Anschar Diamonds Blog

When Dove Cameron confirmed her engagement to Måneskin frontman Damiano David on Saturday, it wasn’t just the announcement that created an internet buzz — it was the ring. Front and center in a series of Instagram posts shared with her 47.3 million followers, Cameron’s vintage-inspired engagement ring instantly positioned itself as one of the most closely watched celebrity jewels of the new year.



Cameron revealed the news with a carousel of romantic images captioned simply, “My favorite part of being alive.” In nearly every frame, the ring glints prominently as the actress-singer poses with her fiancé.

The design aligns with the growing demand for vintage-inspired engagement rings, a trend supercharged by Taylor Swift. At the center of Cameron's ring is a substantial cushion-cut diamond — estimated at three to four carats — prized for its softly rounded corners and old-world elegance. The center stone is encircled by a full halo of smaller diamonds, amplifying its presence and brilliance. A split-shank band, lined with pavé-set diamonds, adds further sparkle and architectural interest. The metal — believed to be 18-karat white gold or platinum — keeps the look crisp and luminous, allowing the diamonds to command full attention.



The overall effect is bold, glamorous and unapologetically maximalist, yet rooted in classic design cues. It’s a style that resonates with today’s couples who want a ring that feels both timeless and fashion-forward — an aesthetic Cameron herself, now widely regarded as an emerging style icon, embodies effortlessly.



Cameron, 29, and David, 26, first met at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, reconnecting a year later and officially confirming their relationship in early 2024. After nearly two years together, they made their red-carpet debut at a pre-Grammy gala and have since shared glimpses of a deeply supportive partnership. Cameron has described their bond as healthy and grounding — sentiments echoed by David in interviews.

Professionally, both are riding high. Cameron rose to fame on Disney Channel’s Liv and Maddie and the Descendants franchise before reinventing herself as a pop artist with hits, such as “Boyfriend” and “Breakfast.” She continues to expand her career with new music and an upcoming Prime Video series. David, meanwhile, became an international star as the charismatic lead singer of Måneskin following the band’s 2021 Eurovision win and has since launched a solo career, all while establishing himself as a global fashion figure.

With Cameron’s ring now circulating across social feeds and style pages, its influence is just beginning. For couples exploring design ideas this engagement season, Cameron's vintage-inspired ring may deserve a closer look.

Credit: Images via Instagram.com / dovecameron.

January’s birthstone is often celebrated for its rich color, durability and deep symbolism — but few garnets have ever made a statement quite like "The World’s Largest Polished Garnet." Carved into a jewel-encrusted egg by renowned German lapidary artist Manfred Wild, this extraordinary objet d’art elevates garnet from gemstone to sculptural masterpiece.



Reminiscent of the imperial jeweled eggs created for the Russian court by Fabergé more than a century ago, Wild’s "Garnet and Diamond Egg Creation" was fashioned from an immense rough almandine garnet sourced in Odisha (formerly Orissa), India — one of the world’s most important deposits for that garnet variety. Once polished, the garnet alone weighs an astonishing 5,696 carats and glows with the rich, wine-red hue prized in fine almandine.



The egg’s artistry extends far beyond its remarkable size. When opened, it reveals a rotating diamond-set cross mounted in 18-karat gold and platinum, set on both sides with 456 diamonds totaling approximately 8.50 carats. At its center sits a faceted octahedral brown diamond weighing about 5.74 carats, accented by five natural yellow diamond cubes totaling approximately 10.04 carats. The cross rises from a large, mirror-polished rock crystal quartz sphere measuring 125 mm in diameter, creating a striking contrast of transparency and brilliance.



Below the egg, an 18-karat gold “crown of thorns” functions as both collar and mechanism, allowing the egg to open and close when turned. The tapering stem features two precise rows of 46 calibré-cut almandine garnets separated by a faceted rock crystal spacer, while the base — another substantial rock crystal — has been embellished with 24 flat garnet inlays. In total, the piece incorporates 403 grams of 18-karat gold and 30.5 grams of platinum, standing approximately 12 inches tall.

Wild, whose family has been cutting gemstones in Idar-Oberstein since the 17th century, is celebrated for transforming rare materials into objects of fantasy and refinement. This garnet egg is widely regarded as one of his most ambitious and accomplished creations.

In November of 2014, the “Garnet and Diamond Egg Creation” was one of the top lots in a Bonham’s Los Angeles auction titled “Gems, Minerals, Lapidary Works of Art and Natural History.” Its pre-sale estimate was set at $300,000 to $400,000, but the piece remained unsold. Its current owner hasn't been publicly identified, adding to the mystique surrounding the piece.

