Anschar Diamonds Blog

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun, throwback songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, The Pointer Sisters pursue a pot of gold in the sensational 1983 tune "Neutron Dance," which famously plays behind the opening car chase sequence in Beverly Hills Cop.



A song that drives home the point that the best time to make positive changes in your life is right now, "Neutron Dance" features this singalong phrase: "I know there's a pot of gold for me / All I got to do is just believe / Oh, I'm so happy doin' the neutron dance / I'm just burnin' doin' the neutron dance."

The gospel-inspired hit starts off with lead singer Ruth Pointer listing all the things that are going wrong in her life. She's lost her boyfriend, her apartment and her brand new Chevrolet. But, despite her challenges, she's still happily doing the Neutron Dance, knowing that something precious is just around the corner.

Interestingly, co-writer Allee Willis explained in an interview with songfacts.com that "Neutron Dance" is actually a political commentary. In 1983, the US and Soviet Union were still embroiled in the Cold War and the threat of a nuclear strike loomed large in the minds of the citizens of both countries.

She explained that "I'm just burning, doing the Neutron Dance" meant that someone could push the nuclear button tomorrow and "we could all go up in smoke, so make your change now." She added, "If your life isn't working… change it. Because it's really up to you."

"Neutron Dance" was released as the fourth single from The Pointer Sisters' album Break Out. Supported by the popularity of Eddie Murphy's breakout performance in Beverly Hills Cop and consistent airplay on MTV, "Neutron Dance" charted in 10 countries, including a #6 placement on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Canadian Singles Chart.

Hailing from Oakland, CA, The Pointer Sisters became household names during the 1970s and 1980s as they scored 13 Top 20 hits, including "Slow Hand," "He's So Shy," "I'm So Excited" and "Jump (For My Love)". The sisters earned three Grammy Awards and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.

Please check out the video of The Pointer Sisters performing "Neutron Dance" during Disneyland's 30th anniversary TV special in February of 1985. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…

"Neutron Dance"
Written by Allee Willis and Danny Sembello. Performed by The Pointer Sisters.

I don't wanna take it anymore
I'll just stay here locked behind the door
Just no time to stop and get away,
'Cause I work so hard to make it everyday.

Woo-hoo
Woo-hoo

There's no money fallin' from the sky,
'Cause a man took my heart and robbed me blind.
Someone stole my brand new Chevrolet,
And the rent is due, I got no place to stay.

Woo-hoo Ooo-oo-oo
Woo-hoo Ooo-oo-oo

And it's hard to say,
Just how some things never change.
And it's hard to find,
Any strength to draw the line.
Oh, I'm just burnin' doin' the neutron dance
I'm just burnin' doin' the neutron dance.

Woo-hoo

Industry don't pay a price that's fair
All the common people breathin' filthy air
(Lord have mercy)
Roof caved in on all the simple dreams
And to get ahead your heart starts pumpin' schemes

And it's hard to say,
Just how some things never change
And it's hard to find,
Any strength to draw the line
Well, well, well
I'm just burnin' doin' the neutron dance
I-I-I'm just burnin' doin' the neutron dance.

Woo-hoo
Woo-hoo

I'm on fire, yeah
Said, I'm on fire, yeah-eh

And it's hard to say,
Just how some things never change
And it's hard to find,
Any strength to draw the line
Well, well, well, I'm just burnin' doin' the neutron dance
I-I-I'm just burnin' doin' the neutron dance.

I know there's a pot of gold for me
All I got to do is just believe
Oh, I'm so happy doin' the neutron dance
I'm just burnin' doin' the neutron dance
I'm so happy (it's in my hands),
Doin' the neutron dance, (well).
I'm just burnin' (it's in my feet),
Doin' the neutron dance.

Well, well, well, well
Woo-hoo
Woo-hoo
Woo-hoo

I'm so happy,
Doin' the neutron dance, (yeah).
I'm just burnin',
Doin' the neutron dance.



Credit: Image by Manfred Werner - Tsui, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

An intricately carved nasal ornament made from human bone was recently unearthed during the exploration of the ruins of Palenque, an ancient city in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas. Dating back at least 1,100 years, the nasal attire was likely worn by rulers and priests as an embodiment of K'awiil, the Mayan god of corn and fertility.



Carved from the human distal tibia (the bone of the lower leg that connects with the ankle), the jewelry has an engraved scene that expresses communication with the gods and ancestors. When affixed to the nose, the ornament would have given the user the appearance of having a continuous line from the forehead to the tip of the nose — similar to the shape of an ear of corn. The piece was likely worn during religious ceremonies.



The distal tibia provided the perfect shape for the nose ornament because of the crest that runs along the bone. The jewelry measures 6.4cm (2.5 in) long by 5.2cm (2.0 in) wide, and is thicker at the bottom than it is towards the top.

This is the first nasal ornament to be unearthed in Palenque, although this type of jewelry has appeared in several sculptural representations, such as the lid of the sarcophagus of the famed 7th-century Mayan king Kʼinich Janaab Pakal.



The intricate carving has a distinct left and right side. One half of the piece shows the profile of a Mayan man wearing a headdress depicting the head of a bird, tubular wristbands and a necklace of spherical beads. On his left arm is the Mayan glyph ak'ab' meaning “darkness” or “night.”

His right arm extends to the other side of the piece, where it holds a long and thin object. In the lower part of that side is a representation of a human skull without a lower jaw. The skull is placed on what appears to be a bundle of cloth marked with cross bands.



