Leggett. "Were they political brides or perhaps brides of Christ? The fact that her diet changed once she arrived in England suggests that her lifestyle may have changed quite significantly.”



Forensic artist Hew Morrison brought the girl's likeness to life using measurements of the her skull and tissue depth data for Caucasian females. Without DNA analysis, Morrison could not be sure of her precise eye and hair color, but the image generated offers a strong indication of her appearance shortly before she died.

The image and artifacts from the mysterious woman’s burial will be unveiled today in a major new exhibition at Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA). "Beneath Our Feet: Archaeology of the Cambridge Region" will run from June 21, 2023, to April 14, 2024.

“The story of this young woman goes to the very heart of what our exhibition is all about – new research making visible the lives of people at pivotal moments of Cambridgeshire’s history," noted Dr. Jody Joy, the exhibition’s co-curator. "MAA holds one of Britain’s most important collections of Early Medieval archaeology and the Trumpington bed burial is so important. It looks like it still has much more to teach us.”

Credits: The Trumpington Cross and excavation photos by University of Cambridge Archaeological Unit. Facial reconstruction by forensic artist Hew Morrison ©2023.

In an effort to reignite the age-old tradition of handing down heirlooms, a British distillery will be hiding £25,000 (US$31,981) worth of diamonds in bottles of its popular gin.



The diamonds are not actually IN the bottles of Whitley Neill Distiller’s Cut London Dry Gin. Contestants will be looking for a cork displaying a special diamond engraving. A photo of a winning cork and serial number may be redeemed for a round-cut diamond weighing at least 4/10ths of a carat, with a color grade of D through G.



There will be 15 winning bottles, so each diamond prize will have a value of approximately $2,132.

Whitley Neill is celebrating eight generations of its own distilling heritage, but the company's own research revealed that 43% UK adults don't plan to pass down heirlooms to family or friends because they don't own anything of true sentimental or monetary value.

In addition, 21% of survey respondents believe that items are more "disposable" now and that modern day, everyday items don’t have as much sentimental value (18%).

On a positive note, more than four in 10 (41%) said that they would love to be able to pass something down to future generations or friends.

Of the 36% of UK adults who currently possess something of sentimental or monetary value, jewelry was the most cited item, accounting for 61% of the UK's heirlooms. (Other less-popular heirlooms mentioned were books and household items, including glassware, dinner service and cutlery.)

“As a family brand… we value the importance of heritage and legacy. With this in mind, we want to help the nation keep their own traditions alive and give them the opportunity to have something to pass down to others," said Whitley Neill founder Johnny Neill.

"Jewelry is the item that most people would like to pass on to loved ones," he continued, "and great quality gin and diamonds are both renowned for their quality and cut, so when thinking of how we could do this, diamonds seemed like a fitting choice.”

Whitley Neill is also offering complimentary jewelry services so each winner will incur no extra expense having the diamond set into a piece of jewelry.

Finding a cork with a diamond engraving plus the letters "EX" signifies a second-tier winner. Twenty people with this designation will win a "Diamond Experience" for two, which includes a tour of the City of London Distillery, followed by a diamond-inspired cocktail, and a gift of a pair of Whitley Neill branded glasses.

The contest is limited to UK residents aged 18 and over, and runs through August 31, 2023. Whitley Neill's survey of 2,000 UK adults was conducted via OnePoll.

Credit: Images courtesy of Whitley Neill.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today we shine our spotlight on Colbie Caillat, who sings about falling in love in her 2016 release, “Goldmine.”



Composed by Caillat and three collaborators, “Goldmine” captures the elation of finding the perfect soulmate. Billboard magazine described “Goldmine” as “a sunny number that’s liable to have you whistling along in glee.”

Caillat sings, “Fly me back to the moon where you took me / The very first time that you kissed me / In the sweet starlight of your endless eyes when you lit this fire / Feels like we’re sitting on top of a goldmine / Flame so bright that it won’t die / In a billion years it’ll still be here ’cause our love is a goldmine / Yeah, our love is a goldmine.”

Caillat told Billboard magazine that “Goldmine” was originally penned by Taylor Berrett, a writer that she had never met. The demo was passed along to her by a mutual friend, Kara DioGuardi.

“Within three minutes of hearing [Berrett’s] idea, I was singing it on repeat,” she told Billboard. “I ran upstairs and played it for Jason Reeves [her regular writing partner) and we instantly started writing to it. We called Kara on Skype so the three of us could write it together. She was at her cozy house in Maine and we were at our beach house in California. Within minutes we finished the song and started recording it right away.”

“Goldmine” was released as the lead single of Caillat’s 2016 album, The Malibu Sessions.

