Here's a fun piece of trivia regarding peridot, August's popular yellowish-green birthstone. According to the Smithsonian, peridot was first discovered on the Egyptian island of Topazios around 300 BC. The ancients anointed the vibrant green stone as the “gem of the sun” and appropriately named it "topazion" to honor its place of origin. Eventually, the name was shortened to "topaz."



The gem we know as peridot happily existed as "topaz" for about 2,000 years before something bizarre happened...

The Smithsonian noted that, for reasons that still remain unclear, the name topaz was hijacked during the 18th century and assigned to the gem we call topaz today. The vibrant yellowish-green stone was given a new name — peridot, derived from "faridat," the Arabic word for gem.

To this day, topaz continues to be the oddball namesake of an island that never produced topaz. Geography fans should note that the ancient island of Topazios is now called Zabargad or St. John’s Island.

Peridot has the distinction of being one of only two gems that form in the Earth's mantle. The other is diamond. Most other gems form in the Earth's crust, three to 18 miles below the surface. Peridot forms 20 to 55 miles deep, while diamonds form 100 to 150 miles below the surface.

The non-gem variety of peridot is called olivine, a mineral component of Hawaiian lava and one of the first crystals to form as magma cools. Mahana Beach on Hawaii’s Papakolea coast is one of only three green sand beaches in the world. The sand owes its astounding color to olivine crystals eroded from an ancient volcanic formation and delivered to the shore by ocean waves.

While most peridot originates deep in the Earth’s mantle, scientists have also proven that August’s birthstone is truly extraterrestrial. It has been found embedded within meteorites and scattered across the surface of Mars.

The finest peridot hue is a saturated green to slightly yellowish green — and free from brown tints, according to the Gemological Institute of America.

Peridot can be found on five continents. The gems represented in the photo, above, are from the U.S. (Arizona), Egypt, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Pakistan, Antarctica and Norway. They range in size from 8.9 carats to 311.8 carats and are residents of the Smithsonian's Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals in Washington, D.C.

Credit: Photo by Chip Clark, Smithsonian Institution.

This October, Sotheby's London will host its first-ever auction dedicated entirely to gold. Titled "The Midas Touch," the sale will feature unusual golden artifacts cherry-picked from a wide range of Sotheby's departments.



According to the auction house, the various offerings will take collectors on a journey through the great civilizations of the world. The Midas Touch will put artists next to artisans, sculptures next to sacred objects and contemporary painting next to ancient jewelry to present an unrivaled history of nature’s most bewitching creation — gold.

"Every department is contributing so we are going to get a real variety of items,” Sotheby’s senior director and head of sale Constantine Frangos told The Telegraph.

Sotheby's is still assembling the lots for the October event, but among the most noteworthy items, so far, is a ceremonial gilded wood chair from Napoleon’s throne room and a 17.6-pound, 18-karat gold casting in the likeness of supermodel Kate Moss' head.

Clients from around the world — especially in markets such as Asia, Russia and the Middle East — have been clamoring for collectible gold items, so Sotheby's responded with this first-ever, all-gold auction.

Noted Sotheby's in its preview of the sale, "Gold has endured where other fashions faded. In a world that speaks over 6,900 languages, the language of gold remains universal."



These are a few of the items we will be watching closely...

• Imperial carved giltwood ceremonial armchair, 1804. Estimate $262,500 - $393,700.
• "Song of the Siren" likeness of supermodel Kate Moss in 18-karat gold. Estimate $393,700 - $525,000.
• Gem-set gold necklace, Morocco, 18th century. Estimate $32,800 - $45,900.
• Gold-mounted dagger and scabbard, Malaysia, 19th century. Estimate $15,750 - $23,600.



The Midas Touch will have two components, a live auction that will take place in London on October 17, and an online auction that will begin on October 9 and end on October 19. Each of the lots will be on display prior to the sale at Sotheby's London galleries.

Sotheby's will be testing the results of the all-gold concept before rolling out other similar events at its auction houses outside of London.

Credits: Images courtesy of Sotheby's.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you new songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Thai-German pop star Jannine Weigel performs "Diamonds," a tune about a boyfriend who gives her the confidence to shine like a precious stone.



In the song, the multi-talented 18-year-old — whose Thai nickname "Ploychompoo" happens to mean "pink sapphire" — uses diamond terminology to tell her love story. She admits that she doesn't always "wake up feeling flawless," but her boyfriend recognizes that beauty is only skin deep. He's the only one who's been able to discover her true essence, and his love has transformed her. She describes her new self as a faceted diamond.

She sings, "All of the stars are aligning / My heart, it beats like a lion / 'Cause every time you hold me / And tell me that you love me / You got me cut like a diamond."

In his interpretation of the song, co-writer and producer Gabriel Alberto Azucena, also known as Gawvi, references the immense pressure that is needed for a beautiful diamond to form.

"The song is simply about understanding that we all at some point have struggled with doubts," he said. "Sometimes we can find ourselves questioning our identities and purpose, but we have to remember that the pressure and tough times we experience are simply ingredients to allow for our inner true beauty to shine.”

Weigel was born in Steinfurt, Germany, in 2000, to a German father and a Thai mother. She and her family moved to Thailand in 2010, where the youngster started working as a model. After just three months of training, at the age of 11, she earned third place in a national singing contest for children. In 2013, she started her own YouTube channel which now has 2.9 million subscribers. By 2015, she had released her first single and shortly thereafter earned movie and television roles.

Please check out the lyric video of Weigel performing "Diamonds." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Diamonds"
Written by Gabriel Alberto Azucena, Jannine Weigel and Jordan Adelberger. Performed by Jannine Weigel.

