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Demi Lovato Thrills 88.9MM Instagram Fans With Pics of Her New Engagement Ring

on Jul 27 2020
This past Thursday, songstress Demi Lovato thrilled her 88.9 million Instagram followers with romantic pics of her Malibu engagement to actor Max Ehrich, who proposed with a massive emerald-cut diamond ring. Jewelry-industry insiders told various celebrity websites that the center stone appeared to be 8 to 10 carats with a value of $500,000 or more,... The post Demi Lovato Thrills 88.9MM Instagram Fans With Pics of Her New Engagement Ring appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Music Friday: Danny Vera Extols the Virtues of Hard Work in ‘Pressure Makes Diamonds’

on Jul 24 2020
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you new tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Netherlands-born Danny Vera extols the virtues of hard work in his 2019 international release, “Pressure Makes Diamonds.” The song’s basic theme draws on the fact that pure carbon can become a diamond when... The post Music Friday: Danny Vera Extols the Virtues of Hard Work in ‘Pressure Makes Diamonds’ appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Princess Beatrice Bucks Tradition, Chooses Platinum Instead of Welsh Gold

on Jul 23 2020
Princess Beatrice, the newest Royal Family bride, bucked nearly 100 years of tradition by choosing an ornate platinum-and-diamond wedding band instead of a simple band of Welsh gold. Since the Queen Mother’s nuptials in 1923, royal wedding bands have been crafted of pure Welsh gold, sourced at the Clogau mine in Bontddu. The mine dates... The post Princess Beatrice Bucks Tradition, Chooses Platinum Instead of Welsh Gold appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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This Modern-Day Cinderella Story Comes With a Surprising Male Twist

on Jul 22 2020
When Doug Faucher pulled a men's wedding band from the sand near Cato's Bridge in Jupiter, FL, he was determined to use the power of social media to solve the mystery and right the wrong. "Marriage is sacred and I’m sure the rightful owner was devastated when [he] lost this wedding ring," the Tequesta, FL,... The post This Modern-Day Cinderella Story Comes With a Surprising Male Twist appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Princess Beatrice Dons the Same Tiara Worn by Queen Elizabeth on Her Wedding Day

on Jul 21 2020
Princess Beatrice wore a very special diamond tiara as she exchanged wedding vows with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi during an understated, private ceremony at The Royal Chapel of All Saints on Friday. Famously known as the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara, the headdress is the same one worn by Beatrice's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, on her wedding day... The post Princess Beatrice Dons the Same Tiara Worn by Queen Elizabeth on Her Wedding Day appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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115-Carat Pear-Shaped Diamond Is the Star of Christie’s New York Auction

on Jul 20 2020
A 115.83-carat pear-shaped diamond is the star of Christie’s upcoming Magnificent Jewels auction in New York. The F-color, VVS1 gem dangles from a majestic 19-inch platinum necklace that is completely encircled by 51 pear-shaped diamonds, 31 of which range in size from 0.97 to 5.50 carats. This headliner — The Property of a Lady — is... The post 115-Carat Pear-Shaped Diamond Is the Star of Christie’s New York Auction appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Music Friday: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton Calls Himself a ‘Diamond in the Rough’

on Jul 17 2020
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Alexander Hamilton sees himself as a “diamond in the rough” in “My Shot,” the rousing Act 1 hit from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s blockbuster Broadway show. Miranda famously portrays the 19-year-old founding father in a... The post Music Friday: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton Calls Himself a ‘Diamond in the Rough’ appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Two-Time Olympian Sam Mikulak Pops the Question to TV Host Mia Atkins

on Jul 16 2020
Two-time Olympian Sam Mikulak recently popped the question to his TV host girlfriend, Mia Atkins, with a dazzling pear-shaped diamond engagement ring. The surprise proposal took place on California's picturesque Catalina Island. Photos and videos on the couple's respective Instagram pages captured the exciting moment when Mikulak dropped to one knee. On Atkin's Instagram page,... The post Two-Time Olympian Sam Mikulak Pops the Question to TV Host Mia Atkins appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Exciting Run of Good Luck Continues at Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park

on Jul 15 2020
Sometimes good fortune comes down to being in the right place at the right time. It's called "serendipity" and that's the name Dr. Mindy Pomtree gave to the 6.39-carat, gem-quality diamond she plucked from the ground at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AR. About the size of a pumpkin seed, the Serendipity is,... The post Exciting Run of Good Luck Continues at Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Custom-Cut Rubies, Sapphires Form the ‘DC’ Logo on Mystics’ Championship Rings

on Jul 14 2020
Six custom-cut rubies and an equal number of custom-cut sapphires make up the swooping "DC" logo on the 2019 championship rings of the WNBA's Washington Mystics. In total, the innovative and symbolic 10-karat gold rings shimmer with 120 diamonds, 35 rubies and 23 sapphires for a combined gemstone weight of 9 carats. The rings, which... The post Custom-Cut Rubies, Sapphires Form the ‘DC’ Logo on Mystics’ Championship Rings appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Gem Gallery Virtual Tour: This Emerald Was Worn by the Rulers of Baroda