Arnoldo González Cruz, director of the Palenque Archaeological Project (PAP), explained that the extraordinary piece was part of a ritual deposit interred during the Late Classic period (600 and 850 AD) to commemorate the completion of a building that was part of a large architectural complex.

Cruz and his team discovered the nose jewelry among other artifacts, which included obsidian blades and fragments of a bone awl. Conservation work at the Palace of Palenque is being conducted by Mexico's Federal Ministry of Culture, through the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

Credits: Photos and illustrations by Carlos Varela Scherrer, courtesy of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

An Indian luxury brand has pulled out all the stops in its gleaming tribute to Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, the beloved British monarch who reigned for more than 70 years and died nearly a year ago on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. The East India Company unveiled on Monday a massive commemorative coin — really an objet d’art — that is wider than an NBA basketball, weighs 3.61kg (7.95 lbs) and glistens with 6,426 diamonds weighing 486 carats.



The creator has valued the "The Crown Coin" at a whopping $23 million. The current record for the most expensive coin ever auctioned is held by a 1933 American “Double Eagle,” which sold for $18.9 million at Sotheby’s New York in June 2021.

The Crown Coin is actually a coin of many coins.

The most ornate face includes a series of 10 .999 1oz gold coins orbiting a much larger 1kg (35.27oz) gold coin, similar in formation to the way the planets orbit the Sun. The smaller coins feature portraits of the late monarch as well as the personifications of the six virtues as featured on the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace. These are widely acknowledged as the guiding principles set down by Queen Victoria (1819-1901) and carried forward by Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022).

The outer ring of this face is inscribed with notable quotes from her coronation oath in 1953. On the upper rim, it says, "The things I have here before promised I will perform and keep so help me God." The lower rim has this quote: "Throughout all of my life and with all my heart I will strive to be worthy of your trust."



The diamond array on the multi-coin face is said to be inspired by Elizabeth II's tiaras. The diamond formation on the effigy side of the coin follows the lines of the British flag.

The commemorative coin is not considered legal tender, although the smaller coins included in the design are.

From concept to fabrication, The Crown Coin was truly an international collaboration. According to The East India Company website, the coin was conceived in Britain and designed in Sri Lanka and England. The outer ring of gold was made in India and engraved in Singapore. The coins were minted in Germany and The Netherlands. The diamonds were cut and polished In Australia, South Africa and Canada, and certified in the US by the Gemological Association of America. And finally, the coin was assembled in India. Exactly 83 artisans lent their skills to this project, which took more than one year to complete.

"Queen Elizabeth II was an inspiration for many generations, embodying the virtues which guided her through the past seven decades and which are celebrated in this rare and exceptional tribute," noted Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and CEO of The East India Company.

Back in May of 2022, The Royal Mint produced the largest coin in its 1,100-year history to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s historic 70-year reign. The one-of-a-kind "Platinum Jubilee" coin was made of .999 gold and weighed 15kg (33.1 lbs). Its diameter of 22cm was slightly smaller than The Crown Coin at 24.4cm (9.6 in). The coin carried a denomination of £15,000, but the value of the precious metal at the time of its release was £776,595 ($982,000).

Credits: Images courtesy of The East India Company.

A seven-year-old girl from Paragould, AR, scored a 2.95-carat golden brown diamond during a September 1 birthday outing at Crater of Diamonds State Park.



The youngster, Aspen Brown, had made the four-hour drive to Murfreesboro, AR, with her dad and grandmother last Friday. After scouring the park's north search area, little Aspen told her dad that she needed a break.

“She got hot and wanted to sit down for a minute, so she walked over to some big rocks by the fence line,” said her father, Luther Brown. “Next thing I know, she was running to me, saying ‘Dad! Dad! I found one.’”



And she was right. The shimmery octahedron that she plucked from the pathway was no ordinary pebble.

Park staff at the Diamond Discovery Center confirmed that Aspen's gem was, indeed, a diamond. Weighing nearly 3 carats, it was the second-largest find of the year and perhaps the prettiest. Aspen named her lucky find "The Aspen Diamond" and she reportedly intends to keep it.

“Aspen’s diamond has a golden-brown color and a sparkling luster. It is a complete crystal, with no broken facets and a small crevice on one side, created when the diamond was formed,” said Waymon Cox, assistant park superintendent. “It’s certainly one of the most beautiful diamonds I’ve seen in recent years.”

Back in March, frequent park visitor David Anderson unearthed the park's largest diamond of 2023, so far — a 3.29-carat brown diamond that he named "BUD," short for "Big Ugly Diamond."

Park officials said that Aspen found her pea-sized gem near an area that was recently excavated to improve erosion at the 37.5 acre plowed field that is actually the eroded surface of an extinct, diamond-bearing volcanic pipe. The park is the only diamond site in the world that is open to the general public.

“Several tons of unsearched diamond-bearing material were exposed and it’s very possible that this diamond and others were uncovered as a result," noted park superintendent Caleb Howell.

Since it opened as a state park in 1972, Crater of Diamonds has welcomed more than 4.6 million visitors, who have unearthed more than 35,000 diamonds. Nearly 99% of the diamonds discovered at the park fall into one of three color categories: white (clear), brown or yellow. According the Crater of Diamonds’ official stats, exactly 62% of diamonds found to date were white, 20% were brown and about 17% were yellow. Slightly more than 1% were classified as “other.”

Diamonds unearthed at the park average 1/5th of a carat, but about 21 per year will weigh in at 1 carat or more. An average of one to two diamonds are found by park visitors each day.