I may not wake up feeling flawless
And my emotions can be reckless, yeah
And I know, yeah I know, yeah I know
Yeah I know I ain't perfect
But I glow, yeah I glow, yeah I glow
You say that I'm worth it

You're the only one who saw beyond my skin deep
And into my heart completely
You got me cut like a diamond

All of the stars are aligning
My heart, it beats like a lion
'Cause every time you hold me
And tell me that you love me
You got me cut like a diamond

The difference in me is so drastic
From day to night it's automatic
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
Who'd I be without ya
But I glow, yeah I glow, yeah I glow
It's not a question

You're the only one who saw beyond my skin deep
And into my heart completely
You got me cut like a diamond

All of the stars are aligning
My heart, it beats like a lion
'Cause every time you hold me
And tell me that you love me
You got me cut like a diamond
You got me cut like a diamond
You got me cut like a diamond
'Cause every time you hold me
And tell me that you love me
You got me cut like a diamond

You're the only one who saw beyond my skin deep
And into my heart completely
You're the only one who saw beyond my skin deep
And into my heart completely
You got me cut like a diamond

All of the stars are aligning
My heart, it beats like a lion
'Cause every time you hold me
And tell me that you love me
You got me cut like a diamond
You got me cut like a diamond
You got me cut like a diamond
'Cause every time you hold me
And tell me that you love me
You got me cut like a diamond


Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

By studying minute inclusions trapped within blue diamonds, scientists have been able to determine that their origin is far deeper in the Earth than other diamond varieties.



The journal Nature recently revealed that blue diamonds form about 400 miles below the surface, four times deeper than about 99 percent of all other diamonds.

“We knew essentially absolutely nothing about where they grow,” said geologist Evan M. Smith, a lead author of the Nature report and a research scientist at the Gemological Institute of America in New York (GIA). Smith and his colleagues investigated this question by reviewing 46 blue diamonds that were submitted to the GIA. The team focused specifically on other minerals trapped within the blue diamonds.

To gem cutters, inclusions are flaws, but to geologists, they are clues. “If you had to design the perfect capsule to bring something from below, a diamond would be it,” said geologist Jeffrey E. Post, curator of the mineral collection at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, who was not involved with the Nature report.

The creation of a blue diamond requires a complex geologic sequence. Geologists determined that trace impurities and contamination with the element boron, turn diamonds blue. A boron atom can replace a carbon atom in the crystal structure. A loose electron from boron absorbs red light, giving the diamond its blue hue.

Because boron exists in seawater, Post hypothesized that the rocks in descending crust carried the boron below, as if the element were on a boat ride to the lower mantle.

“That is a good circumstantial bit of evidence, at least,” he said.

Within the inclusions, Smith identified remnants of calcium silicates and other minerals that form only at extreme high pressure. He noted that as the diamonds worked their way back toward the surface, the high-pressure minerals within became unstable and shattered, leaving fragments stuck in the diamonds. An analysis of these ruptures, plus the list of minerals found in the inclusions, pointed to a very unusual birthplace.

Smith explained that it required the union of two rocks: oceanic crust from the surface and the underlying ocean mantle. That is a match made in the abyss — where the motion of tectonic plates forces a slab of ocean crust to descend like a conveyor belt for hundreds of miles.

Appearing in nearly every color of the rainbow, colored diamonds are extremely rare, but blue diamonds are considered the rarest. Recent survey research indicates that of 13.8 million diamonds found, only 0.02 percent were blue.

Perhaps the most famous blue diamond in the world is the legendary Hope Diamond, which resides at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The fancy dark greyish-blue diamond weighs 45.52 carats and is estimated to be worth more than $250 million.

Blue diamond discoveries are still very sporadic and are considered astonishing occurrences. And they still make headlines. In November 2015, Hong Kong businessman Joseph Lau purchased "The Blue Moon of Josephine,” a 12.03 carat blue diamond, for $48.4 million. The gem was named after Lau’s seven-year-old daughter. In May 2016, the world's largest blue diamond, “The Oppenheimer Blue,” a 14.62 carat gem, won the title of the world's most expensive blue diamond ever, selling for a jaw-dropping $57.5 million.

Photo Credit: The Hope Diamond, Smithsonian Institution.

Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly said it was one of the "funniest, coolest and randomest" baseball stories he's ever been part of. It all went down at Boston's Fenway Park last week, and this is what happened...



Tony La Russa, who owns three World Series rings and happened to be wearing one of them during Thursday night's Red Sox game, was asked to catch the ceremonial first pitch.

The Hall of Fame manager is now a special assistant with the Red Sox and was ill-prepared to catch the toss from his former boss, the 88-year-old Roland Hemond. All La Russa had available, according to Kelly, was an old pancake glove with no pocket. It looked like a vintage mitt from 1905.



So La Russa, now 73, asked the 30-year-old Kelly if he could borrow a mitt for the ceremony. Kelly agreed, the ceremony went off without a hitch and, soon after, the Red Sox pitcher noticed that his glove was returned to his locker.

What Kelly didn't know was that La Russa was in a panic. Somehow, he had misplaced his 2011 World Series ring and had no idea where it could have fallen off. He told the clubhouse attendants to keep their eyes peeled.

The next day, during a pre-game warmup, Kelly grabbed the glove that La Russa had borrowed and ran out to the field to loosen up his arm.

"I stuck my hand it in and my [pinky] got stuck," the right-handed reliever told WEEIradio.com. "It jammed my pinky. I pulled it out right away because it hurt. I thought someone put seeds in my glove to mess with me. But then I looked and I was like, ‘What the [heck] is this?’ I spread my glove open and there it was: Tony’s World Series ring. At first I thought it was a joke, but then 10 seconds later I realized you don’t joke around with something like that. It probably means a lot to him so I don’t think he would joke with something that was [worth] $50,000."

Kelly has his own theory on how the World Series ring got stuck in the pinky slot of his mitt. He believes that La Russa switched the ring from his ring finger to his pinky finger prior to catching the ceremonial first pitch because the massive World Series bling wouldn't fit in the ring finger slot of his glove. Baseball mitts are designed with a bigger pinky slot, which gave him just enough room to fit the ring.

When La Russa pulled off the mitt, the ring stayed where it was.

With the World Series ring in his possession, Kelly decided to have some fun on social media, hinting with a hashtag that he intended to demand a $1 trillion ransom.



He posted a series of photos to Twitter, along with this caption: "Hey @TonyLaRussa I might have something you are looking for... thanks for using my glove during the first pitch ceremony #finderskeepers #findersfee #trilliondollars @RedSox @Cardinals

Kelly, who has a reputation for being a jokester, called the La Russa incident "one of funniest, coolest and randomest baseball stories I've ever been a part of."

