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 Everglow achieves that price, it will set a record for the highest price ever paid per carat for a gemstone. The current record is held by the 12.03-carat Blue Moon of Josephine, which sold for $48 million, or a bit over $4 million per carat.

“We are delighted to announce this historic diamond at our Tender preview, a testament to the unique Argyle ore-body that continues to produce the world’s rarest gems,” noted Rio Tinto Copper & Diamonds chief executive Arnaud Soirat.

Fancy red diamonds are so rare that the Tender typically releases only four, or so, per year. In fact, in the 33-year history of the Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender there have been fewer than 20 carats of fancy red certified diamonds sold.

"The Argyle Everglow represents rarity within rarity and will drive global demand from collectors and connoisseurs in search of the incomparable,” added Argyle Pink Diamonds manager Josephine Johnson.

The 2017 Tender, known as "Custodians of Rare Beauty," comprises 58 diamonds weighing a total of 49.39 carats.

The collection includes five “hero” diamonds selected for their unique beauty and named to ensure there is a permanent record of their contribution to the history of the world’s most important diamonds:

• Argyle Everglow™ — 2.11-carat radiant-cut fancy red diamond
• Argyle Isla™ — 1.14 carat radiant-cut fancy red diamond
• Argyle Avaline™ — 2.42-carat cushion-cut fancy purple-pink diamond
• Argyle Kalina™ — 1.50-carat oval-cut fancy deep pink diamond
• Argyle Liberté™ — 0.91-carat radiant-cut fancy deep gray-violet diamond

It is believed that red diamonds get their rich color from a molecular structure distortion that occurs as the jewel forms in the earth’s crust. By contrast, other colored diamonds get their color from trace elements, such as boron (yielding a blue diamond) or nitrogen (yielding yellow), in their chemical composition.

The 2017 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender will be showcased in New York, Hong Kong and Perth with bids closing on October 11, 2017.

Credits: Images courtesy of Rio Tinto.

Music Friday: Tim McGraw's Girlfriend Has an Eye for Things That Glitter in 'Just to See You Smile'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you hit songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, we feature superstar Tim McGraw singing Billboard's #1 country hit of 1998, "Just to See You Smile."

In this song about selflessness, unconditional love and heartbreak, McGraw portrays a hard-working Texas miner who is willing to do just about anything to make his girlfriend happy — and that includes lavishing her with fine jewelry.

In the very first lines of the song, McGraw sings, "You always had an eye for things that glittered / But I was far from bein' made of gold / I don't know how but I scraped up the money / I just never could quite tell you no."

The miner leaves his job in Amarillo to relocate with her to Tennessee, but the relationship quickly breaks down. The girlfriend finds a new lover and our hero graciously tells her that he's happy for her.

"And given the chance I'd lie again," he admits. "It's worth all that's lost / Just to see you smile."

Released in August 1997, the song would go on to spend 42 weeks on the Billboard Country chart — the longest chart run for any country single in the 1990s.

"Just to See You Smile" was the third single from McGraw's fourth studio album, Everywhere. Both the song and the album topped the Billboard Country charts.

The son of New York Mets star pitcher Tug McGraw, Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw was born in Delhi, La., in 1967. Tim was brought up by his step-dad, Horace Smith, and didn't know that the famous athlete was his biological father until he was 11. He signed his first record deal with Curb Records in 1990 and married country singer Faith Hill in 1996.

McGraw has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, and 25 of his singles have gone to #1 on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Songs chart. He has also won three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music awards, 11 Country Music Association (CMA) awards, 10 American Music Awards and three People's Choice Awards.

Please check out the audio track of McGraw’s performance of “Just to See You Smile.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

"Just To See You Smile"
Written by Mark Nesler and Tony Martin. Performed by Tim McGraw.

You always had an eye for things that glittered
But I was far from bein' made of gold
I don't know how but I scraped up the money
I just never could quite tell you no
Just like when you were leavin' Amarillo
To take that new job in Tennessee
And I quit mine so we could be together
I can't forget the way you looked at me

Just to see you smile
I'd do anything
That you wanted me to
And all is said and done
I'd never count the cost
It's worth all that's lost
Just to see you smile

When you said time was all you really needed
I walked away and let you have your space
Cause leavin' didn't hurt me near as badly
As the tears I saw rollin' down your face
And yesterday I knew just what you wanted
When you came walkin' up to me with him
So I told you that I was happy for you
And given the chance I'd lie again

Just to see you smile
I'd do anything
That you wanted me to
And all is said and done
I'd never count the cost
It's worth all that's lost
Just to see you smile

Just to see you smile
I'd do anything
That you wanted me to
And all is said and done
I'd never count the cost
It's worth all that's lost
Just to see you smile

Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Budd Butcher (Public Domain) via Wikimedia Commons.