Credits: Images courtesy of Arkansas State Parks.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you hit songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Canadian songstress Amanda Marshall throws caution to the wind while wearing a very special locket in her 1995 chart-topper, “Dark Horse.”



In the song she co-wrote with Dean McTaggart and David Tyson, Marshall tells the story of a 19-year-old girl who enters into a whirlwind relationship with the new guy in town. The locals criticize her for being a crazy, romantic fool, but Marshall’s heart tells her that this could be “the lucky one.” Despite the long odds, she’s willing to put her money on this “dark horse.”

She sings, “I wear your locket, our picture’s inside / Inscription says ‘The joy’s in the ride’ / And I believe / That something so sacred / Is something worth this kind of fight / Cause love knows no patience / You can’t please everyone all the time.”

“Dark Horse” was the fifth single released from Marshall’s successful self-titled debut album, which sold more than one million copies in Canada alone. The single peaked at #5 on Canada’s RPM Top Singles chart and #1 on RPM‘s Adult Contemporary chart.

Interestingly, while appearing on The Rosie O’Donnell Show in 1995, Elton John commented that he was listening to Marshall’s just-released album and that “Dark Horse” would be a “guaranteed hit.”

Born in Toronto in 1972, Amanda Meta Marshall immersed herself in music as a child. She studied intensively, and her talents yielded her a spot at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. While performing on the Queen Street West bar scene in her teens, she met Canadian jazz and blues-rock guitarist Jeff Healey, who was impressed by her powerful voice. She eventually toured with Healey and then released her debut album a few years later. It was a monumental work that spawned six Top 40 hits.

A year later, in 1996, her song “This Could Take All Night” was included in the original soundtrack of the motion picture Tin Cup. One year later, Marshall’s “I’ll Be Okay” was featured on the original soundtrack of My Best Friend’s Wedding. She was nominated as Best Songwriter at the 2000 Juno Awards.

Marshall took a long break from the recording business as she worked through a dispute with her record label. In June of 2023, the 51-year-old Marshall finally returned to the music scene with the release of a new album, Heavy Lifting, supported by a Canada-wide tour.

Please check out the official video for Marshall’s “Dark Horse.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along.

“Dark Horse”
Written by Dean McTaggart, David Tyson and Amanda Marshall. Performed by Amanda Marshall.

Indian summer
Abilene
You were new in town, I was 19
And sparks flew

They called us crazy behind our backs
“Romantic fools” we just let them laugh
Because we knew

It may be a long shot
We may get lonely down the line
But love knows no reason
And I won’t let ’em make up my mind

My money’s riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is sayin' it’s the lucky one
And its true color’s gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run

The stars are brighter in the desert sky
No need to wonder or justify
Where this will lead

I wear your locket, our picture’s inside
Inscription says, "The joy’s in the ride"
And I believe
That something so sacred
Is something worth this kind of fight
Cause love knows no patience, no
You can’t please everyone all the time

My money’s riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it’s the lucky one
And its true color’s gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run

So rare
So sweet
Together baby, I know
We can
Disappear
Be free

Ohh, my money’s riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it’s the lucky one
And its true color’s gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run

My money’s riding on this dark horse, baby
My heart is saying it’s the lucky one
And its true color’s gonna shine through someday
If we let this, let this dark horse run

Indian summer
Abilene
You were new in town, I was 19



Credit: Photo by Allen McGregor from Brampton, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

In 1926, American tycoon Harrison Williams married Mona Bush, a divorcée 24 years his junior. Aboard his 250-foot yacht, the Warrior, the couple embarked on a year-long, around-the-world honeymoon, and during a stopover in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), the 53-year-old public utilities mogul picked up a beautiful cornflower blue sapphire for his new bride.



That 98.57-carat cushion-cut gem, which is now known as the Bismarck Sapphire, is one of the world’s finest examples of September’s official birthstone. Visitors to the Gem Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, will see the Bismarck Sapphire Necklace prominently displayed alongside two other famous sapphire pieces, the Hall Sapphire and Diamond Necklace and the Logan Sapphire.

Originally set horizontally in a necklace designed by Cartier in 1927, the Bismarck Sapphire was rotated into a vertical position when Mona had the necklace updated in 1959. The necklace on display in Washington, D.C., is accented with eight square-cut blue sapphires and 312 baguette and round brilliant-cut diamonds.

Gem experts believe that the Bismarck Sapphire was originally much larger than 98.57 carats and that it was likely recut by Cartier to attain optimum clarity and brilliance after returning to the states from Sri Lanka. Traditionally, Sri Lankan cutters favored carat weight over ideal proportions.

When Williams set off on his year-long honeymoon he was considered one of the richest men in America. His fortune was estimated at $680 million (equivalent to about $11.2 billion today).

The stock market crash of 1929 took a heavy toll on their fortune, but still, the Williamses maintained their ritzy lifestyle and, by 1933, Mona had earned the distinction of becoming the first American voted the “Best Dressed Woman in the World.”

Harrison Williams died in 1953, and two years later Mona would marry the German Count Eduard von Bismarck. At this point, the American socialite became known as Countess Mona von Bismarck. In 1967, at the age of 70, the Countess donated her beloved necklace to the Smithsonian. Mona died in 1983 at the age of 86.

Historically, the finest and most vibrant gem-quality sapphires have come from Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma) and the Kashmir region of India. According to the Smithsonian, sapphires from Sri Lanka are typically light to medium blue and are commonly referred to as “Ceylon Sapphires.”

