News
News
Scuba Diver Rescues Newlywed’s Engagement Ring From the Bottom of Alabama’s Coosa River
by Tori Staniewicz on May 04 2017
A professional scuba diver pulled off a “needle in a haystack” recovery when he used a metal detector to rescue a newlywed’s engagement ring from the depths of Alabama’s Coosa River. Brooke Leavins had accidentally pitched the diamond ring into river days earlier while shooing a bug on her family’s newly christened pontoon boat. “I...
The post Scuba Diver Rescues Newlywed’s Engagement Ring From the Bottom of Alabama’s Coosa River appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
17th Century Royal Spinel, Once Lost and Mistaken for Glass, Sells at Sotheby’s for $353,800
by Tori Staniewicz on May 03 2017
A 17th century spinel pendant once worn by Mughal emperors — and then mistaken 90 years ago as a worthless bauble — sold at Sotheby’s London last week for $353,800. The 54.5-carat, wine-colored, uncut gem — which is inscribed in Persian script with the names of three emperors dating back to 1615 AD — oddly ended up...
The post 17th Century Royal Spinel, Once Lost and Mistaken for Glass, Sells at Sotheby’s for $353,800 appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
37.8-Carat ‘Chalk Emerald’ Is One of the World’s Finest Examples of May’s Official Birthstone
by Tori Staniewicz on May 02 2017
The Chalk Emerald’s impressive clarity, color, size and regal lineage rank it among the world’s finest examples of May’s official birthstone. Exhibiting the most highly prized velvety deep green color, the 37.82-carat Chalk Emerald is displayed near the Hope Diamond in the National Gem and Mineral Collection at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington,...
The post 37.8-Carat ‘Chalk Emerald’ Is One of the World’s Finest Examples of May’s Official Birthstone appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
Survey: 49% of American Brides-to-Be Want Their Engagement Rings to Be a Surprise
by Tori Staniewicz on May 01 2017
When it comes to getting engaged, nearly half of American brides-to-be want their engagement rings to be a surprise. That was the key finding in Ebates’ national Wedding Survey. The concept of whether the selection of a “forever accessory” should be left strictly within the purview of the future groom has been debated for generations. While...
The post Survey: 49% of American Brides-to-Be Want Their Engagement Rings to Be a Surprise appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 28 2017
Welcome to Music Friday when we often bring you great throwback songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Gladys Knight & the Pips tell a story of unrequited love in their 1970 hit single, “If I Were Your Woman.” In the song, the protagonist is a young woman whose love...
The post Music Friday: Gladys Knight Laments, ‘You’re Like a Diamond But She Treats You Like Glass’ in 1970’s ‘If I Were Your Woman’ appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
Vancouver Woman Is Stunned When Movie Trailer Turns Out to Be a Marriage Proposal
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 27 2017
A super-creative and very romantic graphic animator thrilled his girlfriend recently with a sweet marriage proposal cleverly masked as a Hollywood movie trailer. Vancouver, Wash., resident Adrianna Neil was so excited to attend an early screening of the blockbuster, live-action Beauty and the Beast as a 26th birthday present from her boyfriend, Ryan Langston. What she didn’t realize...
The post Vancouver Woman Is Stunned When Movie Trailer Turns Out to Be a Marriage Proposal appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
Mother’s Day Jewelry Gift-Giving Expected to Set New Record at $5 Billion, Reports NRF
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 26 2017
Shoppers will be showering their moms with $5 billion in jewelry gifts on Sunday, May 14, setting a new Mother’s Day record for that category. That tally represents an increase of 19% compared with the $4.2 billion spent in 2016. Mother’s Day gifts across all categories will total a record $23.6 billion, outpacing 2016’s performance by $2.2...
The post Mother’s Day Jewelry Gift-Giving Expected to Set New Record at $5 Billion, Reports NRF appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 25 2017
A British piano tuner is about to share a six-figure reward for discovering a stash of 913 gold coins hidden beneath the keyboard of an upright that had been donated to a community college. The gold sovereigns, which date from 1847 to 1915, have a face value of £773, which is equivalent to £500,000 ($640,000)...
The post Piano Tuner to Share Six-Figure Reward for Finding 913 Gold Coins Hidden Under the Keys of a Donated Upright appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
Legendary Stotesbury Emerald Headlines a Cavalcade of Magnificent Jewels at Sotheby’s Tomorrow
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 24 2017
The 34.40-carat Stotesbury Emerald, a six-sided gem with a famed history that spans more than 100 years, headlines a cavalcade of magnificent jewels at Sotheby’s New York on Tuesday. The Colombian-mined emerald was previously in the collections of three high-profile American jewelry collectors: Evalyn Walsh McLean (1908), Eva Stotesbury (1926) and May Bonfils Stanton (1947)....
The post Legendary Stotesbury Emerald Headlines a Cavalcade of Magnificent Jewels at Sotheby’s Tomorrow appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
Music Friday: In His Signature ‘Stable Song,’ Gregory Alan Isakov ‘Turns These Diamonds Into Coal’
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 21 2017
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. In his signature “Stable Song,” singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov uses gemstone and precious-metal metaphors to describe an artist who struggles to find his muse and ultimately returns to his roots. He sings, “Ring like crazy,...