Maine Man Gets to Propose All Over Again After Rescuing Engagement Ring From Under a Waterfall

So, you thought finding a needle in a haystack was tough. How about finding a diamond engagement ring at the bottom of a cascading — and very cold — waterfall?

That was the challenge for Maine resident Evan Nadeau, whose fiancée, Erin Helfen, had lost her solitaire ring while swimming under the Buttermilk Falls in scenic central Maine. The couple had enjoyed a day of hiking and swimming, but it wasn't until later that Helfen realized her ring was missing.

"It was awful," Helfen told local CBS affiliate WABI. "We had just come out of a swimming hole and [then] we had hiked about a quarter of a mile. I'm one of those people who kind of fidgets with her rings, so I was about to fidget with it when I looked down and it wasn't there. I was just like, 'Oh my God, oh my God.'"

After inspecting some selfies that they took during their trip, the couple could tell that the ring was on Helfen's finger when they got to the falls, but was missing after their swim. They were pretty sure the ring had found its final resting place at the bottom of the falls.

Helfen and Nadeau have a wedding planned for September 23, so the loss of their engagement ring was particularly heart wrenching. It hadn't been insured and the couple was not able to replace it.

But then, two weeks after the ring was lost, Nadeau was not ready to give up. He had formulated a new plan to get his fiancée's ring back. The future groom scooped up his diving gear and made a solo 70-mile drive back to the falls. Despite the frigid water, he was determined to spend hours submerged, scouring every nook and cranny of the rocky bottom while getting pummeled by the torrent. Nadeau said the water was so cold that his knees turned blue.

Despite impossible odds, Nadeau spotted the ring.

"After about the second hour in the water, after combing the area really well, I just saw the two prongs on her ring," Nadeau told WABI. "Her band had been wedged under a rock... The next thing you know I had the ring on my finger. I couldn't believe it. There was somebody looking out for me because there's no way I should have found that."

Instead of calling his fiancée with the good news, Nadeau kept his miraculous find a secret until he got back home.

Helfen greeted Nadeau as he pulled up in his truck. He told her that it was a hard, long day and that he got sick of being in the water. He was getting tired of it.

And then he said, "Well, what I don't get tired of is asking you to marry me."

Nadeau, who is a Registered Nurse at Eastern Maine Medical Center, pulled the ring out of his pocket and proposed again.

Helfen, who just earned her Master's degree in speech-language pathology at the University of Maine, believes that the ring symbolizes how the couple was "just meant to be together."

Nadeau couldn't be happier. "She got her sparkle back," he said.

Credits: Images via Facebook/Evan Nadeau; screen captures via WABI.tv.

'Jake the Diamond Dog' Shines at Minor League Ballparks From Coast to Coast

For the past 27 years, a succession of golden retrievers — each playing the role of "Jake The Diamond Dog" — have delighted minor league baseball fans from coast to coast. Just recently, however, Jake's brilliant and adorable on-field antics have caught the attention of huge media outlets and made him an instant celebrity.

The current Jake, whose real name is Deuce, took over the role in 2009. The handsome, well tempered pooch is often called "the best darn dog in professional baseball."

If you've been to a minor league contest featuring the Fort Wayne TinCaps, South Bend Cubs, Louisville Bats or Columbus Clippers over the past quarter century there is a good chance that you've already seen one of the Jakes in action.

The current iteration of Jake delights the crowd by taking water bottles out to the umpires in a little straw basket. The pup waits patiently while the umpire rehydrates and returns the empty bottle. The dog is also responsible for taking the game ball to the pitcher before the start of the contest, standing by the pitcher during the National Anthem, shagging foul balls, picking up stray bats and catching Frisbees between innings.

Before the game, fans will often see Jake The Diamond Dog meeting and greeting fans as they enter the ballpark. Pre-game activities also include searching the stands for that day's "Ballpark Sweetheart," who is typically a little red-headed girl with Jake's colorations. During the game, the Sweetheart is introduced to the crowd and Jake brings her a bouquet of flowers.

Adorable pups doing adorable things have become a staple of social media, and Jake The Diamond Dog is riding a wave of popularity. Just recently, he's caught the attention of Inside Edition, People Magazine, the Washington Post and the BBC. Jake also has become a darling of social media, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Jake The Diamond Dog has his own Facebook page, and this is where upcoming appearances are promoted. The Events section outlines three upcoming ballgames in Ft. Wayne (Aug. 1), Louisville (Aug. 20) and Columbus (Aug. 21).