Credits: Images via Twitter.com/JosephKellyJr.

A Memphis plumbing crew required a high-tech camera and a little bit of luck to successfully rescue a diamond engagement ring that a bride-to-be accidentally flushed down a second-floor toilet. The ring had traveled 21 feet through the waste line and was just 12 inches from dropping into what plumbers call "The Abyss" when it was recovered.



Last Tuesday morning at 5 a.m., Courtnee Ivy had just used the restroom when she realized her brand new, but loose-fitting, engagement ring had been flushed down the toilet.

Ivy's first instinct was to reach in.

"I freaked out. I put my hand as far into the toilet as I could," Ivy told Memphis CBS affiliate WREG.



When that strategy proved fruitless, she called her fiancé, Chris Beveridge, to tell him what happened. The crack-of-dawn call caught the young man by surprise and he sensed that something was seriously wrong.

Ivy told her fiancé that her next strategy was to use a plunger.

His response was, "No, no, no, no, no, no," explaining that the plunger would simply push the ring farther down the waste line.

After doing a bit of Google-based research, Beveridge arrived at the house with plumbing supplies from Home Depot. He was determined to remove the toilet and use a flashlight to see down the PVC pipe.

When that didn't work, the couple called in the experts at Patton Plumbing, Heating and AC.

Owner Shawn Patton immediately sent over a team equipped with a high-tech camera rig that can snake through waste pipes.



Exactly 21 feet into the line, the camera was focused on the diamond-and-precious metal treasure.



Had the ring traveled another 12 inches, it would have descended into "The Abyss," the vertical pipe that dumps directly into the main sewage pipes. Essentially, the ring was a mere foot away from being lost forever.



By mapping the distance the ring had traveled, the plumbers were able to pinpoint where the ring had settled in the home's plumbing system. It was in a pipe below the hallway of the second floor. Patton's team sawed an access hole in the ceiling of the first floor and dissected the pipe.

Ivy could hardly contain her emotions.

"I had to leave just cause I couldn't sit here anymore, I kept crying," she told WREG.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Patton and his crew finally snagged the ring from the pipe.

Beveridge and Ivy were thrilled to get the ring back and praised the plumbers for their technical expertise, as well as going above and beyond the call of duty.

Patton was excited, as well.

"I probably have done one of these in the last 10 years and, so, when we get it, we're excited," he told WREG. "If there is a chance to get it out, we are going to get it out. It's a chance to do something really fun and good for the customer, and you're hoping for the best."

Probably the most important takeaway from this story is to always have your engagement ring properly sized by a professional jeweler.

Credits: Screen captures via wreg.com.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you exceptional songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, the talented members of the One Voice Children's Choir will dazzle you with their interpretation of Rihanna's "Diamonds." Their video at the end of this post has been viewed on YouTube nearly 24 million times.



In the song, the youngsters inspire their peers to "shine bright like a diamond" and embrace the wonders that life has to offer.

They sing, "Find light in the beautiful sea, I choose to be happy / You and I, you and I, we’re like diamonds in the sky / You’re a shooting star I see, a vision of ecstasy / When you hold me, I’m alive / We’re like diamonds in the sky."

Ranging in age from four to 17, the One Voice singers are directed by Masa Fukuda. The group was originally assembled by Fukuda to perform at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, but remained together after the sporting event. The group has about 140 members and performs 50 to 70 times each year.

Their reputation as a top-flight choral group earned them an invitation to compete during Season 9 of NBC's America's Got Talent in 2014. The group reached the quarter finals and produced the "Diamonds" video in preparation for moving on to the final rounds. Earlier in the competition, judge Howard Stern told the young contestants that they were gold, but Howie Mandel was not as impressed.

"They are gold," Mandel stated. "I'm looking for a diamond."

Despite Mandel's thumbs-down verdict, Stern, Mel B and Heidi Klum voted in favor of the group and they moved on in the competition. The choir director's decision to perform "Diamonds" was in direct response to Mandel's criticism.

Rihanna scored her 12th #1 single with "Diamonds" in 2012. In fact, the song topped the charts in 20 countries and sold more than 7.5 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles in music history.

Rihanna characterized the song as "happy and hippie."

"It's hopeful. It gives me a great feeling when I listen to it," she said during an iHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas. "The lyrics are hopeful and positive. It's about love and the gears are different than what people will expect."

The song was written by Sia Furler with Benjamin Levin, Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen. Sia told New York Times Magazine that she came up with the lyrics for "Diamonds" in just 14 minutes.

According to SongFacts.com, "Diamonds" is the third diamond-titled song to score a #1 chart appearance. The others were Gary Lewis and the Playboys' "This Diamond Ring" (1965) and Elton John's "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (1974).

Please check out the video of the One Voice Children's Choir performing "Diamonds." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Diamonds"
Written by Sia Furler, Benjamin Levin, Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen. Performed by the One Voice Children's Choir.

Shine bright like a diamond
Shine bright like a diamond

Find light in the beautiful sea, I choose to be happy
You and I, you and I, we’re like diamonds in the sky
You’re a shooting star I see, a vision of ecstasy
When you hold me, I’m alive
We’re like diamonds in the sky

I knew that we’d become one right away
Oh, right away
At first sight I felt the energy of sun rays
I saw the life inside your eyes

So shine bright tonight,
You and I
We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky
Eye to eye,
So alive
We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Shine bright like a diamond
Shine bright like a diamond
Shining bright like a diamond
We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Shine bright like a diamond
Shine bright like a diamond
Shining bright like a diamond
We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Palms rise to the universe, as we moonshine and molly
Feel the warmth, we’ll never die
We’re like diamonds in the sky

You’re a shooting star I see, a vision of ecstasy
When you hold me, I’m alive
We’re like diamonds in the sky
At first sight I felt the energy of sun rays
I saw the life inside your eyes

So shine bright
Tonight,
You and I
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky
Eye to eye,
So alive
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Shine bright like a diamond
Shine bright like a diamond
Shining bright like a diamond
We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Shine bright like a diamond
Shine bright like a diamond
Shining bright like a diamond
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Shine bright like a diamond
Shine bright like a diamond
Shine bright like a diamond

So shine bright
Tonight,
You and I
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky
Eye to eye,
So alive
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Shine bright like a diamond
Shine bright like a diamond
Shine bright like a diamond

Shine bright like a diamond
Shine bright like a diamond
Shine bright like a diamond

Shine bright like a diamond


Credit: Screen captures via YouTube.com.

