Friday, August 16, 2019

Music Friday: Matt Palmer Promises to Let You Shine in 2010's 'Diamond Love'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, singer-songwriter Matt Palmer tries to convince the girl of his dreams to jettison her current boyfriend because he is taking her for granted in the 2010 release, "Diamond Love." The Los Angeles-based pop/R&B artist tells her she's a diamond in the rough and that he will let her shine.

The chorus goes like this: "You're one of a kind / You take a lifetime, a lifetime to find / You're a diamond in the rough / Baby you should be mine / And I'll let you shine / You're my diamond lover."

To Palmer, the term "diamond lover" represents a girlfriend who is perfect in every way.

Later in the song, he compliments the young woman by comparing her to "the perfect sapphire" and "the most beautiful ring." He also says she's like "silver and gold."

Penned by Palmer, "Diamond Love" was released as the first track from his Let Go album.

Palmer was born in Atlanta and started writing songs at the age of 14. As a teenager, the young performer released a 14-track disc, which helped him get into New York University's highly competitive Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music. In August 2008, the artist won SongwriterUniverse.com’s Song of the Month contest.

“I grew up loving Mariah Carey, Babyface, Michael and Janet Jackson, and I’m currently really inspired by Years & Years, MNEK and Disclosure,” Palmer recently told The Huffington Post. He went on to describe his music as “very melodic and vocal-driven pop, with an R&B influence.”

Please check out Matt Palmer's audio track of "Diamond Love." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Diamond Love"
Written and performed by Matt Palmer.

How long has it been
Since he started taking you for granted
It's gotta be a sin
And nobody wins
I can't believe I let him have it
Girl you must not know, oh
How far you could go, oh
Without him riding on your coat
You should shake him off
Tell him to get lost
It's 'bout time you know

2X
You're one of a kind
You take a lifetime, a lifetime to find
You're a diamond in the rough
Baby you should be mine
And I'll let you shine
You're my diamond lover

The best that I've seen
Straight out of my dreams
The perfect sapphire
A piece saved for me
The most beautiful ring
With me girl you can fly
Girl you must not know, oh
How far you could go, oh
Without him riding on your coat
You should shake him off
Tell him to get lost
It's 'bout time you know

3X
You're one of a kind
You take a lifetime, a lifetime to find
You're a diamond in the rough
Baby you should be mine
And I'll let you shine
You're my diamond lover

And if you could see my love
All the things we could be my love
We could walk out across the ocean
Part the seas my love
And if you could know my love
You're like silver and gold my love
When I'm with you girl I lose all control, my love

3X
You're one of a kind
You take a lifetime a lifetime to find
You're a diamond in the rough
Baby you should be mine
And I'll let you shine
You're my diamond lover

Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Wilensky Gallery Curates Spectacular Collection of Natural Emerald Specimens

The Wilensky gallery in New York City has assembled a spectacular collection of natural emerald specimens — each one of museum quality and preserved in its crystal form.

“Important emerald stones and jewelry can be found in every gem collection around the world," said Stuart Wilensky, President of Wilensky. "The same cannot be said about exceptional natural emerald specimens. We estimate that there are less than 25 in the world that would qualify. Of those 25, half of them are here on exhibit.”

One of the most fascinating specimens in the exhibit was unearthed at the famous Muzo Mine in Colombia. The piece, which is borrowed from the Rice Northwest Museum, displays a rare group, or spray, of emeralds. More than 20 emeralds fan out from the matrix. It is one of the world's most significant examples of this phenomenon.

“It is a rewarding experience to be able to see so many of the great uncut emeralds, from so many mines and found over so many years, indeed centuries and millennia, in one place," said Gene Meieran, President of the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals. "Like a gathering of Rembrandts or Van Goghs, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Titled "Magnificent Emeralds: Fura’s Tears,” the exhibition will take place at Wilensky's gallery in Manhattan's Chelsea art district and will run from September 26 through December 30, 2019.

Fura's Tears is a reference to a figure in ancient Colombian mythology. Legend states that the Muzo creator God, ARE (also spelled Ar-e), formed two figures on the shore of the sacred Minero River. One was male (Tena) and the other was female (Fura). The Muzo people believed Fura and Tena were the parents of humanity and legend states that the tears of Fura became emeralds. Today, the Fura and Tena mountains, as well as a bountiful source of fine emeralds in the region, are the lasting symbols of that ancient culture.

Credits: (From top to bottom) Emerald on calcite, Coscuez Mine, Boyaca, Colombia. Rice Northwest Museum Collection; "The Yamile." Emerald on calcite from the Coscuez Mine, Boyaca, Colombia. Collection of Ms. Lyda Hill; Emerald crystal from the Muzo Mine, Colombia. Dr. Eugene Meieran Collection; Emerald on calcite from the Coscuez Mine, Boyaca, Colombia. From the Dr. Stephen Smale Collection. All images by Evan D'Arpino via PRWeb.com.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Largest Pink Diamond Ever Mined in Russia Goes on Display in New York

The largest pink diamond ever mined in Russia is on display in New York City this month. The ultra-rare 14.83-carat fancy vivid purple-pink diamond was mined in 2017 and cut and polished into an oval shape by Alrosa, one of the world's largest producers of diamonds. When unearthed from the Ebelyakh deposit in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the gem-quality raw stone weighed 27.85 carats, the size of a large almond, and was almost free of inclusions.

"The unique characteristics of the diamond make it an extraordinary, rare stone of high value.” said Evgeny Agureev, director of Alrosa's United Sales Organization. The mining company is conducting private viewings of the stone at its New York office through August.

Before this find, the largest pink diamond mined by Alrosa was a 3.86-carat stone found in 2012. In the last eight years, the company has only recovered three pink diamonds weighing over two carats.

“Pink diamonds... are considered to be the rarest and most precious of all, and the size and clarity of this specimen makes it one of the best to be discovered anywhere in the world in recent years,” added Yury Okoyemov, Deputy CEO of Alrosa. “I am sure that this diamond will be the most expensive in the history of Russia’s gem-cutting industry.”

Alrosa accounts for about 25 percent of global diamond production and 95 percent of all diamonds mined in Russia. It operates more than 20 diamond deposits located in Yakutia and the Arkhangelsk Region. According to the company, colored diamonds weighing more than 10 carats are recovered approximately once a year.

Rare fancy pink diamonds have consistently set records at auction. The Pink Promise, an oval-shaped, 14.93-carat fancy vivid pink diamond, was sold in 2017 by Christie’s Hong Kong for 32.5 million, or $2.2 million per carat. The Pink Legacy, an 18.96-carat fancy vivid pink diamond, sold for $50.4 million in 2018 at the Magnificent Jewels auction at Christie’s in Geneva. It was renamed The Winston Pink Legacy by its new owners at Harry Winston. The sale set a record price per carat ($2.6 million) for a pink diamond sold at auction.

Bloomberg recently reported that the closing of the Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia in 2020 could drive the price of pinks even higher.

Credit: Image courtesy of Alrosa.