When he's not performing during the game, Jake keeps out of harm's way by resting in an inflatable dog house on the first base line.

The original Jake The Diamond Dog was trained by Jeff "Dog Man" Marchal in 1990. That dog, whose real name was Jericho, caught the attention of Mike Veeck, who specialized in minor league promotions. Veeck was impressed when he witnessed Jericho delivering items curb-side at a drive-thru farm store, and then taking the customer's money and bringing it back to Marchal. Veeck wondered if Marchal could train the dog to bring water bottles to the umpires. Clearly the answer was yes, and the rest is history.

Marchal believes that Deuce loves his role as Jake The Diamond Dog.

"The dog does a great job and we share a lot of stories with the fans,” he told Inside Edition. “His tail's always wagging. I think he enjoys it a whole lot.”

Deuce is the fourth golden retriever to portray Jake The Diamond Dog. Marchal told Inside Edition that he's getting so many calls for bookings that he may consider training a new "Diamond Dog" in the near future.

Check out the video of Jake The Diamond Dog doing what he does best...

Credits: Top image via Instagram/MelissaBooker. Other images via Facebook/Jake The Diamond Dog.

Tour de France Cyclist Cyril Gautier Proposes to His Girlfriend on Live TV During the Last Leg of 2,500-Mile Race

On Sunday, after 21 days and 2,500 grueling miles, British road racing cyclist Chris Froome got to hold aloft the coveted Tour de France trophy — but Frenchman Cyril Gautier got the girl.

About 20km into the race's last leg into Paris, the 29-year-old Gautier called over to a motorcycle cameraman who was able to capture a very special moment when the rider revealed a handwritten note scrawled in thick black marker. Written on a page ripped from the spiral-bound official route profile was the French phrase, "Caroline, Veux tu m'épouser? Je t'aime," which translates to “Caroline, Will you marry me? I love you.” The note was punctuated by a large heart.

The jubilant Gautier, wearing his team's blue, brown and white colors, then blew a kiss into the camera, presumably directed at his girlfriend.

At that moment, fellow Frenchman Pierre Rolland rode alongside Gautier and shouted, "Dis oui! Dis oui," which means "Say yes! Say yes!” Dressed in bright green gear, Rolland, who obviously knew in advance of Gautier's proposal plan, smiled at the camera, released his handle bars and shaped a heart with his fingers.

While Gautier's proposal to his long-time girlfriend was seen in real time, curious viewers didn't know Caroline's response until a few hours later.

Tour de France commentator Robbie McEwen posted the news on Twitter. He wrote, "Update on the @LeTour marriage proposal by Cyril Gautier... she said YES."

Gautier, who is a member of the AG2R La Mondiale team, finished his eighth Tour de France Sunday evening in a respectable 48th place. For much of the race he had helped secure a top-three finish for his teammate Romaine Bardet. The three-week race covers challenging terrain in France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain and Switzerland, and ends at the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris.

If you're wondering how a cyclist could manage to pull off a proposal in the middle of a race, the answer is that the last leg of the Tour de France is largely ceremonial. The eventual winner usually has amassed an unsurmountable lead during the previous legs, so the "racing" on the final day is less intense. The racers will not challenge the leader in deference to the previous weeks' accomplishments.

Gautier's memorable racing proposal went down in less than 20 seconds. Check out the video here...

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.com.

Family's Legacy Lives On as Grandma's Diamond Ring Survives Apartment Blaze

Last month, Wisconsin resident Destinee Fitzgerald woke up a bit earlier than usual to check the time on her cell phone. She became terrified when she smelled smoke in her apartment and heard the the faint sound of a neighbor's smoke alarm. She looked out the window and saw flames leaping from her landlord's air conditioner.

In an instant, she scooped up her four-year-old daughter, Deana Marie, and dashed to safety. Left behind in her bedroom, on top of a framed photo of her unborn son's ultrasound, was a cherished family heirloom — her grandma's diamond ring.

Mauston firefighters arrived on the scene but couldn't keep the blaze from completely gutting her apartment.

It took several weeks before the local authorities deemed the conditions safe enough to allow residents back into the building to salvage their property. Destinee was sure her grandmother's ring had perished in the fire.

“Yeah, I just felt terrible about it,” Destinee told the Juneau County Star-Times. “It was so bad because the ring was something that stood out to me and something I wanted to pass on to my own daughter.”

