Music Friday: Anti-Glam Pop Sensation Lorde Has ‘Never Seen a Diamond in the Flesh,’ But Her Song ‘Royals’ Just Went Double Platinum

Emerging from the obscurity of a “torn-up” town near Auckland, New Zealand, 16-year-old Lorde — who, according to her hit, “Royals,” has never seen a diamond in the flesh — is now the hottest performer on the planet.

The chart-topping song, which has numerous jewelry, gemstone and precious metal references, has gone double-platinum and majestically sits this week at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also hit #1 in Canada, Ireland and New Zealand.

“Royals” is a song with mixed messages. While on the surface Lorde takes an anti-glam sledge hammer to the material excesses of music celebrities, she also secretly aspires to be a star. Certainly, her catchy chorus emphasizes her homespun roots: “We’ll never be royals (royals) / It don't run in our blood / That kind of luxe just ain't for us.”

But later in the song, she admits that even though she and her friends don’t come from money, they’re driving Cadillacs in their dreams.

In the final line of the song, “Let me live that fantasy,” Lorde seems to be resigned to the fact that stardom is not in the cards for her. Little did she know that two weeks before her 17th birthday “Royals” would be edging out Katy Perry’s “Roar” and Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” for the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The painfully shy Lorde, who was born Ella Yelich-O'Connor, made an appearance on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” earlier this month. Although she sang beautifully and was well receive by the audience, she was awkwardly unprepared when the bubbly host went to hug and congratulate her after the performance. See the video at the end of this post…

"Royals"
Written by Lorde and Joel Little. Performed by Lorde.

[Verse 1]
I've never seen a diamond in the flesh
I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies
And I'm not proud of my address,
In a torn-up town, no postcode envy

But every song's like gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin' in the bathroom
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room,
We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams.
But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece.
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.
We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair.

And we'll never be royals (royals).
It don't run in our blood,
That kind of luxe just ain't for us.
We crave a different kind of buzz.
Let me be your ruler (ruler),
You can call me Queen Bee
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule.
Let me live that fantasy.

[Verse 2]
My friends and I—we've cracked the code.
We count our dollars on the train to the party.
And everyone who knows us knows that we're fine with this,
We didn't come for money.

But every song's like gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin' in the bathroom.
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room,
We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams.
But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece.
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash
We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair

And we'll never be royals (royals).
It don't run in our blood
That kind of luxe just ain't for us.
We crave a different kind of buzz.
Let me be your ruler (ruler),
You can call me Queen Bee
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule.
Let me live that fantasy.

Ooh ooh oh
We're bigger than we ever dreamed,
And I'm in love with being queen.
Ooh ooh oh
Life is great without a care
We aren't caught up in your love affair.

And we'll never be royals (royals).
It don't run in our blood
That kind of luxe just ain't for us.
We crave a different kind of buzz
Let me be your ruler (ruler),
You can call me Queen Bee
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule.
Let me live that fantasy.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian Make It Official; Rapper Rents Out a Stadium to Propose to Reality Star With 15-Carat Flawless Diamond

Hollywood power couple Kim Kardashian and Kanye West made it official Monday when the rapper proposed to the reality star on her 33rd birthday with a 15-carat cushion-cut D-flawless diamond said to be worth upwards of $6 million.

Everything about the proposal was over the top, as the rapper gathered many of Kardashian's friends and family in San Francisco and rented out the entire AT&T Park stadium (yes, where the baseball Giants play). On the electronic scoreboard in centerfield was this simple, emphatic request flashing over and over: "Pleeease Marry Meee!!!"

A 50-piece orchestra, which was assembled on the field, played Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful” while West asked for Kardashian’s hand.

Celebrity jeweler Lorraine Schwartz, who is reportedly a close friend of the Kardashian family, designed the platinum ring. If you’re getting a feeling of déjà vu it’s for good reason. Kardashian’s previous engagement ring from pro basketball player Kris Humphries was also a Schwartz design.

A rep for Schwartz told E! Online that West was involved in the design process every step of the way. "He had a vision from the beginning. He looked at a lot of stones and he wanted only the best," said the rep. "He and Lorraine emailed back and forth, and stayed up nights discussing how he wanted it to be. He wanted the diamond to look like it was floating on air."

A Kardashian insider, who has seen the ring up close, said the design is traditional and the metal is minimized so the diamonds can take the spotlight.

Famously, Humphries was awarded Kardashian’s previous engagement ring as part of a divorce settlement and sold it earlier this month for $749,000 at a Christie’s auction. That ring featured a 16-carat center stone with an I color and VS1 clarity.

During the divorce proceedings, a Kardashian family insider told Radaonline, “Kim only gave [it] back after she got [pregnant] with Kanye’s baby and boasted, ‘Kris can have the ring back because Kanye is going to give me a flawless diamond engagement ring that makes my previous ring look like [a] Cracker Jack prize!’”

It turns out the belittled “Cracker Jack prize” is slightly larger than West’s selection, but if the new ring is, in fact, colorless and flawless, it is far more valuable than Humphries' ring.

We’re certain that the made-for-primetime San Francisco engagement extravaganza will be shown on the Kardashian’s reality show, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”

Besides her famous 72-day marriage to Humphries in 2011, Kardashian was also married in 2000 to music producer Damon Thomas. The couple was divorced in 2003. Kardashian and West began dating in April 2012 and welcomed their first baby, North, in June of 2013.

