One way to avoid inheritance battles is to sell your jewelry so no problems come after you die. Just leave cash and sell your treasures. (Sounds great, but unfortunately we don't know when we're going to die, so if this sounds like a good idea to you, don't wait!)

Jenny McCarthy, the high-energy co-host of “The View,” thrilled her studio audience and three million viewers at home yesterday when she showed off a huge yellow sapphire-and-diamond ring and announced she was engaged to singer Donnie Wahlberg. Do you like the ring? http://susaneisen.thejewelerblog.com/

Music Friday: Christina Perri Looks for a Ticket to a Higher Place in Her New Single, ‘Burning Gold’

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great new songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, we feature “Burning Gold,” the second single off of Christina Perri’s latest album, Head or Heart.

In this song about pursuing one’s dreams and looking for a ticket to a higher place, Perri “sets fire” to the remnants of her past until what remains is “burning gold.”

The song, which she co-wrote with Kid Harpoon, was inspired by Perri’s decision as a 20-year-old to move from her home in Philly to pursue a musical career in Los Angeles.

In an interview with Radio.com, Perri said, "A lot of times our dreams aren't where we grew up. We have to go find them… I would not stop until my life was burning gold, which I think it is now."

Perri revealed to Billboard magazine that “Burning Gold” almost didn’t happen. She was at “gnarly point” in her career when she wasn’t enjoying music anymore. Perry was finishing up a tour of the U.K. when her manager insisted that she meet with songwriter Harpoon. Reluctantly, she agreed, and the collaboration — which took place at four in the morning — netted “Burning Gold.” She said the song was “birthed” in 20 minutes and represents a “whole new sound” for her.

If “Burning Gold” sounds familiar it could be because the 27-year-old songstress performed the song live this past Monday on NBC’s TODAY Show, which was seen by four million viewers. A clip of that performance is included at the end of this post. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Burning Gold”
Written by Christina Perri and Thomas Hull (Kid Harpoon). Performed by Christina Perri.

Looking for an exit in this world of fear
I can see the path that leads away,
Momma never left and Daddy needs me here,
I wish the wind would carry a change.

I'm setting fire to where I gotta go,
Let's start a fire everywhere that we go,
We started fires,
We started fires 'til our lives were burning gold,
'Til our lives were burning gold.

I've had enough,
I'm standing up,
I need, I need a change.
I've had enough,
I'm chasing life,
I need, I need a change.

I'm setting fire to where I gotta go,
Let's start a fire everywhere that we go,
We started fires,
We started fires 'til our lives were burning gold,
'Til our lives were burning gold.

Looking for my ticket to a higher place
I can see my chance begin to fade,
One step forward into back again,
I wish the wind would carry a change.

I've had enough,
I'm standing up,
I need, I need to change.
I've had enough,
I'm chasing life,
I need, I need to change.

I'm setting fire to where I gotta go,
Let's start a fire everywhere that we go,
We started fires,
We started fires 'til our lives were burning gold,
'Til our lives were burning gold.

Looking back I see, I had flame in me,
I'm the wind that's carrying the change.

I've had enough,
I'm chasing life,
I need, I need to change.

I'm setting fire to where I gotta go,
Let's start a fire everywhere that we go,
We started fires,
We started fires 'til our lives were burning gold,
'Til our lives were burning gold.

I'm setting fire to where I gotta go,
Let's start a fire everywhere that we go,
We started fires,
We started fires 'til our lives were burning gold,
'Til our lives were burning gold.

No Joke: Pet Frog Scarfs Engagement Ring, Undergoes Tricky Medical Procedure to Give It Back

A 10-year-old pet frog named Croak is making international news for scarfing the engagement ring of his owner’s fiancée after she accidentally dropped it on the kitchen table.

The enormous and handsome frog, who is considered a family member by Russian Roman Livane, was allowed to roam free for a short time while Livane cleaned his glass aquarium, according to The Daily Mail. Reluctantly watching over the mischievous amphibian was Livane’s future bride, Kristina.

As Croak sat on the kitchen table, the two eyed each other as Kristina played with her diamond engagement ring. But then the unthinkable happened when Kristina accidentally dropped her ring on the table. Croak shot out this tongue and scarfed it on one bounce.

“I admit things got a bit strained when I asked her to look after him,” Livane, a resident of Yekaterinburg, told The Daily Mail. “She dropped [the ring] and it fell towards the table where my frog was sitting, and as quick as a flash [Croak] snapped the ring out of the air and swallowed it.”