All sapphires are made of the mineral corundum (crystalline aluminum oxide). In its pure state, the corundum is colorless, but when trace elements are naturally introduced to the chemical composition, all the magic happens.

Blue sapphires occur, for instance, when aluminum atoms are displaced with those of titanium and iron in the gem’s crystal lattice structure. Corundum has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, compared to a diamond, which has a hardness of 10.

Sapphires are seen in many colors, including pink, purple, green, orange and yellow. Ruby is the red variety of corundum.

Credit: Bismarck necklace photo by Chip Clark/Smithsonian, digitally enhanced by SquareMoose.

A 390.7-carat diamond unearthed at the Mayat mine in the Anabar region of Yakutia, near the Arctic Circle, is the second-largest diamond ever found on Russian territory and the largest in a decade.



Russian mining giant Alrosa reported on Sunday that the transparent "crystal has a non-standard shape and is bordered by a yellowish-brown halo." Alrosa credited the find to its subsidiary, Almazy Anabara, which scored the the massive gem during the night-time washing of the diamond sands at the Ebelyakh portion of the deposit.

Anabar, in the northernmost part of Yakutia, is said to be the coldest inhabited region in the world, where the average temperature in January reaches a high of -25°F and a low of -39°F. The basin of the Anabar river is has one of the largest concentration of diamond deposits in the world.

In a statement, Alrosa noted that the "combination of mass, shape and color makes the stone unique."

“The discovery of one of the largest diamonds in Russian history is undoubtedly an unprecedented event and an excellent finale to the 2023 mining season,” noted Alrosa CEO Pavel Marinychev. “Experts have yet to study in detail and evaluate the potential of the mined diamond and its characteristics, but, without a doubt, this is a record holder both for our company and for the country’s diamond industry.”

To the casual observer, the fractured edges of the gem hint that this specimen was once part of a larger stone that could have been crushed during the sorting process.

The miner added that a colorless 37.7-carat diamond with a more traditional octahedron shape was recovered at the same time.

According to Wikipedia's "List of the Largest Rough Diamonds," the Mayat-sourced gem now rates #52, while the slightly larger 401-carat Russian record-holder stands at #50. At the top of the list is the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond, which was discovered in South Africa in 1905.

Despite being one of the largest producers of diamonds in the world by volume — with deposits located in the Arkhangelsk region and the Siberian republic of Yakutia — Alrosa rarely reports super-large specimens.

Bloomberg noted that sanctions imposed against the state-controlled Alrosa due to the war in Ukraine could hamper a potential sale of the newly recovered stone.

Credit: Photo courtesy of Alrosa.

Good Trouble star Cierra Ramirez's 2.9 million Instagram followers got an unexpected thrill Sunday when the self-described "luckiest girl in the world" shared pics of her surprise engagement to musician OTHRSYDE. The 28-year-old showed off her new rectangular cushion-cut diamond engagement ring in two of the six carousel shots.



OTHRSYDE, whose actual name is Jonathan Zallez, proposed on bended knee in a lush backyard decorated with white candles and bouquets of white roses. A string ensemble played in the background as Ramirez covered her mouth in surprise. More than 30 of their closest friends and family were on hand to share in the special moment.



Ramirez's cushion-cut diamond appears to be prong-set on a dainty diamond-accented yellow gold band.



In the couple's joint Instagram post, the actress wrote, "Spoiler alert: I said YES! I prayed for a love like yours @othrsyde. I also couldn’t have dreamt up a better proposal if I tried… in my hometown with everyone I love! You are the most thoughtful person & I can’t wait to annoy you for the rest of my life hehehe I’m the luckiest girl in the world."



She punctuated her post with an Engagement Ring emoji and two White Heart emojis.

She also acknowledged the friends who helped organize the celebration and those who flew to Houston to surprise her.

"…You made one of the best days of my life THAT much more memorable," she wrote.



She concluded the post with the phrase, "Wow. Pinch meeeee" followed by a Six Horizontal Line emoji (symbolizing love, warmth, caring and affection), and a final White Heart emoji.

Ramirez is best known for her breakout performance as Mariana Adams Foster in the Freeform television series The Fosters, and her spin-off series, Good Trouble. OTHRSYDE, 27, is a musician, Instagram model and influencer.

Priscilla Quintana, who has the recurring role of Isabella on Good Trouble, commented on Instagram, "That ring is EVERYTHING… Congrats you both."

Ramirez and OTHRSYDE have been a couple since August 2019, most recently celebrating their four-year anniversary together with a romantic trip to Spain and France.

Credits: Images via Instagram / cierraramirez.

A 51-year-old novice metal detectorist recently discovered a cache of gold treasure on the private Norwegian island of Rennesøy. Dating back to the 6th century, the nine coin-like gold pendants, 10 gold beads and three gold rings weigh a total of 100 grams (3.5 oz).



“This is the find of the century in Norway,” said Ole Madsen, the Director of the Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger. "Discovering such a significant amount of gold at once is extremely rare.”



According to a University of Stavanger press release, Erlend Bore had purchased his first metal detector before the summer, partly to embark on treasure hunts but mostly to engage in a hobby that would get him off the sofa.

With the permission of the landowner, Bore started his exploration at the Rennesøy shore, but then decided to take his search inland after finding only scrap metal and a small coin.

"So, I decided to explore higher ground, and the metal detector immediately started beeping,” explained Bore.