While garnet is best known for its deep red varieties, it is one of the most diverse gemstone families in nature. Common garnets used in jewelry include almandine, pyrope, spessartine, grossularite, andradite, demantoid, tsavorite, rhodolite, hessonite, and uvarovite. Their colors range from fiery orange and vivid green to purple, pink, and near-black, depending on trace elements such as iron, manganese, calcium and aluminum.

As a January birthstone symbolizing protection, vitality and enduring love, garnet has long held a place of honor. In this amazing egg, it also claims its place among the world’s great lapidary achievements.

Credits: Images courtesy of Bonhams.

For Trevor Van Camp and Danielle Jenkins, a winter proposal at Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls, MI, became an unforgettable test of nerves, love and human kindness when an engagement ring slipped through a groom-to-be's trembling fingers and plunged 118 feet from SkyBridge Michigan into the snow below.



Van Camp had planned an aerial proposal because his girlfriend had been sending him TikTok videos of the resort’s SkyBridge — an illuminated, 1,200-foot-long pedestrian suspension bridge strung with more than 200,000 twinkling lights. Though Van Camp admits he’s “not a big heights guy,” he booked a surprise weekend getaway just for her.



After taking the chairlift to the top, the couple began their walk across the bridge, suspended between two mountain peaks. Van Camp stopped midway, suggesting they take a photo. Then he dropped to one knee.

“She said yes,” he recalled. “And when I went to get the ring out of the box — mind you, I’m shaking — I looked down. Not a good idea.”

The ring slipped free, falling through the bridge’s open grating and vanishing into the snowy ski slope below.



“We panicked for a minute,” Van Camp said. “Then we looked at each other and said, ‘We’ve got to find it.’”

What followed was a two-and-a-half-hour search beneath the bridge, aided by Boyne Mountain’s night shift snowmaking supervisor, Pat Harper, who arrived with two metal detectors. As night deepened and hope began to fade, the couple prepared to leave around 10 pm.

But Harper and his associates weren't done.

“They promised us they were going to find my ring,” Jenkins said. “There were no ands, ifs or buts about that.”

After the couple departed, Harper continued alone, sweeping the snow-covered terrain. When his detector sounded near a set of footprints, he began digging. At first, nothing. Then, with one last scoop of snow, the edge of the ring appeared.



“I kind of sat there for a minute,” Harper said. “There was no way I just found that.”

The next day, as the couple packed up and prepared to visit a local jeweler to start over, they received confirmation that the ring had been found. The couple returned to Boyne Mountain, where Van Camp finally placed it on Jenkins’ finger.



“I give big props and kudos to Pat,” Jenkins said. “He saved the day."

"We now have a story to tell of our engagement," she added. "It's our story to share. We will probably come back in the wintertime to finish our journey across the bridge with the lights and enjoy the full experience that we cut short to find my ring."

Credits: Video screen captures and promotional images courtesy of Boyne Mountain Resort.

A simple question to Siri turned into a glittering family memory — and a genuine diamond discovery — for a Texas family visiting Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park just days before the new year.



James Ward, a 41-year-old high school teacher from Cypress, TX, uncovered a 2.09-carat yellowish-brown diamond on December 30 while exploring the park with his wife, Elizabeth, and their sons, Adrian (9) and Austin (7). Planning for the unlikely adventure began weeks earlier, in mid-December, during a casual moment at home.

“One day we were watching TV, and Austin came and said, ‘Mommy, Mommy, is there any place in Texas or nearby that we can mine for crystals?’” Elizabeth recalled.

A quick query to Siri pointed the family toward Murfreesboro, AR — home to the only public diamond mine in the world where visitors can keep what they find.

Elizabeth said, “I sent the link to James, and he’s like, ‘Oh wait, that’s only like six hours away. We can go!’”

With no previous holiday plans holding them back, the Wards packed up and made the six-hour drive to the park, arriving on December 29. Their first day in the 37.5-acre search field proved challenging. Winter temperatures were biting, and after four hours of searching, the family nearly called it quits.

“We were so cold,” Elizabeth said. “But Adrian was the one who wanted to come back.”



The 9-year-old's persistence made all the difference. On their second day, James was raking through soil by hand near the park’s West Drain area when something caught his eye — a metallic-looking crystal unlike the pebbles around it.

“I didn’t know what it was,” James said, “but I knew it was different.”



He slipped the stone into a paper sack with their other finds and headed to the park’s Diamond Discovery Center, where staff confirmed the family’s luck: a 2.09-carat diamond, roughly the size of a corn kernel.



According to Assistant Park Superintendent Waymon Cox, the shield-shaped gem displays the dark yellowish-brown hue and metallic luster typical of Crater diamonds, though it is a broken crystal — common for stones forged under immense geological pressure.