A native of Malibu, CA, the 38-year-old Caillat earned national attention in 2008 when she recorded “Lucky,” a duet with Jason Mraz. The song scored a Grammy in the “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals” category. Caillat has sold more than six million albums and 10 million singles worldwide.

According to her official website, Caillat just finished recording her yet-to-be-titled seventh studio album in Nashville and released its first single, “Worth It,” on April 21, 2023.

Throughout her career, she has been an avowed spokesperson and supporter for ASPCA, the Surfrider Foundation, Save The Music, Farm Sanctuary and The Humane Society of the United States.

Trivia: Caillat’s road to stardom was hardly paved with gold. The artist auditioned for American Idol twice and was rejected both times. Caillat rose to fame through the social networking website, Myspace.

Please check out the uplifting video of Caillat’s live performance of “Goldmine” at Paste Studios in New York City. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Goldmine”
Written by Taylor Berrett, Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi, Jason Bradford Reeves and Colbie Caillat. Performed by Colbie Caillat.

If all I had was a dollar and your bright smile
I’d have a dollar more than I would need to get by
‘Cause I’m a billionaire if you count every sunrise
Waking by your side and every good night
If all you had was the way that I love you
You’d have more honey than the honey bees in June
I’ll keep you laughing, keep you smiling, keep your dreams true
Long as I have you, nothing we can’t do

Fly me back to the moon where you took me
The very first time that you kissed me
In the sweet starlight of your endless eyes when you lit this fire
Feels like we’re sitting on top of a goldmine
Flame so bright that it won’t die
In a billion years it’ll still be here ’cause our love is a goldmine
Yeah, our love is a goldmine

If everything we ever owned disappeared today
We’d build a castle in the sand somewhere far away
Don’t need no money, no TV, don’t need no microwave
Just the ocean waves and the love we make

Fly me back to the moon where you took me
The very first time that you kissed me
In the sweet starlight of your endless eyes when you lit this fire
Feels like we’re sitting on top of a goldmine
Flame so bright that it won’t die
In a billion years it’ll still be here ’cause our love is a goldmine

We’ll be rich in wrinkles, old and gray
When the rising tide sweeps us away

Until then fly me back to the moon where you took me
The very first time that you kissed me
In the sweet starlight of your endless eyes when you lit this fire
Feels like we’re sitting on top of a goldmine
Flame so bright that it won’t die
In a billion years it’ll still be here ’cause our love is a goldmine

Feels like we’re sitting on top of a goldmine
Flame so bright that it won’t die
In a billion years it’ll still be here cause our love is a goldmine
Yeah, our love is a goldmine



Credit: Image by Martijn van de Streek from The Netherlands, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

East Antarctica and Western Australia could be hiding an untapped wealth of rough diamonds, according to geologists at the University of Wollongong.



Employing supercomputing power from the National Computational Infrastructure in Canberra, Australia, the geologists set out to explore the dynamics that propel diamonds to the surface from deep within the Earth.

What they found were giant "pillars of heat" rooted 2,900 km (1,800 mi) below ground, just above our planet’s core. The pillars provide the fuel that connects the very deep Earth to the surface via volcanic eruptions of an igneous rock known as kimberlite. It is believed that natural diamonds typically form at a depth of 150 to 200 km (93 to 124 mi).

Ömer F. Bodur and Nicolas Flament at Australia's University of Wollongong created three-dimensional geodynamic models of Earth’s mantle that accounted for the movement of continents on the surface and into the mantle over the past one billion years.



Via their modeling, the geologists were able to explain most kimberlite eruptions over the past 200 million years, specifically in Africa, Brazil, Russia and partly in the United States and Canada. They reported that exactly 178 eruptions occurred in Canada, followed by South Africa (158), Angola (71) and Brazil (70).

In a surprising twist, the geologists also mapped previously unknown kimberlite sites in East Antarctica and the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia. Once explored, these locations could provide a brand new source of valuable diamonds, as well as crucial minerals, such as cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements.

The research was published last month in the journal Nature Geoscience. The researchers also co-authored a piece about the subject at the scholarly website, The Conversation. You can check out their article here…

Credit: Images of loose diamonds and Ekati Diamond Mine courtesy of Arctic Canadian Diamond Company.

An ambitious survey of 25,000 newlyweds in 15 countries, The Knot's "2023 Global Wedding Report" highlights how engagement and wedding trends differ across cultures and continents. Some of the top-line results were expected, but others had us saying, "Wow."



The biggest surprises dealt with the size of guests lists, the length of wedding planning and the most effective strategies for finding the right spouse.

Here's a summary of the top-line survey results…

Overall, wedding expenses were the highest in the US and lowest in South America. Couples in the US ($30,000), UK ($23,000), Italy ($23,000), Spain ($23,000), Canada ($19,000) and France ($19,000) topped the list, while Argentina ($4,000), Colombia ($5,000) and Mexico ($8,000) rounded out the bottom.