The clump of earth that he scooped with his hands seemed to contain gold coins.



“At first, I thought I had found chocolate coins or plastic pirate treasure. It was surreal,” Bore said. But then his heart started to race when he realized the magnitude of his discovery.

In Norway, finders of cultural artifacts may not keep the pieces, but are entitled to a finder's fee, which is to be shared equally with the landowner. The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage has yet to announce what the finder's fee will be for the Rennesøy cache. (Norwegian law dictates that all objects dating before 1537 and coins older than 1650 are considered state property and must be reported.)

Associate Professor Håkon Reiersen at the Museum of Archaeology, noted that the gold pendants unearthed by Bore date from about AD 500, during the Migration Period in Norway. These gold pendants, known as “bracteates,” resemble gold coins but were used primarily as jewelry, not legal tender.



“The nine bracteates and the gold beads would have formed an exceptionally splendid necklace, which was crafted by skilled goldsmiths and worn by the most powerful individuals in society," stated Reiersen. "Finding so many bracteates together is exceedingly rare. This is the first such find in Norway since the 1800s."

The associate professor explained that many of Scandinavia’s major bracteate finds were buried during the mid-500s — a period marked by crop failures, worsening climate and plagues.

"The numerous abandoned farms in Rogaland from this era suggest that the crisis hit this region particularly hard,” Reiersen explained. “Based on the location of the discovery and findings from similar contexts, these were most likely either hidden valuables or offerings to the gods during that dramatic time.”

Credits: Excavation photos by Erlend Bore / University of Stavanger. Coin pendant by Annette Græsli Øvrelid, Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger. Reconstruction of necklace by archaeologist Theo Eli Gil Bell / University of Stavanger.

Welcome to Music Friday when we often bring you classic songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today we flash back to the summer of 1965 — a time of hippies, bell bottoms, flower power and a chart-topping duo named Sonny & Cher singing “I Got You Babe.”



In this love song about a young couple willing to challenge societal norms, Cher famously assures Sonny, “So let them say your hair’s too long / ‘Cause I don’t care, with you I can’t go wrong.” In the jewelry reference, Sonny serenades, “I got flowers in the spring. I got you to wear my ring.”

Written by Sonny Bono, “I Got You Babe” was the duo’s biggest single and signature song. It ascended to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and charted in 18 countries, including Singapore, Switzerland and Zimbabwe.

Sonny revealed in a 1966 interview that the song was inspired by first-hand experiences.

“I know what it is like to be kicked around because you dress differently,” Sonny told Musical Express. “I know what it is like to see the girl you love hurt because a hotel refuses you admission because of your dress. I know what it is like to have that one person stand by you. There are a lot of other people who have experienced these things and I’m trying to put our feelings into words for everyone.”

Despite being named one of the greatest duets of all times by both Billboard and Rolling Stone magazines, “I Got You Babe” was nearly thrown on the scrap heap.

Apparently, Ahmet Ertegun, the head of Atco Records, didn’t really care for the song, and was planning to relegate it to the “B” side of Sonny & Cher’s single, “It’s Gonna Rain.”

Even Cher admitted that she was hardly enthusiastic when she sang it for the first time. Sonny agreed to change the key in the bridge to suit Cher’s range and then she loved it.

Sonny was sure they had a hit, but Ertegun was still not convinced. Sonny pitched the song to the program director of Los Angeles radio station KHJ. He made a deal that allowed the station to have the song exclusively if they played it once an hour.

The station’s listeners couldn’t get enough of “I Got You Babe” and Ertegun finally agreed to publish it as the “A” side.

“I Got You Babe” had a key role in the 1993 movie, Groundhog Day, as Bill Murray, playing an arrogant TV weatherman, finds himself reliving February 2 in a perpetual time loop. Every morning at exactly six o’clock Murray wakes to the clock-radio playing the Sonny & Cher ditty.

Check out the video of Sonny & Cher performing “I Got You Babe.” The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…

“I Got You Babe”
Written by Sonny Bono. Performed by Sonny & Cher.

Cher: They say we’re young and we don’t know
We won’t find out until we grow
Sonny: Well I don’t know if all that’s true
‘Cause you got me, and baby I got you

Sonny: Babe
BOTH: I got you babe, I got you babe

Cher: They say our love won’t pay the rent
Before it’s earned, our money’s all been spent
Sonny: I guess that’s so, we don’t have a pot
But at least I’m sure of all the things we got

Sonny: Babe
BOTH: I got you babe, I got you babe

Sonny: I got flowers in the spring, I got you to wear my ring
Cher: And when I’m sad, you’re a clown
And if I get scared, you’re always around
Cher: So let them say your hair’s too long
‘Cause I don’t care, with you I can’t go wrong
Sonny: Then put your little hand in mine
There ain’t no hill or mountain we can’t climb

Sonny: Babe
BOTH: I got you babe I got you babe

Sonny: I got you to hold my hand
Cher: I got you to understand
Sonny: I got you to walk with me
Cher: I got you to talk with me
Sonny: I got you to kiss goodnight
Cher: I got you to hold me tight
Sonny: I got you, I won’t let go
Cher: I got you to love me so

BOTH: I got you babe
I got you babe
I got you babe
I got you babe
I got you babe

Credit: Image by CBS Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The real-life love story of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall has been celebrated as one of the great romances of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The couple met in 1944 on the set of To Have and Have Not, and despite an age difference of 25 years, they fell madly in love.