Destiny's mom, Dana Fitzgerald, had other ideas. She bravely navigated up the badly damaged steps and into the blackened rooms.

“She kept saying, ‘Mom, don’t go up there, it’s not safe,’” Dana told the Juneau County Star-Times. “But I was determined to find this ring. I made it all the way to the back bedroom. I lifted up some soaking wet papers and there was this shiny, beautiful ring sitting on top of the frame of my grandson’s ultrasound. I put it right on my finger so I wouldn’t lose it.”

Dana had received the ring from her mother, Donna "Hookie" Chamberlain, who passed away in 1998 when Destinee was just two years old. Dana was determined to give Deana Marie an opportunity to be the fourth generation to wear the ring.

On Facebook, Destinee summarized her ordeal: "What a crazy couple days it has been. I can't stop thanking God that I happened to wake up to check my phone that night... It's the most terrifying thing waking up to smoke in your home and not knowing what's going on. My first thought was, 'Oh my gosh. Get my baby girl out of this!'"

Destinee told the Juneau County Star-Times that the only reason she had taken off the ring was because her fingers had become swollen during her pregnancy. She reported that the ring is back on her finger.

“Even though it is a material thing, it is more than just a ring,” Destinee said. “There is a lot of meaning behind it because I don’t have my grandma around anymore. I’m back to wearing it every day, unless my finger is swollen, of course.”

Credit: Ring image by Dana Fitzgerald. Other images via Facebook/Destinee Fitzgerald.

Music Friday: 'Diamonds Ate the Radio' in Coldplay's 'Aliens' — a Song to Support Refugees

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you exciting new songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Coldplay introduces us to the curious phrase "diamonds ate the radio" with the July 14 release of "Aliens."

In the song's animated video, we see a family of aliens — rendered as armless orb-like beings — fleeing their war-torn planet. They dodge artillery fire while being pursued by giant spike-headed worms. The family ascends skyward to meet up with their spacecraft — and enter a secured portal just in the nick of time. The family travels to a new planet, but yearn to return home again.

The saga of the orb people is a metaphor for the dire circumstances currently faced by millions of migrants who have been forced to flee their homeland. Proceeds from "Aliens" will benefit the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), an international non-governmental organization that rescues migrants at sea.

Now, let's get back to the phrase that qualifies "Aliens" as a Music Friday tune. In the first two lines of the song, frontman Chris Martin sings, "We were just about to lose our home / Diamonds ate the radio."

At first blush, the diamond lyrics had us truly stumped. What could they possibly mean?

But, then we found a Reddit thread that focused on that exact question.

One Reddit contributor believes that "diamonds ate the radio" is a reference to artists being pressured to churn out overproduced music that conforms to a certain proven standard. A second Reddit user is confident the diamond reference is a nod to the ultimate RIAA sales threshold, where artists earn a diamond certification for an album that's shipped more than 10 million units.

Perhaps the writers of "Aliens" had both explanations in mind when they introduced a doomed future society that's not only under fire, but where only diamond-certified songs will get any airplay.

"Aliens" was released as the third track from Coldplay's new EP Kaleidoscope. Coldplay's pledge to donate proceeds from the song to MOAS received warm coverage from both RollingStone.com and Billboard.com. The Youtube video has been viewed more than 4.7 million times.

With more than 80 million records sold worldwide, Coldplay ranks as one of the world’s best-selling music groups. In December 2009, Rolling Stone readers ranked Coldplay as the fourth-best band of the 2000s. The group has earned five MTV Video Music Awards, seven Grammy Awards and 31 Grammy nominations.

Please check out the "Aliens" animated video. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Aliens"
Written by Brian Eno, Rik Simpson and Markus Dravs. Performed by Coldplay.

We were just about to lose our home
Diamonds ate the radio
Moving in the dead of night
We took photographs just some just so
History has some to know
We were moving at the speed of flight

Kids cry
If you want to
That's alright
If you want to
Hold me
Hold me tight

Just an alien

We were hovering without a home
Millions are UFO
Hovering in hope some scope tonight
Sees the light and says

Fly if you want to
That's alright
But if you want to
Call me
Call this line

Just an alien
Just an alien
Oh, we just want to get home again

Tell your leader
Sir or ma'am
We come in peace
We mean no harm
Somewhere out there
In the unknown
All the E.T.'s are phoning home
Watching my life
On the skyline
Crossing your eyes
For a lifetime

Just an alien
Moving target
Target movement
A patch, a corner
Of the spacetime
Just an alien
Turning toward it
Turning pages
Over Asia
Crossing ages
Just an alien
Oh, we just want to get home again

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.com.