Behind The Gem Blog

Music Friday: LoCash Pops the Question By Putting a ‘Ring on Every Finger’

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you hot, new tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Chris Lucas and Preston Brust of LoCash have fun with the concept of “a diamond is forever” in their latest hit, “Ring on Every Finger.”   In the song, the country pop duo sets the scene for an over-the-top marriage proposal. Instead of going down on one knee, they promise to go down on two. And instead of offering a single engagement ring, they plan...

Rachel Lindsay Accepts 3-Carat Diamond Ring From Bryan Abasolo During ‘Bachelorette’ Finale

A full season of suspenseful rose ceremonies culminated Monday night in “Bachelorette” Rachel Lindsay accepting a marriage proposal from Bryan Abasolo, along with a stunning 3-carat pear-shaped diamond engagement ring estimated to be worth more than $100,000.   Delicate and elegant, the platinum ring features an impressive center stone surrounded by a halo of smaller round diamonds. Diamond accents also go three-quarters around the band.   Designer Neil Lane told People magazine that although Abasolo was initially drawn to a more elaborate ring with a princess-cut center stone, he eventually went with...

Don’t Miss This: The Sun Will Morph Into a Diamond Ring on August 21

On Monday, August 21, skygazers from Salem, Ore., to Charleston, S.C., will see a rare total solar eclipse and — for just a brief moment — a fantastical celestial display that looks remarkably like a diamond ring.   The “Diamond Ring Effect,” which was first explained by Francis Baily in 1836, occurs when the moon completely masks out the sun during a total solar eclipse. Due to the rugged lunar landscape, the black outline of the moon is not smooth. Tiny beads of sunlight can still shine through in...

Found in Only One Location on Earth, Tanzanite Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary

It was exactly 50 years ago when a prospector named Manuel d’Souza got his first look at a cluster of intense blue crystals that had been discovered by a Maasai tribesman in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.   At first glance, the crystals appeared to be sapphires. But a hardness test quickly ruled that out. According to one published account, the somewhat perplexed prospector checked the characteristics of his samples against a resource guide and narrowed down the possibilities. Might they be olivine, or dumortierite, or cordierite...

MIT’s ‘Living Jewelry’ Is the High-Tech Version of Mexico’s Maquech Beetle

With a nod to the Maquech Brooch — a live beetle jewelry accessory famous on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula — students at MIT have invented tiny robot crawlers that can move across garments as “shape-changing and pattern-changing jewelry.” Developed by the MIT Media Lab, “Project Kino” employs palm-sized robots that affix to clothing using magnets. The robots ride on wheels and are cloaked with colorful shields that can serve aesthetic and practical functions. The phrase “kino” is shorthand for “kinetic wearables.” In one scenario, bots placed on the front...

Music Friday: Emmylou Harris Would ‘Proudly Wear Your Wedding Ring’ If She Could Only Win Your Love

Welcome to Music Friday when we often bring you throwback tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, country legend Emmylou Harris pledges eternal devotion to a noncommittal beau in her 1975 hit, “If I Could Only Win Your Love.” In the song, Harris focuses on a very significant piece of jewelry while making the case for why her love interest should take the plunge. In the very first verse, she sings, “If I could only win your love / I’d make the...

Russian Mining Giant Trumpets Its Big-Diamond Cutting Prowess With the Unveiling of the 51-Carat ‘Dynasty’

The polished diamond collection, which is also...

Spinel — the New August Birthstone — Has Been Fooling Royalty for Centuries

The industry associations noted at the time that they were responding to a strong call from gem enthusiasts to expand the list of official birthstones. The spinel was designated for...

Hawaii’s Amazing Green Beach Is Blanketed With Olivine Crystals Eroded From an Ancient Volcanic Formation

Imagine walking barefoot on a blanket of sparkling green sand that owes its astounding color to olivine crystals eroded from an ancient volcanic formation and delivered to the shore by ocean waves. Mahana Beach on Hawaii’s Papakolea coast is one of only three green sand beaches in the world. The beach sand on the Big Island’s undeveloped southern tip is rich in the mineral olivine (Gem-quality olivine is known as peridot, the August birthstone). Olivine is a common mineral component of Hawaiian lavas and one of the...

Ultra-Rare 2.11-Carat Fancy Red Diamond Headlines 2017 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender

An ultra-rare, 2.11-carat, fancy red diamond known as the Argyle Everglow headlines the 2017 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender – an annual showcase of the rarest diamonds from Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine in Western Australia. The Argyle Everglow, which earned a grade of fancy red VS2 from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), is the largest fancy red diamond ever to appear at an Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender. One gem expert told CNN that he believes the radiant-cut gem may sell for $10 million or more. If the Argyle...