A team of archeologists from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities Authority unearthed an elaborately worked 2,200-year-old golden earring bearing the likeness of a horned animal. The hoop earring was discovered during excavations just outside Jerusalem's walled Old City and was likely worn by a member of the elite class during a period of Greek influence.



The earring is 4 centimeters long (about 1.5 inches) and reflects a crafting technique called "filigree," in which fine threads of precious metal and tiny beads are used to create delicate and complex patterns — in this case, the head of a ram, antelope or deer with large eyes and other distinctive facial features.

According to the directors of the excavation, Professor Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University and Dr. Yiftah Shalev of the Antiquities Authority, this type of jewelry first appeared in Greece during the Hellenistic period and have been found across the Mediterranean basin. It is extremely rare to find this style of jewelry in Israel.



”The jewelry was found inside a building that was unearthed during the excavation, dating to the early Hellenistic period—a fascinating era about which we know very little when it comes to Jerusalem."

The archeologists dated the earring to the 3rd or early 2nd centuries BCE.



Based on the material and fine workmanship, the earrings were likely possessed by a person of high status living just 200 meters south of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The researchers could not be sure whether they were worn by a woman or a man.

"We also learned from this excavation that the residents of this area were not peasants who settled in empty areas on the periphery of the central area, but rather the opposite—they were well-off people," they said.

Also recovered nearby was a decorative gold bead featuring an intricately embroidered ornamentation resembling a thin rope pattern, which visually divides the beads into two parts with six spirals on each hemisphere.

As more artifacts are recovered from the site, the archeological team is confident that they will gain a clearer picture of how Hellenistic influences shaped life in Jerusalem during this time.

The archeological dig that yielded the golden earring is being conducted at the site of the Givati Parking Lot in the City of David National Park.

The special find will be on public display during the City of David's 17th Annual Archaeological Conference scheduled for September 8.

Credits: Photos by Clara Amit / Israel Antiquities Authority; Screen captures via YouTube.com/Israel Antiquities Authority Official Channel.

With their family's home reduced to ashes in the aftermath of the deadly Carr wildfire, Jerry Ogle and his dad returned to their property off Iron Mountain Road in Redding, Calif., with the hopes of finding a very special heirloom amidst the devastation. It was Ogle's grandmother's engagement ring — a precious gift given to him by his grandfather just before he passed away.



More than 1,000 homes were completely destroyed and nearly 40,000 people were forced to evacuate when the wildfire tore through the Northern California city earlier this month.

"My only real hope was that I would miraculously find the diamond in the ash," Ogle wrote on Facebook.



Based on the footprint of where the house had been, Ogle knew approximately where to look for the ring. But after a half-hour of searching, he had still come up empty.

But, then, Ogle turned to the heavens.



"I looked to the sky and asked my grandfather for help," Ogle recounted in his Facebook post. "Not 30 seconds later I found the box — the same box that [the ring] was given to me in. And inside the box, amongst the ash, there it was. My grandmother's ring. God is good. Thank you for the help granddad!"

A wildfire can reach a temperature of about 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit, but that inferno was still no match for his grandma's ring, photos of which Ogle proudly posted on Facebook. The center stone looked perfect and the precious metal was just a bit charred. The ring box didn't fare as well, but could be responsible for adding a layer a protection that helped the ring survive the fire.

Ogle has established a GoFundMe page to help his dad rebuild a home that carried 17 years of memories. Sadly, this is the second home his dad has lost to a fire. The first one was destroyed 25 years ago. As of yesterday, the GoFundMe page had generated contributions totaling more than $8,000.

Wrote Ogle, "All gone in a matter of days. Not to mention all of our other family and close friends in the neighborhood who lost their memories as well. We will stay strong and we will rebuild. If you can help or share we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!"

Credits: Images via Facebook.com/Jerry Ogle.

San Diego city workers helped a couple rescue an accidentally trashed $30,000 engagement ring from the Miramar Landfill — and the whole operation took just four minutes.



Typically, the nasty process of digging through mountains of stinky trash bags in a hazmat suit could take many hours, and there's never a guarantee that the jewelry will be found at all. But, the staffers of the San Diego Environmental Services Department (ESD) implemented a clever plan that yielded a ring recovery in about the time it will take you to read this story.



Early last week, a San Diego family mistakenly discarded a valuable emerald-cut diamond ring during a summer cleaning spree. By the time they realized the ring was gone, their trash already had been carted away. They immediately contacted the San Diego ESD, which used GPS tracking to locate the truck that served their neighborhood. The officials determined that the truck had just arrived at the city landfill.

The driver was ordered to drop the load in a specific location that would isolate it from other trash at the facility.

The ring's owner and her husband rushed to the Miramar Landfill, where their search was assisted by San Diego ESD employees. Within four minutes, the job was done.



"Sometimes it takes three, four hours for them to find it," city spokesman Jose Ysea told ABC-affiliate KGTV. "Sometimes they don't find it at all. So to have them find something... in under four minutes, that was pretty good."

Ysea added that the employees who helped the couple look through the load were just ecstatic that they were able to find it, especially so quickly.



Proud City of San Diego officials teased the story on both Twitter and Facebook. Accompanying two photos of the owner reuniting with her recovered ring was this caption: "What happens when a $30K ring gets accidentally tossed in the trash? You hope City staff can track it down! Luckily, @SanDiegoESD found the truck and helped find the precious ring. True story!"

City officials said these types of incidents occur several times per year.

Credits: Ring images via Twitter/City of San Diego; Screen capture via ABC7.com.

Despite being one of the highest-paid players in the NFL, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski says he lives an "easy" and "normal" life. Gronk is famously frugal and claims he has never treated himself to a guilty pleasure — until now.