Livane and his fiancée took Croak to a veterinarian who took X-rays of the frog’s anatomy to determine exactly where the ring ended up.

Dr. Julia Malyshev deemed it necessary to remove the ring by a tricky medical procedure during which the doctor would use a special hook-like device to enter the frog’s mouth and then fish the ring out of his stomach. The strategy worked and the ring was cleaned and returned to Kristina.

“I have had him for almost 10 years. He's like part of the family,” Livane said of his trouble-making frog. “My girlfriend Kristina is the only girlfriend I have ever had that also likes frogs, so we are a perfect partnership.” The couple plans to wed at the beginning of August.

Back in September of 2013, we reported on an equally misbehaved pet cockerel that pecked a diamond stud earring from his owner’s earlobe.

Fearing the risks related to surgery, the bird’s owners from Berkshire, U.K., decided to leave the earring in the bird’s gizzard, where it will likely stay until the end of the bird’s life — about seven years from now.

Frog images: via DailyMail.co.uk, uncredited

Tana Clymer, the vivacious Oklahoma teenager who unearthed a jelly bean-sized 3.85-carat canary yellow diamond at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park in October, recently sold the gem for $20,000. The bonanza will be used to help pay for college. Much more at our blog. http://susaneisen.thejewelerblog.com/

Sotheby’s Geneva is set to auction the 100.09-carat Graff Vivid Yellow, one of the largest fancy vivid yellow diamonds in the world. Boasting a “sensational daffodil yellow” color and described as “exceptionally beautiful with extraordinary fire and brilliance," the gem is estimated to fetch $15M to $20M. Much more at our blog. http://susaneisen.thejewelerblog.com/

‘Bachelorette’ Andi Dorfman’s Gets Her Man and a $100,000 Double-Halo Diamond Ring

More than 7.5 million Bachelorette fans watched Andi Dorfman accept a marriage proposal and a $100,000 double-halo diamond engagement ring from Josh Murray in the romantic two-hour Season 10 finale.

The ring features a 3-carat oval diamond surrounded by 154 round accent stones. The platinum band is also delicately studded with diamonds. The tiered halo design is a new variation of the popular halo setting.

The ring style came as little surprise to the 27-year-old Atlanta Assistant District Attorney. She revealed to ABC News that when she and Murray, 29, were holed up in the Bachelorette fantasy suite they spent some time talking about bridal jewelry.

"It's a pretty big deal,” Dorfman told ABC News. “I might as well tell him [what I want] if we're getting engaged! Normal couples would go ring shopping or talk about it, so I'm like, 'Round, halo, maybe triple shank.’"

Photo: Twitter

Although the ring does not have a triple shank and the center diamond is not round, Murray did comply regarding the halo design. “It is nice and big," Murray said of the Neil Lane design. "I wanted to make sure it was the perfect ring for her."

Series host Chris Harrison could barely contain his excitement on “After the Final Rose,” stating, “Holy cow, that ring! That is large. The boy did very well.”

Of course, contestants do not purchase their own engagement rings on the Bachelorette. They are paid for by the show. Couples get to keep the ring if they stay together at least two years, according to People magazine.

During the finale, Dorfman had to choose between Murray, a former pro baseball player from Atlanta (her own hometown), and Nick Viall, a software sales executive from Chicago. In the end, it was the Southern gentleman who won her heart.

While they expect to wed in the spring of 2015, the odds of the couple making it to the altar are very slim. Only two of the 18 Bachelor couples and two of the nine Bachelorette couples have taken their nuptial vows. Two couples from previous seasons are still engaged, but not yet married.

Auction House Withdraws Jim Brown’s 1964 Title Ring After Hall of Famer Claims It Was Stolen From Him 40+ Years Ago

The 1964 NFL Championship ring of Jim Brown, widely considered the finest running back to ever play the game, was withdrawn from an online auction after the Hall of Famer claimed the ring was stolen from him more than four decades ago.

Despite setting numerous pro football records that may never be broken, the 78-year-old Brown won only one championship ring, and now that he knows where it is, he wants it back.

In a suit filed in a Manhattan federal court, Brown claims that sports memorabilia specialists Lelands, Bohemia, N.Y., refused to return the yellow gold and diamond ring that he reported stolen in the late 1960s.

In the publicity building up to the sale, Lelands called Brown’s ring “one of the most important sports pieces ever sold” and “without a doubt the finest football piece ever to reach the market.” As a sports ring, Lelands claimed, “it is rivaled only by Babe Ruth's 1927 New York Yankees World Series ring.”