Indian Archaeologists Start Dig After Holy Man Dreams of 1,000 Tons of Gold; Hoard Could be Worth $40 Billion

Acting on the divine vision of a respected Hindu guru, Indian archaeologists began excavating the ancient Unnao fort in the village of Daundia Khera on Friday in a quest to find 1,000 tons of gold worth more than $40 billion.

Swami Shobhan Sarkar told Indian authorities that he dreamt that a huge cache of gold was buried under the fort of former King Raja Ram Bux Singh. The king was an Indian martyr who fought the British during the country’s struggle for independence in 1857 and has long been associated with local stories of hidden treasure.

The charismatic guru had written to the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, a few weeks earlier, explaining that the late king came to him in his dreams and asked him to not only find the treasure but hand it over to the government of India. The $40 billion bounty would be used to help India through these difficult economic times.

“The dead ruler's spirit has been roaming the palace and asking for the gold to be dug up. It is a hidden treasure for the country," Sarkar said.

Apparently, the guru’s credibility warranted immediate action. A 12-person team from the Archaeological Survey of India was sent to survey the area and begin the excavation of two 100-square-meter blocks.

Before the digging started, Sarkar performed prayers and marked out the points to be excavated by the archaeological team, the Press Trust of India reported. The digging, which will be conducted mostly by hand, could take 20 laborers a month to complete.

Deepak Chaudhary, a supervisor at the dig, told India Today that "drilling machines had hit something that seemed different from earth" about 20 meters under the soil. "We can establish it's the treasure only after we dig that deep,” he said.

Thousands turned up at the site as the news of the buried bonanza spread. The district administration quickly beefed up security, banned access into the fort premises and assembled barricades to control the movements of curious onlookers.

Since reporting his initial prediction, Sarkar also announced his vision of second suspected gold burial site. The swami believes there is a 2,500-ton pile of gold (worth $100 billion) beneath a temple in the same region.

The new claim has attracted vandals and illegal digging at the site, with some treasure-hunters having already dug up nine different spots in search of the gold, according to the Hindustan Times.

Actress Hayden Panettiere Takes a Lead Role in Designing Her Dazzling 6-Carat Emerald-Cut Diamond Engagement Ring

Just two weeks after confirming her secret engagement to Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko, actress Hayden Panettiere told E! News that she took a lead role in designing her dazzling 6-carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring. Sporting a distinctive split-shank setting and a diamond-pavé band, the ring is estimated to be worth $500,000.

"I designed it with Montblanc," she said. "They made me this amazing book where they did a bunch of sketches. I told them my idea over time, and tweaking things here and there, it came to fruition."

After a bit of prodding on the October 9 edition of LIVE With Kelly and Michael, the petite five-foot-one-inch Nashville star finally admitted that she and her hulking six-foot-six-inch boyfriend were engaged.

"There's a very large diamond ring on your ring finger,” noticed co-host Kelly Ripa. “I'm not sure if you want to announce anything. Does that signify anything? Is that a promise of something?"

“It might be,” Panettiere said coyly, with a giant snake draped over her shoulders. “I think it speaks for itself.”

The 37-year-old boxer and the 24-year-old starlet met at a charity event and starting dating in 2009. They broke up in 2011, but rekindled their romance this past spring. “It’s like the 2.0 version,” Panettiere told Glamour magazine. It’s believed the couple has been unofficially engaged since March.

Klitschko retained his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles on October 5 by outpointing previously undefeated Alexander Povetkin.

The pair has no wedding plans yet, due to Panettiere's busy schedule. The second season of Nashville currently airs Wednesday nights on ABC.

Supermodel Candice Swanepoel Will Don the $10 Million Jewel-Encrusted ‘Royal Fantasy Bra’ at the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

South African supermodel Candice Swanepoel will have the honor of wearing the $10 million, jewel-encrusted “Royal Fantasy Bra” at this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

The bra-and-belt combination designed by Mouawad features 4,200 precious gems, including intricate patterns of diamonds, sapphires and rubies meticulously set in 18-karat yellow gold. The centerpiece of the bra is a stunning 52-carat pear-shaped ruby dangling from a diamond bow.

"It’s a substantial bra, but it’s not terribly heavy," the 24-year-old Swanepoel told ELLE.com. "It was created from a mold of my body, so it’s quite comfortable... I think [wearing] it will actually give me more confidence! Who wouldn’t have a stronger walk with a $10 million bra?"

This is Swanepoel’s first time wearing the coveted bra, which is always presented as the final look at Victoria’s Secret’s runway shows. This year’s installment will be televised internationally on December 10.

Victoria’s Secret has been unveiling extraordinary fantasy bras since 1996, when supermodel Claudia Schiffer sported the “Million Dollar Bra.” Swanepoel joins a veritable Hall of Fame of internationally acclaimed models who have worn the prized lingerie.

They’ve included Alessandra Ambrosio (who sported the $2.5 million Floral Fantasy Bra last year), Tyra Banks, Gisele Bündchen, Heidi Klum, Miranda Kerr, Adriana Lima and Claudia Schiffer.

Despite its $10 million price tag, the “Royal Fantasy Bra” is not the priciest fantasy bra of all time. That designation goes to the $20 million "Red Hot Fantasy Bra," a jeweled bra-and-panty set worn by Gisele Bündchen in 2000.

Even though every Victoria's Secret fantasy bra has been for sale, not a single one has been purchased. Typically, each is dismantled, stone by stone, at the end of the season.