While appearing on the internet show Kneading Dough, the 6' 6" 265-pound powerhouse gushed about his very first luxury purchase — a diamond-studded necklace.

"I love this puppy," he said with a giddy grin.

During the 10-minute interview, the 29-year-old Gronkowski spoke about his life experiences as they relate to finance. When host Maverick Carter asked the five-time Pro Bowl tight end to dish about his guilty pleasures, Gronkowski told the story about how he used his incentive bonuses to justify a purchase of a very special piece of jewelry.



“When I signed my incentive deal last year, my friend had a chain, and I was like, ‘Dang, man, that’s a nice chain.’ I’ve never had jewelry in my life," Gronkowski admitted. "He let me wear it last year at a party, and I was like ‘Dang.’"

Carter asked him how the jewelry made him feel.

"It made me feel good," said the two-time Super Bowl champ. "So then in the back of my head, I said if I hit all my incentives, if I do everything I need to do, get all my bonuses, put all the work in, I gotta finally treat myself."

He explained that for the previous eight years (during which he earned more than $44 million), he had never purchased a luxury item.

"So last week, I finally went out and bought myself a chain," he beamed.

"Is that the one you've got on?" asked Carter. "Let's see it."



At this point of the interview, Gronkowski pulled out a diamond line necklace that had been mostly hidden by his T-shirt.

"It’s right here, baby," he said, as he showed off his scintillating new bling to the studio audience. "I finally got one, and I love this puppy."



"It looks good, too," added Carter.

"This is my first thing I’ve ever gotten, and I love it. It feels good," Gronkowski said. "Now I know why people got jewelry. Now I understand why.”

The internet show Kneading Dough is sponsored by Chase and is produced by LeBron James’ video company UNINTERRUPTED. See the full video, below. The jewelry conversation starts at the five-minute mark.


Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.com/UNINTERRUPTED.

In 1964, a 22-year-old Aretha Franklin declared in a song called "One Room Paradise" that she didn't need to live in a castle or be showered with diamonds and pearls in order to be happy. A little one-room apartment would be totally fine as long as she could be with the man she loved.



But, then, halfway through the tune, Franklin reversed gears and added a telling footnote: "Now, if one day he lucks up on a magic pot of gold (Pot of gold) / I wouldn’t mind a little diamond ring or a fur coat for the cold (Oooh!)."

Welcome to Music Friday when we often bring you throwback songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics.

Today's tribute is dedicated to the Queen of Soul, who passed away yesterday in Detroit at the age of 76.

Written by John Leslie McFarland, "One Room Paradise" first appeared as the final track of Runnin' Out Of Fools, her seventh studio album.

While the song's character aspires to own something precious, Franklin — the star — loved her jewelry. She has been photographed throughout her career wearing long strands of cultured pearls, gemstone earrings and diamond rings.

The first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1987), Franklin has earned 19 Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. She scored 17 top-10 pop singles and 20 #1 R&B hits. She's sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

In 2008, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Franklin #1 on its list of the Greatest Singers of All Time.

Singer Mary J. Blige commented at the time, “Aretha is a gift from God. When it comes to expressing yourself through song, there is no one who can touch her. She is the reason why women want to sing. Aretha has everything — the power, the technique. She is honest with everything she says.”

Born in Memphis, Tenn., Aretha Louise Franklin honed her singing talent in the choir of her father’s New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit. At age 18, in 1960, she was signed by Columbia Records. By the end of that decade, she had cemented her status as the "Queen of Soul."

Please check out the remastered audio track of Franklin's "One Room Paradise." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"One Room Paradise"
Written by John Leslie McFarland. Performed by Aretha Franklin.

I don’t need no diamonds (She don’t need)
And I don’t need no money (She don’t need, she don’t)
Some people live in castles with 60 or 70 rooms (She don’t)
Some people dream about a penthouse doll or a mansion on the moon

But I got me a little one room paradise
And the man I love (And the man I love)
And that’s all I need now
And the man I love (And the man I love)

Some girls are crazy about diamonds (Diamonds)
Some go wild about pearls (Go wild)
Some girls go for a lot of loot from a check book that ain’t hers (Sho’ ain’t hers)

But I got me a little one room to paradise
And the man I love (And the man I love)
And that’s all I need now
And the man I love (And the man I love)

Now, if one day he lucks up on a magic pot of gold (Pot of gold)
I wouldn’t mind a little diamond ring or a fur coat for the cold (Oooh!)
But if it meant I had to lose just what I’ve got right now (Right now)
Then I don’t need no gold anyhow (No, no!)

I can’t make love with no diamonds (Diamonds)
Give them all to somebody else (Anybody)
And what good is one hundred rooms if you’re debtor by yourself (Yes, you)

So I’ll take me my little one room paradise
And the man I love (And the man I love)
Well, that’s all I need now
And the man I love (And the man I love)

I don’t need no diamonds (She don’t need no diamonds)
Said I don’t need no money (She don’t need no money, she don’t)


Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

Back in January, Gem Diamonds announced the discovery of a gem-quality, 910-carat diamond at its Letšeng Mine. The D-color, Type IIa stone — which was later named the Lesotho Legend — was billed as the fifth-largest gem-quality diamond ever recovered. The rough gem sold in March for a whopping $40 million.



Since then, Lesotho's Letšeng mine has been riding a wave of 100-plus-carat discoveries, the latest of which was a 138-carat, top white color, Type IIa gem (above). It was the 12th 100-plus-carat diamond recovered in 2018, surpassing the previous mark of 11 established in 2017. With four-plus months left in the calendar year, we expect the record will fall again.

The Letšeng mine has earned the reputation for producing large, exceptional white diamonds and generating more dollars per carat than any other kimberlite diamond mine in the world.

Over the past few years, mining companies, such as Gem Diamonds and Lucara, have invested in technology to improve their recovery of extraordinarily large diamonds.

Previously, the mining methods employed to process diamond-bearing rock were not designed to protect the largest finds. The ore was drilled, blasted, hauled and put through crushing machines to get to the gems that may be hiding within. During that process, extremely large diamonds, some weighing hundreds of carats, were often damaged or even pulverized.