Lelands, which had received bids as high as $30,275 before removing the ring from its online auction, had intended to sell it to the highest bidder by July 25.

The company claimed on its website that the ring had been obtained legally from a Brown family member and previously sold by Lelands in 1998. In that auction’s preview, Lelands noted that Brown himself inspected the ring and acknowledged its authenticity.

"That's a lie. I never spoke to anyone from there about the authenticity of the ring and I never would have given that ring to a family member," Brown told cleveland.com.

On its web site, the auction firm explained why the ring was taken down… “While we regret this controversy with Mr. Brown, who we personally admire as a great athlete, his claims are entirely without merit and we intend to vigorously defend against them. The provenance and chain of title for the ring are indisputable. After a successful resolution of this matter, we will sell the ring at one of our future auctions.”

During the auction, Lelands.com had outlined the ring’s history and ownership. “The provenance and chain of title is well documented: Jim Brown to family member to Lelands to Cleveland Sport Collection auction buyer back to Lelands.com and now to you.”

In the 1964 NFL title game, which pitted the game’s best runner—Brown—against the game's best quarterback—Johnny Unitas—the Cleveland Browns blanked the Baltimore Colts 27-0. It was the last time a Cleveland sport franchise—in any sport—won a championship. Brown averaged 5.2 yards per carry and ran for 12,312 yards during his nine seasons.

Photos of Jim Brown: Screen capture NFL.com; Phil Konstantin/Wikimedia Commons; Ring photos: Lelands.com

Music Friday: The sky is a "coat of diamonds" in Paul Simon’s doo-wop-inspired “Bernadette” from his 1998 Broadway production of “The Capeman.” Simon picked this song as one of his favorites. Critics called it "mysterious" and "beautiful." Enjoy his duet with Marc Anthony at our daily blog. Click link. http://susaneisen.thejewelerblog.com/

The search for the Holy Grail may be over. Two historians claim that the jewel-encrusted golden chalice displayed in Spain’s San Isidro Basilica is the actual cup shared by Jesus Christ and his Apostles during the Last Supper. The bling was added later. See more photos and the full story at our daily blog. Click link, LIKE and SHARE. http://susaneisen.thejewelerblog.com/

Mississippi Prince Charming Reenacts Scene From ‘Cinderella’ to Deliver Fairy Tale Marriage Proposal

With his beautiful girlfriend, Taylor Townsend, dressed as Cinderella at center stage, a handsome Seth Conerly in full Prince Charming regalia entered slowly from the back of the Jackson Prep auditorium singing “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful.” By the end of the reenactment of the iconic scene from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Conerly was on bended knee proposing to the love of his life with a diamond solitaire ring presented in a glass slipper.

Townsend accepted the ring to the delight of family and friends in the audience, and with the couple still embracing, the student performers of the ballroom scene surprised the audience by quickly transitioning into the sassy choreography of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).”

The 10:52 video of the amazing proposal, which took place on July 18, already has gained national media attention and is going viral on YouTube. It was the culmination of months of planning, during which Conerly, a student pastor, enlisted the help of friends from Venture Church in Hattiesburg.

Conerly chose Cinderella as the theme of the proposal because of Townsend’s deep ties to the character. When she attended Jackson Prep years earlier, she played the title role. During a visit to New York City in March, Conerly and Townsend saw Cinderella on Broadway.

"It was one of those moments where everything hit me all at once like a lightning bolt,” Conerly told WLBT/WDBD. “It all lined up perfectly because Taylor had played the part of Cinderella… when she was in high school. "

In the video, we can see Townsend pulling up to the venue and being greeted by her brother, who escorts her inside. In the lobby, she sees a Cinderella gown along with a note that invites her to try on the gown and attend the ball. It's signed: Prince Charming.

After changing into the gown, her brother escorted her into the auditorium, where the main aisle was decorated with original comic-book-style artwork created by Conerly. Each drawing was based on a theme or headline supplied by Townsend. Under the title: “If You Had $1,000,000,” he drew a huge sparkly diamond ring.

"I was so excited with how it all turned out and even more excited that Taylor loved it!" Conerly told WLBT/WDBD. "Above all else, I wanted to make Taylor feel truly loved and cherished; she is more than I could have ever hoped for or imagined!”

In the end, Conerly said the elaborate proposal was certainly worth the effort. “The least I could do... for the woman of my dreams is to draw a few pictures, sing a song and wear a goofy costume,” he concluded.

The couple is planning a Valentine’s Day 2015 wedding. See the viral video below. It runs nearly 11 minutes, and be sure to have some Kleenex on hand.

Images: YouTube