The post Music Friday: In His Signature ‘Stable Song,’ Gregory Alan Isakov ‘Turns These Diamonds Into Coal’ appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 20 2017
A 2,000-foot-wide platinum-rich asteroid zipped within 1.09 million miles of the Earth yesterday, prompting renewed speculation about the feasibility of space mining. Roughly the size of the Rock of Gibraltar, the asteroid, at its nearest point, was only 4.6 times the distance from the Earth to the moon. In celestial terms, this was a very close encounter....
The post Earth’s Close Encounter With Platinum-Rich Asteroid Has Investors Talking Up the Feasibility of Space Mining appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 19 2017
Comedian Jon Crist’s video spoofing millennials’ obsession with social media in an era of engagement ring selfies and viral proposals has earned more than 11 million views on Facebook. In the 3-minute-long vignette, Crist co-stars as a young suitor who takes his girlfriend (played by Megan Batoon) to a scenic overlook, where he’s about to surprise...
The post 11 Million Views: Video Pokes Fun at Millennials in an Era of Engagement Ring Selfies and Viral Proposals appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 18 2017
The organizers of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo are imploring environmentally conscious citizens to unload their old cell phones in an effort to amass enough precious metal to create 5,000 gold, silver and bronze medals. “Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic medals will be made out of people’s thoughts and appreciation for avoiding waste,” Japanese...
The post Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals Awarded at Tokyo’s 2020 Summer Olympics Will Be Made From Recycled Cell Phones appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
Chicago Cubs’ World Series Rings Commemorate Team’s First Championship in 108 Years
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 17 2017
You can say that the Chicago Cubs’ 2016 World Series rings were 108 years in the making. That’s because the last time the Cubs won baseball’s Fall Classic — in 1908 — the average wage was 22 cents per hour, 8% of homes had a telephone and the White House was occupied by President Theodore...
The post Chicago Cubs’ World Series Rings Commemorate Team’s First Championship in 108 Years appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
Music Friday: Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis Sings, ‘I Was Your Silver Lining, But Now I’m Gold’
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 14 2017
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis sings about having the courage to pull the plug on a failing relationship in the 2007 release, “Silver Lining.” Penned by Lewis, the song explores the moment when...
The post Music Friday: Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis Sings, ‘I Was Your Silver Lining, But Now I’m Gold’ appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
92.15-Carat ‘La Légende’ Heart-Shaped Diamond Headlines Christie’s Geneva Sale
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 13 2017
The largest D-flawless heart-shaped diamond ever to be offered at auction will be the headliner of Christie’s Magnificent Jewels event in Geneva on May 17. Dubbed “La Légende” (“The Legend”), the 92.15-carat gem is the centerpiece of a cultured pearl sautoir signed by Parisian jewelers Boehmer and Bassenge. The diamond is described as having perfect polish...
The post 92.15-Carat ‘La Légende’ Heart-Shaped Diamond Headlines Christie’s Geneva Sale appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
‘Apollo’ and ‘Artemis’ Diamond Earrings Could Fetch $68 Million at Sotheby’s Geneva
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 12 2017
Named after two of the most revered and powerful Olympian deities, Apollo and Artemis, this exquisite pair of diamond earrings — one blue, one pink — could fetch upwards of $68 million at Sotheby’s Geneva on May 16. Although Sotheby’s is promoting the pear-shaped diamond earrings as a pair, they will be sold as individual lots. “The...
The post ‘Apollo’ and ‘Artemis’ Diamond Earrings Could Fetch $68 Million at Sotheby’s Geneva appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
Returning Airman Proposes to Houston Rockets Dancer During Blindfolded Halftime Stunt
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 11 2017
A blindfolded Houston Rockets dancer got the surprise of her life on Friday when a silly halftime stunt turned into a heartwarming on-court marriage proposal. Casey Potter, a veteran Rockets Power Dancer, thought she was being a good sport by participating in a halftime attraction that would feature Clutch, The Rockets Bear, hitting a trampoline,...
The post Returning Airman Proposes to Houston Rockets Dancer During Blindfolded Halftime Stunt appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
Last Day to See Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers Is April 23; Conservation Care to Take One Year
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 10 2017
In less than two weeks, the iconic Ruby Slippers made famous by Judy Garland in the 1939 MGM film, The Wizard of Oz, will be pulled from the wildly popular “American Stories” exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The 78-year-old slippers — which have been slowly deteriorating — will undergo immediate conservation care, thanks...
The post Last Day to See Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers Is April 23; Conservation Care to Take One Year appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.
News
by Tori Staniewicz on Apr 07 2017
Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, a modest second-hand wedding band is the focus of “Golden Ring,” a chart-topping duet by country legends George Jones and Tammy Wynette. In the song, we follow a golden band through a cycle...
The post Music Friday: ‘Golden Ring’ Reflects the Turbulent Real-Life Romance of George Jones and Tammy Wynette appeared first on Diamond Designs | Orange, CT Jewelry Store.