Both Gem Diamonds and Lucara recently installed bigger, costlier filters and laser identification technology so huge diamonds can be cherry picked before they go through the crushing process. The investments are clearly paying dividends.

Gem Diamonds maintains a 70% stake in Letšeng mine, with the government of Lesotho holding the remaining 30%. Since Gem Diamonds established a stake in the mine in 2006, the output of 100-plus-carat diamonds has surpassed 60.

Credit: Image courtesy of Gem Diamonds.

The modern birthstone list has been amended only three times in the past 106 years, so when the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) and Jewelers of America (JA) announced in 2016 that spinel would be joining peridot as an official birthstone for the month of August, the news surprised jewelers and gem fans alike.



Available in a rainbow of vibrant colors — but best known as a ruby doppelgänger — the spinel presents a beautiful alternative to the yellow-green peridot. Part of the stone's intrigue is that it has been misidentified for so many years. In fact, the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) called spinel “the great impostor of gemstone history” because some of the world's most famous “rubies” are actually spinels.



The 170-carat Black Prince Ruby, which is prominently displayed on the Imperial State Crown of England, is actually an irregular cabochon red spinel. The 361-carat Timur Ruby, which was presented by the East India Company to Queen Victoria as a gift in 1851, was later identified as a spinel. And the 398-carat ruby-red gem that tops the Imperial Crown of Russia commissioned by Catherine the Great in 1763 turned out to be... a spinel.

According to the Smithsonian, it wasn’t until 1783 that spinel was recognized as a mineral distinct from corundum (ruby and sapphire). Ruby is composed of aluminum oxide, while spinel is made of magnesium aluminum oxide. Both get their reddish color from impurities of chromium in their chemical structure.

“At certain moments in history, when there is a strong call from gem enthusiasts to expand the list of official birthstones, Jewelers of America believes in recognizing the importance of historically significant gemstones and giving gemstone lovers a choice that suits their preferences,” JA President and CEO David Bonaparte said in 2016.

While spinel is best known for its ability to imitate the color of ruby, the gem also comes in soft pastel shades of pink and purple, fiery oranges, and cool hues ranging from powdery gray to intense blue. It is a durable gem with a hardness of 8.0 on the Mohs scale. By comparison, diamond rates a 10 and ruby rates a 9.

Established in 1912 by the American National Retail Jewelers Association (now known as JA), the modern birthstone list was updated in 1952 to add alexandrite (June), citrine (November), tourmaline (October) and zircon (December). The listed was amended again in 2002 when tanzanite joined the group of December birthstones.

Some of the most beautiful spinels — especially the pink, red and orange-red varieties — are found in Myanmar. They’re also sourced from Afghanistan, Brazil, Cambodia, Kenya, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam.

Credits: Gem photo by D. Penland/Smithsonian. Imperial State Crown of England by Cyril Davenport (1848 – 1941) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Utah resident Laura Forsling is one of the few people on the planet who can say that her marriage proposal was delivered by an African raven named Joe.



Forsling was enjoying the bird show at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City last week when the master of ceremonies invited her to participate in a demonstration. She had just learned that the raven is one of the most intelligent avian species and was delighted when, on command, a raven swooped onto her outstretched hand, snatched a $5 bill and delivered it back to its trainer.

The host asked her if she wanted her $5 back, but Forsling said the zoo could keep it as a donation.

But, then, the host told the young woman that he had something special for her. Little did she know that her boyfriend had schemed with the zoo's staff to surprise his girlfriend with a very special — and totally unique — marriage proposal.

"Do you like adventure? the host inquired.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Do you like romance?" he asked.

"Yes," she affirmed.

"Then stand up for me and hold your hand straight out to the side," he directed.



In an instant, Joe The Raven flew back to Forsling with an envelope that included a message from her boyfriend, Army Private 1st Class Dallin Bush, who was hiding out of view.

The hand-written message stated, "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" in bold capital letters.



Wearing his Army fatigues, Bush marched to where his girlfriend just encountered the raven, got down on one knee, presented her with a diamond ring and asked Forsling to marry him.

The stunned girlfriend said, "Yes," and the crowd of onlookers screamed their approval.

Bush placed the ring on his fiancée's finger and the couple embraced.

A few days later, Forsling, who is a ski instructor and the mom of two-year-old Emmett, documented the awesome event on her Facebook page.



Along with three photos and a video, she wrote, "I’ve never been so excited to say yes to something in my entire life. I can’t believe today was real life and I have a permanent smile on my face. This man has made me the happiest girl for the last two years, and I love my little family more than anything."



She also had kind words for the staff of the Hogle Zoo.

"They made this moment so magical and perfect," she wrote.

The full video of the raven proposal can be seen at Forsling's Facebook page here...

Credits: Images and screen captures via Facebook/Laura Forsling.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you super throwback songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones shine the spotlight on diamonds in their timeless tune, “Play With Fire.”



A song that takes a critical look at the lifestyle of Jagger’s high-society girlfriend, “Play With Fire” starts off with the line, “Well, you’ve got your diamonds and you’ve got your pretty clothes / And the chauffeur drives your car / You let everybody know / But don’t play with me, ’cause you’re playing with fire.”

Jagger warns his girlfriend that even though she enjoys a privileged lifestyle, she could get burned and lose it all.

"Play With Fire" is officially credited to Nanker Phelge, the pseudonym used when the whole band collaborated on a track, but SongFacts.com reports that lead singer Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards were the only band members awake when the song was recorded very late one night at RCA Studios in January of 1965.

Music legend states that record producer Phil Spector stepped in on bass guitar, his assistant, Jack Nitzsche, played harpsichord and a night janitor helped out with backup vocals.

In a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Jagger said the song still sounds “amazing.”

“I mean, it’s a very in-your-face kind of sound and very clearly done,” Jagger said. “You can hear all the vocal stuff on it. And I’m playing the tambourines, the vocal line. You know, it’s very pretty.”

Relegated to the B-side of their single, “The Last Time,” “Play With Fire” met with only marginal commercial success. It topped out at #96 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Despite that lukewarm reception, the song has stood the test of time.