on Jul 13 2020
An exquisite 37.8-carat emerald once possessed by the royal rulers of Baroda is the next stop on our virtual tour of the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection. The Chalk Emerald is so special, in fact, that it is the singular occupant of a wall case titled "A Royal Legacy" on the second floor of the Janet... The post Gem Gallery Virtual Tour: This Emerald Was Worn by the Rulers of Baroda appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Music Friday: Country Boy Is in Love With a Girl Who Wears a Diamond Ring

on Jul 10 2020
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you throwback tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, 27-time Grammy winner Alison Krauss delivers her second-person rendition of “I’m Just a Country Boy,” a song originally released by Harry Belafonte in 1954. In Krauss’s 2007 version — “You’re Just a Country... The post Music Friday: Country Boy Is in Love With a Girl Who Wears a Diamond Ring appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Mission to Mars: Opals May Provide Fossil Evidence of Extraterrestrial Life

on Jul 09 2020
Fossils preserved within opals on the surface of Mars could prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. On July 20, NASA will send the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover on a 72-million-mile journey to explore the surface of the Red Planet. In mid-February 2021, the rover will begin collecting samples at the Jezero crater, which contains fields... The post Mission to Mars: Opals May Provide Fossil Evidence of Extraterrestrial Life appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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‘Scavengers’ to the Rescue: Treasure Hunters Recover Engagement Ring at NY Beach

on Jul 08 2020
Gina Bopp was so certain that her diamond engagement ring had been swallowed up by the Atlantic Ocean that she immediately bought a faux version on Amazon. The Queens, NY, woman had been enjoying the surf at Rockaway Beach on Monday, June 29, when the young son of one of her friends got caught by... The post ‘Scavengers’ to the Rescue: Treasure Hunters Recover Engagement Ring at NY Beach appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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World’s Most Famous Diamonds May Have ‘Super-Deep’ Origins, Says GIA

on Jul 07 2020
New smoking-gun evidence seems to confirm the theory that the world's most famous diamonds — such as the 45-carat Hope and the 3,106-carat Cullinan — have "super-deep" origins, according to Dr. Evan Smith of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), who presented his findings to geochemists at the recent Goldschmidt Conference. Smaller diamonds are known... The post World’s Most Famous Diamonds May Have ‘Super-Deep’ Origins, Says GIA appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Arkansas Woman Scores Biggest Diamond of 2020 at Crater of Diamonds State Park

on Jul 06 2020
While working the search field at Crater of Diamonds State Park, Beatrice Watkins joked to her two young granddaughters that their future husbands would need to revisit the site to find diamonds for their wedding rings. What the 56-year-old Mena, Ark., resident didn’t realize at the time is that she had already scored the park’s... The post Arkansas Woman Scores Biggest Diamond of 2020 at Crater of Diamonds State Park appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Univ. of Hong Kong Scientists Develop ‘Hunter Drone’ That Can Seek Out Gem Deposits

on Jul 02 2020
A pair of scientists from The University of Hong Kong have developed an autonomous "hunter drone" that can survey wide landscapes and identify valuable gemstone targets using a scanning laser. The drone flies at night and emits a powerful beam that causes fluorescent items on the surface of the ground to glow. The drone was originally... The post Univ. of Hong Kong Scientists Develop ‘Hunter Drone’ That Can Seek Out Gem Deposits appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Birthstone Feature: Five Years Ago, This 25.59-Carat Ruby Rocked the Auction World

on Jul 01 2020
A little over five years ago, the 25.59-carat pigeon-blood-red “Sunrise Ruby” rocked the auction world when it obliterated two auction records at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale in Geneva. The hammer price of $30.4 million exceeded Sotheby’s high estimate by more than $12 million and set a new auction mark for the largest... The post Birthstone Feature: Five Years Ago, This 25.59-Carat Ruby Rocked the Auction World appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Queen Elizabeth’s Iconic Three-Strand Pearl Necklace Actually Has Two Backups

on Jun 30 2020
Queen Elizabeth II is rarely seen in public without her favorite three-strand pearl necklace — a gift from her beloved father, King George VI, who passed away in 1952. What most Royal Family followers don't know is that the Queen actually owns three nearly identical pearl necklaces that she rotates freely. The future monarch was... The post Queen Elizabeth’s Iconic Three-Strand Pearl Necklace Actually Has Two Backups appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.

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Artisanal Miner Discovers Two Tanzanite Crystals Weighing a Combined 75,000 Carats

on Jun 29 2020
An artisanal miner in Tanzania struck it rich last week when he sold two enormous tanzanite crystals for $3.4 million. Saniniu Laizer had discovered the crystals — one weighing 9.2kg (46,000 carats) and the other 5.8kg (29,000 carats) — in Tanzania’s Manyara region, not far from the country’s Merelani mining site. The two rough gems... The post Artisanal Miner Discovers Two Tanzanite Crystals Weighing a Combined 75,000 Carats appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.