Music Friday: ‘Diamonds Are Invincible’ Mega-Mix Celebrates Michael Jackson’s 60th Birthday

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 http://www.photozoran.com/ CC-BY-SA.

Smithsonian’s ‘Good as Gold’ Exhibit Explores How Senegalese Women Embrace Concept of ‘Sañse’

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.

Deserving Illinois Couple Receives Free Engagement Ring From Jilted Virginian With Big Heart

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.

Immortalize Your Love Story and Name Your Gem at the Online Museum of Diamonds

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.

Double Proposal Affirms Disneyland Is the Happiest — and Most Romantic — Place on Earth

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.

Music Friday: Mick Jagger Sings About a High-Society Girl’s Diamonds in 1965’s ‘Play With Fire’

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.

Fine Feathered Friend Assists With Marriage Proposal at Utah’s Hogle Zoo

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.

Did You Know That Spinel Is an Official Birthstone for the Month of August?

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.

12th 100-Plus-Carat Diamond of 2018 Establishes New Record for Letšeng Mine in Lesotho

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.

Music Friday Tribute: Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin ‘Wouldn’t Mind a Little Diamond Ring’

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.