The Stones seemed to have a fondness for the song, as it was performed in concerts during 1965 and 1966, and then revived more than two decades later when the band toured in 1989 and 1990.

Original band members Jagger, Richards and drummer Charlie Watts are still performing in their 56th year together. The group has released 30 studio albums, 23 live albums and numerous compilations. Overall, The Rolling Stones are credited with more than 250 million album sales. They are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and were ranked fourth on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”

We hope you enjoy the original audio track of The Rolling Stones performing “Play With Fire.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along.

“Play With Fire”
Written by Nanker Phelge (The Rolling Stones). Performed by The Rolling Stones.

Well, you’ve got your diamonds and you’ve got your pretty clothes
And the chauffeur drives your car
You let everybody know
But don’t play with me, ’cause you’re playing with fire

Your mother she’s an heiress, owns a block in Saint John’s Wood
And your father’d be there with her
If he only could
But don’t play with me, ’cause you’re playing with fire

Your old man took her diamonds and tiaras by the score
Now she gets her kicks in Stepney
Not in Knightsbridge anymore
So don’t play with me, ’cause you’re playing with fire

Now you’ve got some diamonds and you will have some others
But you’d better watch your step, girl
Or start living with your mother
So don’t play with me, ’cause you’re playing with fire
So don’t play with me, ’cause you’re playing with fire


Credit: Image by Jim Pietryga (https://www.iorr.org/tour15/) [CC BY-SA 3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons.

Jesse Tober and Kasey Donovan starred in their own fairytale last Monday when they popped the question simultaneously in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland in California. The video of the spontaneous double proposal made them Twittersphere sensations and affirmed, once again, that a Disney Park is not only “the happiest place on Earth,” but also the most romantic.



In a 34-second clip that has been viewed on Twitter more than 7.8 million times, we see the couple posing in front of the iconic Disney castle. The scene opens with Tober nervously fiddling with something hidden in her pocket.



But then we see it's a ring box, which she opens and presents to her boyfriend. Donovan continues to look straight at the camera, but then turns toward his girlfriend, stares down at the ring and laughs.

"Are you serious?" he says. "Because..."



At that moment, Donovan digs into his backpack and pulls out an engagement ring box of his own.



He goes down on one knee and proposes to Tober, who seems shocked by the wild coincidence.

Videographer and best friend "Harls" can be heard saying, "No way! They double proposed! He had a ring for her!"

On Twitter, Tober posted a link to the video along with this caption, "Tell me why we just proposed to each other at the same time at our favorite place. I'm speechless."

Tober, 20, told Business Insider that, for just a moment, she thought Donovan was going to refuse her proposal.

"When Kasey, my fiancé, started laughing when I pulled out the ring, I thought I made a huge mistake!" she told the publication. "I thought he kept asking, 'Are you serious?' because he definitely wasn't ready to get married. I had no idea he was about to pull out a ring for me at the same time."

Tober told Cosmopolitan.com that she had picked out a ring "forever ago" and had been planning the proposal for three months. Donovan, 24, had been working on his proposal for more than a month, but picked out the ring a week prior to their Disney trip.



"We’re just so in sync as a couple, I'm not surprised this happened," Tober told Cosmopolitan.com. "I don’t know how to explain it, it almost seems normal that we both did this."

Donovan, who hails from Salinas, Calif., met Tober when he began following her on Twitter in early 2016. She lives in upstate New York.

It turns out they share a love for all things Disney and even dressed as Disney characters for Halloween. They're hoping to some day tie the knot at "the happiest place on Earth."

Back in March of this year, we reported how Disney properties dominate the “Most Popular Places to Propose” list, placing three destinations in the Top 10, according to the wedding-planning website Hitched.co.uk.

Disneyland Paris was been named the world’s most popular place to pop the question. Ranking #2 on the list was Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., and placing #8 was Walt Disney’s Epcot, also in Orlando.

Credits: Screen captures via Twitter.com/virgoprincxss; Twitter.com/harleedawn.

The online Museum of Diamonds — a website dedicated to showcasing famous gems, such as the Hope, the Regent and the Kohinoor — is encouraging everyday people to share their engagement stories and name their diamonds so they can be immortalized for generations to come.



“Every diamond has a story,” noted CEO Jacques Voorhees. “At the Museum, we feature famous and named diamonds typically resting in museums and private collections. But the stories of romance from bridal diamonds are often no less interesting, and now these can be preserved and shared as well.”



Posting a love story to the Museum of Diamonds site is free and easy. The site prompts the user through nine simple questions, including the following: How did you meet? What first attracted you to your spouse? Where was your first date? How did it go? How did the proposal happen? When and where was your wedding? Where did you go on your honeymoon? What else would you like to share about your romance? Is there a special memory or amusing anecdote?

After finishing this form and clicking “submit,” the Museum of Diamonds will send users instructions for uploading one or more images and for naming the diamond, if they wish to do so.

The stories may be identified by the couple's first names to allow friends to find their stories while protecting their identities. Once published, the story's unique page in the Museum can easily be shared with friends and relatives on social media. Anonymity is available for those who wish to stay private.

“The story of the proposal often provides the most colorful material,” explained Voorhees. “For example, we feature one couple who were on vacation hiking through old mines near Silverton, Colo., looking for interesting rocks. The guy pretended to find one on the ground, and he picked up the ring and said to his girlfriend, ‘Honey, I think this rock belongs to you.’”

Visitors to museumofdiamonds.org will notice stories about the world’s most well known diamonds — such as the Cullinan — juxtaposed with lesser-known “personal” diamonds, such as Strawberry Harvest.

“Seeing our diamond, and our own personal story, preserved in the Museum of Diamonds made everything so special,” noted Courtney Biebl. “Not only does it make my own diamond a true symbol of our romance, but it was incredibly fun just remembering those early days—those early emotions—of when we met and so forth and sharing my thoughts and feelings at the time. Now I know those are preserved, and one day my own children and grandchildren will enjoy seeing them. How cool is that?”

To learn more about The Museum of Diamonds or to share your love story, please visit museumofdiamonds.org.