The average number of wedding guests spanned from a low of 76 in Colombia to a high of 285 in India. Mexico (145) was second on the list, followed by Brazil (125) and the US (117). On the other end of the spectrum were the UK (81), Canada (89) and Chile (89). The Knot pointed out that India's sizable guest lists had been even larger pre-Covid.

The Knot reported that in Western European countries, including Spain, Italy and Portugal, couples begin planning their weddings approximately 12 months ahead of time. Those in the US and the UK tend to take longer (15 to 16 months on average). In South America (except Brazil), the planning timelines are 10 months or fewer and, in India, the timeline is reduced to five to size months. The researchers explained that Indian couples can plan faster because their parents/family are generally more involved.

December is the most common month for couples to get engaged, according to The Knot, and this is true throughout many countries. France (20%), Portugal (20%), Canada (19%) and the UK (19%) had the largest percentage of engagements occurring in December. Another month with high levels of engagements in Europe is August when many take summer vacations.

Across all the surveyed countries, popular wedding dates tracked with the better weather. Europeans generally favored August and September, while US and UK couples preferred October. The months of November or December were selected by Latin America couples living in the Southern Hemisphere.

Favorite reception venues varied widely by region. Couples in Western Europe preferred villas, while banquet halls were the top pick in North and South America. UK couples noted that hotels were their top choice for receptions.

The survey also revealed that while online dating continues to be the most popular way to meet a potential spouse in the US, Canada and the UK, many other countries still prefer the traditional method of meeting in person. In 7 out of the 15 countries, the top way couples met was through "friends in common," with Italy capturing the highest levels (33%). In contrast, in Latin America, it is more common to meet through work — especially in Peru (33%).

Three in 10 couples in the US, Canada and UK, said they met their significant other via dating sites/apps or social media.

Couples in South American countries seem to be catching on to this trend, however. The Knot reported a surge in online love connections in 2022 vs 2019: Argentina (22%, +9 pts), Uruguay (20%, +7 pts), Colombia (19%, +13 pts) and Brazil (18%, +6 pts).

"The 2023 Global Wedding Report" is based on responses from 25,245 couples surveyed by The Knot Worldwide (The Knot, WeddingWire and Bodas.net) during the period from December 2022 to February 2023.

Credit: Image by Bigstockphoto.com.

It is the best of times for Edmonton Oilers superstar center Connor McDavid. In addition to sweeping the NHL's top awards for the 2022-2023 season and leading his team to the Western Conference Semifinals, the 26-year-old managed to squeeze in a romantic marriage proposal to his long-time girlfriend, Lauren Kyle.



Kyle, who is the founder of Edmonton-based Kyle and Co. Design, turned to Instagram last Thursday to share a series of pics from their engagement, including a close-up shot of her pear-shaped diamond ring set on a delicate, split-shank yellow gold band.

Her caption read, "22.06.23 was the best day of my life. I cannot put into words how happy I am to be spending the rest of our lives together. Almost 8 years of growth, happiness and so much love and I can’t believe we have so much more to look forward to."



In the post punctuated by a Loudly Crying Face emoji and White Heart emoji, Kyle, 27, added that she knew David was her person from the day they met.

"I can’t wait for the beautiful life we are going to create together," she continued. "Thank you for the most thoughtful, picture perfect proposal that I could never have imagined. I love you more than anything."



Along with the proposal shots, she included a pic of their beloved miniature bernedoodle named Lenard (The pooch has 19,000 Instagram followers).

In an Instagram post seen by his one million followers, McDavid shared similar pics and wrote, “Excited to see what our future holds. You are the most loving, passionate and amazing person. I am a very lucky man.”

And the week got even better for the former #1 draft pick.

On Monday, he swept the top individual honors at the NHL Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. He scooped up the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player and the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL Players' Association's most outstanding player.

Late in April, the Oilers captain won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring champion as well as the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal scorer. The talented playmaker led his Oilers to a first-round playoff victory against the Los Angeles Kings, but lost in the Conference Semifinals to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights.

McDavid's memorable 2022-2023 season included career highs in goals (64), points (153) and assists (89). He became only the third player in NHL history to lead the league in each of those scoring categories.

According to published reports, the couple met by chance eight years ago when they reportedly bumped into each other at the wrong location while trying to find a mutual friend's birthday party. They currently share an estate in Edmonton that was designed by Kyle. The home is so spectacular that it was featured in the pages of Architectural Digest.

Credits: Images via Instagram.com / laurenkyle1.

Former Hannah Montana star Emily Osment is rocking a two-stone engagement ring style originated by Napoleon Bonaparte more than 225 years ago.