Diamonds discovered at the park formed deep in the Earth’s upper mantle and were carried to the surface by an ancient volcanic pipe. Many show chips, fractures or internal features from that journey.

"Given its current size, you can imagine how much bigger Mr. Ward’s diamond might have been as a complete crystal!” Cox explained.

Brown diamonds account for roughly 20 percent of all diamonds found at the park, with their color caused by a phenomenon known as plastic deformation — structural irregularities that affect how light travels through the stone. Diamonds discovered at the park average just one-fifth of a carat, making the Ward family’s find especially notable.

The family named their gem the Ward Diamond, and its future remains undecided.

“I’ll have to see how much it’s worth first,” James said.

For now, its greatest value may be the story itself — a reminder that persistence, curiosity and a child’s simple question can sometimes lead to extraordinary discoveries.

Credits: Images courtesy of Arkansas State Parks.

Music Friday is when we spotlight songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, international blues troubadour Eric Bibb turns a single gemstone metaphor into a powerful message about perseverance, self-worth and encouragement in his uplifting 2006 track “Shine On.”



At the heart of the song is one resonant line: “You’re a diamond to me.” It’s not a boast about wealth or status, but a reminder of intrinsic value — the idea that pressure, patience and persistence can reveal brilliance where others might only see rough edges. Bibb’s diamond imagery becomes a stand-in for human potential, urging listeners to keep striving even when the road feels steep.

Bibb sings, “Don’t stop ’til you win your prize / Lean on all the love that is in my eyes / You’re a diamond to me, yes you are / Shine on.” The gemstone reference does the heavy lifting here. Diamonds don’t shine by accident; they emerge from pressure and are brought to life through careful cutting and unhurried mastery, a process that mirrors personal growth and hard-earned achievement.

Co-written with Figge Boström, “Shine On” appears on Bibb’s album Diamond Days. Reviewing the release for PopMatters, critic Joe Montague noted, “There are no rough edges on Diamond Days or Eric Bibb… The man is so effortless when he plays that one has difficulty determining where the guitar stops and where Bibb begins.”

Born in New York City in 1951, Bibb grew up surrounded by music. His father was active in the 1960s folk scene, and family friends included Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. When Bibb expressed interest in learning guitar, it was Dylan who famously advised the 11-year-old to “Keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff” — guidance that still echoes in Bibb’s clear, uncluttered songwriting style.

After a brief stint studying psychology and Russian at Columbia University, Bibb left academia behind and moved to Paris, immersing himself in pre-war blues traditions. That decision launched an international career that has taken him across Europe, Canada, Australia and the United States. Along the way, he earned three Grammy nominations for albums including Shakin’ a Tailfeather (1997), Migration Blues (2017) and Ridin’ (2023).

Nearly two decades after “Shine On” was released, its message remains timely — and Bibb remains very much in the spotlight. In 2026, he is actively touring in support of his album One Mississippi, with dates scheduled across the UK, Europe and a full-band Australian tour in May.

Please enjoy the audio clip of Eric Bibb performing “Shine On,” and feel free to sing along with the lyrics below…

“Shine On”
Written by Eric Bibb and Figge Bostrom. Performed by Eric Bibb.

Life gives you the runaround you say
You wanna know
How much dues must you pay

Well, you can pay off what you want
When there’s a will
There’s always a way

Keeping your eyes on
That mountain top
Stepping up time
Don’t ever, ever stop

Keep on when your mind says quit
Dream on ’til you find your living it
I’ll be right by your side
Yeah baby keep on
Don’t stop ’til you win your prize
Lean on all the love that is in my eyes
You’re a diamond to me, yes you are
Shine on

I know what you’ve been through
I see
But it’s time to leave it behind and let it be
Yeah

Hard-earned wisdom is something you can’t buy
It’s the wings of experience
That make you fly

Don’t look back
Don’t look back
Don’t turn around
You’re on the right track

Keep on when your mind says quit
Dream on ’til you find your living it
I’ll be right by your side
Yeah baby keep on
Don’t stop ’til you win your prize
Lean on all the love that is in my eyes
You’re a diamond to me, yes you are
Shine on
Shine on

Keep on when your mind says quit
Dream on ’til you find your living it
I’ll be right by your side
Yeah baby
Don’t stop ’til you win your prize
Lean on all the love that’s in my eyes
You’re a diamond to me, yes you are
Shine on
Shine on
Baby you got to shine on
That’s what you’re born to do
Me and you
You got to shine on
Sparkle baby

Baby you got to
Shine on



Credit: Photo by Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.