Real couples share their love stories in the Museum of Diamonds' promotional video, below.


Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.com/Museum of Diamonds.

A Virginia man who had purchased a diamond engagement ring but was jilted before popping the question turned his heartbreak into hope by awarding the ring to a deserving Illinois couple.



Steven Crocker was emotionally devastated last year when his girlfriend decided to break off their two-year relationship.

"I didn't know what to do with myself," he told Inside Edition. "My whole world flipped upside down."

But, then, he wondered if the $1,700 diamond ring might brighten the future for another couple.

"It's not about the money for me," said the 23-year-old. "It's about love."

So Crocker decided to give the ring away via an eye-catching Facebook offering titled, "FREE ENGAGEMENT RING - READ AND SHARE."

On Facebook, Crocker wrote, "It's not the fanciest ring in the world but it can potentially make someone very happy for the rest of their life."

He encouraged applicants to send their love stories and describe specifically why they were the most deserving.

"I don’t want to give it away to just anyone," he wrote. "I want to give it to a guy or girl who is so in love with their significant other and wants to take the next step but cannot afford a ring. I don’t think that anyone on MY friends list falls in that category, but someone out there does, which is why sharing this post is very much appreciated. I’ll send it anywhere in the US where someone is head-over-heels."



Crocker told NBC Nightly News that he didn't expect more than 50 entries, but ended up getting close to 2,000.

The young man recruited his friends to help review the submissions that included both written stories and videos.



One story that caught Crocker's attention was from Sean Sullivan of Illinois. The teacher had been saving up for an engagement ring. He was planning to pop the question to his girlfriend, Natalie Kiernicki, but had to put his proposal plans on hold when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). He wasn't able to work and the medical bills were becoming overwhelming.

"I had to make the extremely hard decision to use the money I was saving for her ring to help cover my medical and other bills," Sullivan told Inside Edition.

Sullivan had sent to Crocker a 17-minute video that described the couple's commitment and love for one another.

"She's the reason I smile every day," Sullivan told NBC Nightly News.

Sullivan said he was overwhelmed when he learned that Crocker had picked him as the winner.



Kiernicki didn't know that her boyfriend had vied for the ring and was totally surprised when she got the exciting news.

"For someone to do this, it just shows there are still good people left in this world," Sullivan said. "He had no reason to do this for anybody and it’s amazing he did this."

For Crocker, the experience left him optimistic that true love is in his future.

"I definitely know that my time is going to come," he said.

Credits: Screen captures via nbcnews.com; Couple image via Facebook/Natalie Kiernicki; Ring selfie screen capture via Insideedition.com.

Spectacular gold jewelry from the West African nation of Senegal will be the focus of a brand new exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, in Washington, D.C.



“Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women” will explore the history of Senegal’s gold, from past to present, as well as the beauty and complexity of the way Senegalese women use fashion and ornamentation to present themselves. A key theme of the exhibition is the Senegalese concept of sañse (the Wolof word for dressing up, looking good and feeling good).

What's more, the exhibit will reveal the ways in which Senegalese women have historically used jewelry as a means of fashioning a cosmopolitan identity of power and prestige.

The collection includes more than 250 works of West African jewelry amassed by art historian Marian Ashby Johnson and then gifted to the Smithsonian in 2012.

A press release noted that Johnson pursued research for several decades in Senegal, engaging a broad number of jewelers, or "teugues," in interviews and extended observation. The Johnson collection is supplemented with nearly 2,000 field and archival photographs providing a singular opportunity to understand the range and complexity of gold in the West African nation.

“While most of the objects in the exhibition were made by men, the designs, styles and names of such works are by women,” said Amanda Maples, guest curator of the exhibition and lead author of Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women.



The National Museum of African Art commissioned Oumou Sy — Senegal’s “Queen of Couture” and its most celebrated fashion designer — to supplement the jewelry collection with a new haute couture ensemble inspired by the strength of Senegalese women.

In addition, a catalog will be released to coincide with the opening of the exhibition. It will include new photography of key works in the collection and trace the history of gold in Senegal, documenting the techniques, materials and practices of goldsmiths.

“Good as Gold” will make its debut on October 24 and run through September 29, 2019, in a redesigned first-floor exhibition gallery. Admission is free.

Credit: Image by Fabrice Monteiro b. 1972, Namur, Belgium. Works in Dakar, Senegal Signare #1 2011. Exhibition print. Courtesy Mariane Ibrahim Gallery via Smithsonian.

Michael Jackson fans from around the world celebrated what would have been the King of Pop's 60th birthday on Wednesday by bopping to a mega-mix of his greatest hits weaved together by super-producer Mark Ronson.



In honor of Jackson's "diamond" birthday, the five-minute audio track was titled "Michael Jackson x Mark Ronson: Diamonds Are Invincible." The "invincible" part of the title implies that, even in death, Jackson's musical legacy powers on. It's also a nod to his iconic 2001 album of the same name. In 2009, readers of Billboard magazine voted it as the best album of the decade.

A work that sold 5.4 million copies worldwide, Invincible was Jackson's final studio album. He died in June of 2009 at the age of 50.

The birthday mix includes many of Jackson's most memorable hits, including "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Wanna Be Starting Something," "Billie Jean," "Smooth Criminal," "Human Nature," "You Rock My World" and "The Way You Make Me Feel."

According to Billboard.com, Ronson's remix was the result of a collaboration with Sony Music and the Jackson Estate. Referencing a catalog of work that spanned five decades, the Grammy-award-winning producer/artist/DJ confessed that he was overwhelmed with the task of compiling a piece worthy of Jackson's 60th birthday celebration.

"It was such an amazing, awe-inspiring and insanely intimidating task to put this together, although you’d need hours and hours to fit all of Michael’s classic tunes into one track," Ronson said in a statement.

The audio track of "Michael Jackson x Mark Ronson: Diamonds Are Invincible" has been trending on YouTube.com and already has been viewed more than 830,000 times since it was posted on Tuesday.

Please check it out, below...


Credit: Image of Michael Jackson performing at "Wiener Stadion," Vienna, Austria (1988) by Zoran Veselinovic www.photozoran.com/ CC-BY-SA.