The 31-year-old Osment, who played Montana's BFF Lilly Truscott on the popular series, announced her engagement to Jack Anthony and revealed her unique “Toi et Moi” ring with a carousel of photos posted to her Instagram page on Sunday, June 25.

"This magical, beautiful, kaleidoscope of a person asked me to marry him this weekend," Osment wrote to her two million followers. "I did not know life could be this sweet or I could ever be this deliriously happy."



The yellow gold engagement ring features a prong-set, radiant cut diamond alongside a bezel-set blue-green stone, which may be a sapphire. Symbolically, the ring represents two souls becoming one. (The French phrase “toi et moi” means “you and me” in English.)

Back in 1796, Napoleon was an up-and-coming, 26-year-old officer and still eight years removed from the French throne when he presented a Toi et Moi ring to his beloved Josephine on the occasion of their marriage. The bypass-style ring featured two pear-shaped gemstones, one diamond and one sapphire, set in opposite directions.

The unique ring motif got a boost in January of 2022, when Machine Gun Kelly proposed to actress Megan Fox with a pear-shaped emerald (her birthstone) set alongside a matching diamond (his birthstone). Unlike Napoleon’s ring, Kelly’s interpretation had the main stones oriented in the same direction.

Anthony proposed to Osment at California's Yosemite National Park, and the majestic landscape is visible in a number of photos and short clips shared by Osment on Instagram.

"I am so proud of the life we have built together and the people we have become over the last few years," Osment gushed on Instagram. "This love is so big and so uniquely ours and I know it can do anything. I am so honored to stand next to you every day. I love you, Jack."



One of her shared photos includes a selfie of her new ring along with two buttons showing the newly engaged couple as tykes. His button says, "Will you marry me?" and hers says, "Yes!"

In addition to her teen roles related to the Hannah Montana and Spy Kids franchises, Osment is currently starring as weather girl Mandy McAllister in the TV series Young Sheldon. Anthony is reportedly a partnerships strategy expert.

Credits: Images via Instagram / emilyosment.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, the witty Matt Nathanson uses diamond themes to poke fun at failed relationships in his 2018 release, "Way Way Back."



Nathanson explained that couples who have just broken up like to say, "We just want what's best for each other." But the 50-year-old Massachusetts native joked to an audience recently that his reality is much different, especially when an ex-girlfriend has found someone new.

"I hope that you find a little bit of happiness," he said. "I hope you find slight satisfaction, but I hope nothing that happens to you ever equals how amazing we had it."

He sings, "Some people see the diamond / Some can only see the flaws / We made perfect little movies / That no one ever saw."

He goes on to touch on the famous "A Diamond Is Forever" slogan in his next line: "I didn't know that forever only meant forever 'til you found someone better."

Nathanson was candid about the inspiration behind writing "Way Way Back." He told his audience that when he found out that an ex-girlfriend was about to get married, he decided to "go deep" into the Instagram of her future husband.

"The bummer is when you realize the person is kinda funny and kinda handsome, and maybe a step up," he said. "But you don't want to admit that. So you write a song called "Way Way Back."

The song appears as the first track on Nathanson's 10th studio album called Sings His Sad Heart, which was released in October of 2018.

Nathanson, who is best known for his platinum-selling record "Come On Get Higher," has performed on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Late Show with David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Bachelor and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

He is currently touring with Matchbox Twenty. The tour runs through August 6 and includes appearances in Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Virginia, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

Please check out the "Way Way Back" official video. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…

"Way Way Back"
Written and performed by Matt Nathanson.

Last flare from the lifeboat
Last air in my lungs
By now even I know
That you’ve got someone

Some people see the diamond
Some can only see the flaws
We made perfect little movies
That no one ever saw

I didn't know that forever only meant forever 'til you found someone better
(Someone better than me)
Some day its gonna hit you, you’ll see it clear as crystal like a photograph

No one else gonna love you like that
No one else gonna love you like that
I’ll stay in your mind, you can always find me in the way way back
No one else gonna love you like that
Gonna love you like that

I'm sure he’s easier than I was
If you like that sorta thing
He looks better with his shirt off
Yeah, but can he sing?
(yeah yeah yeah yeah)

Winter sun setting early
and my shadow’s getting long
Radio just want to hurt me
Puts you in every song

No one else gonna love you like that
No one else gonna love you like that
I’ll stay in your mind, you can always find me in the way way back
No one else gonna love you like that
Gonna love you like that
Gonna love you like that

Didn't know that forever only meant forever 'til you found someone better
(Someone better than me)
Some day its gonna hit you, you’ll see it clear as crystal like a photograph

No one else gonna love you like that
No one else gonna love you like that

I’ll stay in your mind, you can always find me in the way way back
No one else gonna love you like that
Gonna love you like that
Gonna love you like that



Credits: Photo by Ralph Arvesen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.