On Friday, the heart-shaped locket on which Bogart proclaimed his love for Bacall sold for $57,150 at Los Angeles-based Julien’s Auctions. The winning bid was nearly three times the auction house’s pre-sale high estimate of $20,000.



Julien’s noted that the gold locket, which is set with a faceted heart-shaped simulated garnet, is inscribed with the phrase, “Baby / here’s my heart / Bogie.” The piece measures 1 inch x 2 inches, weighs 20 grams and opens to reveal two photo compartments.



It’s not clear whether Bogart gifted this piece before or after the couple exchanged vows in May of 1945. The 45-year-old Bogart was already a Hollywood headliner at the time, having starred in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Casablanca (1942). The up-and-coming model-turned-actress was just 20 years old.

Naysayers predicted that the relationship would be short-lived, but they were wrong. Bacall and Bogart would go on to celebrate a 12-year storybook marriage — one that would be cut short only after he succumbed to cancer in 1957.

In her memoir, Bacall wrote, "No one has ever written a romance better than we lived it."



Also featured at Julien’s Auctions Hollywood Legends & Royalty sale were the couple’s matching 14-karat gold wedding bands. Described as "articulated curb link bands," the pair was sold as a single lot and fetched $190,500 — just shy of the pre-sale high estimate of $200,000. His ring is size 9 and hers is size 7.25. Both are 7 mm wide.

In all, the A-list couple starred in four movies together, including the aforementioned To Have or Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947) and Key Largo (1948).  

Credits: Jewelry images via Julien’s Auctions. Bogart and Bacall photo by National Motion Picture Council, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The largest internally flawless fancy vivid blue diamond ever to appear at auction is set to headline Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva on November 7. Weighing an astounding 17.61 carats, the perfectly symmetrical pear-shaped "Bleu Royal" carries a presale estimate of $35 million to $50 million.



If it achieves the high estimate, the "Bleu Royal" will take its place just behind the record-setting 14.62-carat “Oppenheimer Blue” (Christie's 2016, $57.5 million) and the 15.10-carat “De Beers Blue” (Sotheby's 2022, $57.47 million).

Christie's noted that Bleu Royal has been part of an important private collection for the past 50 years and that this is the first time the stone has been offered at auction.

“This is a true miracle of nature,” commended Rahul Kadakia, International Head of Christie’s Jewels. “Over our 257-year history, Christie’s has had the privilege of offering the world’s rarest gems at auction, and Bleu Royal continues this tradition. We are proud to offer collectors the opportunity to own a diamond fit for royalty.”

Blue diamonds larger than 10 carats are exceptionally rare. It is believed that only five have ever come to auction and two will be offered this fall: The "Bleu Royal" and the 11.28-carat “Infinite Blue,” which will be the subject of a single-lot event at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on October 5. The cut-cornered rectangular mixed-cut fancy vivid blue stunner has a pre-sale estimate of $26 million to $37 million.

Christie's explained that, due to collector demand and an increasingly limited supply, prices for top-quality colored diamonds have increased exponentially in recent years.

Blue diamonds are considered one of the rarest colors of all diamonds. A fabulous fluke of nature, a blue diamond owes its color to the random presence of boron within the diamond’s carbon structure. The Infinite Blue is categorized as a Type IIb diamond, a quality level that includes less than 0.5% of all diamonds.

Scientists believe that blue diamonds form about 400 miles below the surface, four times deeper than about 99 percent of all other diamonds.

Credits: Image courtesy of Christie's.

For 37 years until its closing in 2020, Rio Tinto’s Argyle Mine in Australia produced between 90% and 95% of the world’s pink and red diamonds. Since diamond mines exist all over the world, scientists struggled to understand why nearly all of the blush diamonds were concentrated in one location.



Well, now researchers at Perth-based Curtin University believe they have the answer. And it all comes down to a mix of three key factors. Sure, you need diamond's key element — carbon — along with the massive force and heat generated by colliding tectonic plates. But the secret ingredient is continental "stretching."

Lead researcher Dr. Hugo Olierook from Curtin University's John de Laeter Centre said the "stretching" of landmasses created gaps in the Earth’s crust through which diamond-carrying magma could rise to the surface. What's more, the "stretching" also altered the diamond's lattice structure deep within the Earth.

Unlike yellow or blue diamonds that owe their color to the presence of nitrogen or boron in their chemical makeup, pink and red diamonds owe their color to the effects of intense pressure, heat and twisting. These factors caused distortions in the diamond’s crystal lattice that influence the way the gem absorbs green light, thus reflecting a pink or red hue.

As The New York Times explained, "The color comes from the warping of the gem’s crystal lattice under intense pressure. While all diamonds form under pressure, even more force turns once-clear diamonds colorful. A slight extra squeeze turns a diamond pink, and a hard squash turns it brown."

“By using laser beams smaller than the width of a human hair on rocks supplied by Rio Tinto, we found Argyle to be 1.3 billion years old, which is 100 million years older than previously thought, meaning it would likely have formed as a result of an ancient supercontinent breaking apart,” Dr. Olierook said.

Olierook identified Argyle as the point where the Kimberley region and the rest of northern Australia smashed together.

"And that sort of collision creates a damaged area or ‘scar’ in the land that will never fully heal," he added. "While the continent that would become Australia didn’t break up, the area where Argyle is situated was stretched, including along the scar, which created gaps in the Earth’s crust for magma to shoot up through to the surface, bringing with it pink diamonds."

Having identified the special ingredients that create pink and red diamonds, Dr. Olierook and his team believe it will be be possible — yet still very challenging — to find the "next Argyle" in the global hunt for new deposits.

“Most diamond deposits have been found in the middle of ancient continents because their host volcanoes tend to be exposed at the surface for explorers to find,” Dr. Olierook said. "Argyle is at the suture of two of these ancient continents, and these edges are often covered by sand and soil, leaving the possibility that similar pink diamond-bearing volcanoes still sit undiscovered, including in Australia.”

The team's findings were published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

Credit: Photo by Murray Rayner, Rio Tinto.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Cake frontman John McCrea combines quirky lyrics with a vibraslap rattle as he describes his ideal partner: "a girl with a mind like a diamond."



Appearing as the fourth track from Cake's 2001 album Comfort Eagle, "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" is a song "about prosperity and depression," songwriter McCrea told CNN in 2001.

"It's really just about... what happens to the human mating ritual when you have population booms and then things start to lag in every way," he said. "So I was not really writing about a woman in short skirt/long jacket as much I was writing about humans and how strange our behavior is."

He sings, "I want a girl with a mind like a diamond / I want a girl who knows what's best / I want a girl with shoes that cut / And eyes that burn like cigarettes."

He also reveals that he prefers a girl who plays with her jewelry, enjoys uninterrupted prosperity and uses a machete to cut through red tape.

The video for "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" earned a nomination for Breakthrough Video at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. The Platinum-certified single sold more than one million copies and the Comfort Eagle album earned a Gold certification with more than a half-million albums sold.

Last Friday, the band reissued Comfort Eagle on vinyl — in both black and Coke-bottle green varieties.

The song features McCrea playing a vibraslap, a percussion instrument consisting of a piece of stiff wire that connects a wooden ball to a hollow box of wood filled with metal “teeth.” When the wooden ball is struck with the palm of the hand, the device emits a prolonged rattlesnake sound.

Founded in Sacramento, CA, in 1991, Cake is classified as an alternative rock band, but many critics would rather put Cake in a class of its own due to the group's wide range of musical influences, off-beat lyrics and deadpan delivery.

The key to the band's unique sound, joked guitarist Xan McCurdy, is old, cheap guitars.

"We never get the exact same tone twice," he told songfacts.com.

Trivia: "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" was used as the opening theme to Chuck, an action comedy/spy drama that ran on NBC for five seasons starting in 2007.

Please check out the audio track of "Short Skirt/Long Jacket." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…

"Short Skirt/Long Jacket"
Written by John McCrea. Performed by Cake.

I want a girl with a mind like a diamond
I want a girl who knows what's best
I want a girl with shoes that cut
And eyes that burn like cigarettes

I want a girl with the right allocations
Who's fast, and thorough, and sharp as a tack
She's playing with her jewelry
She's putting up her hair
She's touring the facilities
And picking up slack
I want a girl with a short skirt and a long jacket.

I want a girl who gets up early
I want a girl who stays up late
I want a girl with uninterrupted prosperity
Who uses a machete, to cut through red tape

With fingernails that shine like justice
And a voice that is dark like tinted glass
She is fast, thorough, and sharp as a tack
She is touring the facilities and picking up slack
I want a girl with a short skirt and a long jacket

I want a girl with a smooth liquidation
I want a girl with good dividends
At Citibank we will meet accidentally
We'll start to talk when she borrows my pen

She wants a car with a cup holder armrest
She wants a car that will get her there
She is changing her name
From Kitty to Karen
She's trading her MG for a white Chrysler LeBaron
I want a girl with a short skirt and a long jacket



Credit: Photo by Jay Adan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

If you're planning a trip to the Land Down Under in 2024, be sure to see the "Pharaoh" exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), where more than 500 objects celebrating 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian jewelry, art and visual culture will be on display.



The huge collection will be on loan from The British Museum, which has amassed one of the most exceptional collections of ancient Egyptian objects in the world. It's the largest international loan the London institution has ever undertaken.

Running from June 14 through October 6, the landmark presentation will unpack the phenomenon of pharaoh, those all-powerful kings who claimed a divine origin.



"What really sets our show apart is a focus on the artistic aspects of these works and the sheer beauty and skill of the crafting of these works," said Amanda Dunsmore, NGV's senior curator, international decorative arts and antiquities. "Ancient Egyptian sculptors were absolute masters of their craft."

Among the 500 works are a wide array of exquisitely crafted gold jewelry, monumental sculpture, architecture, temple statuary, papyri (documents), coffins and a rich array of funerary objects.



The pharaohs presented an idealized image of themselves as invincible warriors and fervent worshippers of the gods. This is evident from the imagery on rings, bracelets and personal treasures, to the statues and monuments of colossal scale. Among the largest items is a 1.5-ton, 4-foot-wide fist of Ramses II.



The exhibition will be divided into seven thematic sections that explore the pharaoh’s roles and duties, including as the high priest officiating in temples, the head of the country’s administration, the leader of the army and the head of the royal family. The pharaohs were responsible for protecting Egypt against its enemies and ensuring universal order. They ruled both Upper and Lower Egypt from the 1st Dynasty (c. 3000 BCE) until the Roman conquest in 30 BCE.

Credits: Images courtesy of The Trustees of the British Museum.

Chicago Med star Torrey DeVitto finally unveiled her radiant-cut diamond engagement ring on September 25 after keeping it under wraps for more than three weeks.



DeVitto announced her engagement to director Jared LaPine with an Instagram post that included a number of cuddly shots, a few of which put her new ring front and center.

The 39-year-old actress revealed in the Instagram caption that LaPine's proposal caught her totally off guard.



"Earlier this month at 5 pm on a weekday while walking the back trails at the farm, still in my PJs and goat boots, he got down on one knee, in what I hoped wasn't poison ivy, and asked for forever," she revealed to her million Instagram followers. "My answer was obvious." She punctuated her post with a red heart emoji.

On his Instagram page, LaPine posted a carousel of engagement photos and the following caption: "On September 1st, I got engaged to my best friend. Now I get to spend every single day as the luckiest man in the world. I love you more than anything and everything." LaPine's emojis included champagne glasses, diamond ring and red heart.



Although many outlets are reporting that the ring features an emerald-cut diamond, due to the intensity of the sparkle and smaller facets, we're pretty sure DeVitto is rockin' an elongated radiant-cut diamond.

A radiant-cut diamond — with 70 facets, compared to the 57 facets of a round brilliant — delivers a clean, modern, edgy look along with a large dose of fire.

DeVitto is best known for playing Dr. Natalie Manning on Chicago Med (2015-2023), as well as Melissa Hastings on Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017). LaPine is a film director and writer.

The couple went Instagram Official this past June when they shared a photo of a romantic embrace. During the summer, DeVitto and LaPine chronicled their multi-city adventures through Spain on their respective Instagram pages.

Credits: Photos via Instagram / torreydevitto.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you exciting songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, country star Trisha Yearwood's “Powerful Thing” tells the story of a couple who can't deny the obvious — it's time to take their relationship to the next level.



In her 1998 country hit, Yearwood describes how the couple started out as “strangers on a two way street” with neither one looking to fall in love. But, they are instantly overwhelmed by their amazing chemistry, and the force of the attraction is beyond their control. It's stronger than a driving wind and hotter than a forest fire. Yearwood believes it’s time for them to jump right in and get over their fear of falling.

She sings, “It’s a powerful thing / It’s a powerful thing / More than three words / And a diamond ring / It can open up the heavens / Make the angels sing / Our love, baby, is a powerful thing.”

Written by Al Anderson and Sharon Vaughn, “Powerful Thing” was released as the third single from Yearwood’s album Where Your Road Leads. The song ascended to #6 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks and scored the #1 spot on Canada’s RPM Country Tracks chart. “Powerful Thing” also appears as the 14th track on the artist’s 2007 album Trisha Yearwood: Greatest Hits.

Patricia Lynn “Trisha” Yearwood was born in 1964 in Monticello, GA, to a school teacher mom and a banker dad. She got her big break as a 21-year-old when she interned for — and was then hired by — MTM Records, which was founded by TV legend Mary Tyler Moore. While working for MTM, Yearwood sang background vocals for new artists, including Garth Brooks (more on him later).

“I got work based on the fact that I showed up on time, I worked cheap, I knew the songs when I got there and I sang on pitch,” Yearwood told People magazine in 2015.

The 59-year-old Yearwood has been a cast member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1999 and has won three Grammy Awards, three Country Music Association Awards, three Academy of Country Music Awards and an American Music Award. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide.

She's best known for her hits "She's In Love With The Boy" (1991), "Walkaway Joe" (1992), "The Song Remembers When" (1993), "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" (1994) and "Believe Me Baby (I Lied)" (1996).

In December of 2005, she married Brooks, her longtime friend and collaborator. Seven thousand fans witnessed his onstage proposal to Yearwood earlier that same year in Bakersfield, CA.

Brooks admitted on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that there had always been an undeniable chemistry between the pair. It must have been “a powerful thing.”

Yearwood will be appearing with the Nashville Symphony at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center from October 19-21.

Please check out Yearwood’s live performance of “Powerful Thing” at the 1999 American Music Awards. She is accompanied by her husband Garth Brooks, who is introduced at the time "as her good friend." The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Powerful Thing”
Written by Al Anderson and Sharon Vaughn. Performed by Trisha Yearwood, featuring Garth Brooks.

I’ve never seen two people in my life
More determined to ignore the obvious
We better stop thinking
Let our hearts start doing the talking

You’d have to be stone deaf dumb and blind
Not to see what’s going on with us
So let’s jump in
And get over our fear of fallin’
‘Cause what we got here

It’s a powerful thing
It’s a powerful thing
More than three words
And a diamond ring
It can open up the heavens
Make the angels sing
Our love, baby, is a powerful thing

We started out strangers on a two-way street
Neither one of us lookin’ to fall in love
But we don’t need us a map
To know we’re headed in that direction

Well, it’s out of our hands
And over our heads
It’s something that’s bigger than both of us
Turnin’ back now’s completely out of the question
‘Cause what we got here

It’s a powerful thing
It’s a powerful thing
More than three words
And a diamond ring
It can open up the heavens
Make the angels sing
Our love, baby, is a powerful thing

Stronger than the force of a driving wind
Hotter than a forest fire
There never has been and there never will be
Nothing like the power of you and me, yeah

It’s a powerful thing (It’s a powerful thing)
It’s a powerful thing (It’s a powerful thing)
More than three words
And a diamond ring
It can open up the heavens
Make the angels sing
Our love, baby, is a powerful thing

It’s a powerful thing (It’s a powerful thing)
It’s a powerful thing (It’s a powerful thing)
More than three words
And a diamond ring
It can open up the heavens
Make the angels sing
Our love, baby, is a powerful thing



Credit: Image by DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.