Music Friday: Folk-Rock Legend Gordon Lightfoot Sings, ‘She’s More Than Money, She’s 14-Karat Gold’

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today we have folk-rock legend Gordon Lightfoot singing “14 Karat Gold,” a song that uses a precious metal metaphor to convey how much he cares about the woman in his life.

The song’s reprise contains this memorable line: “She's more than money / She's 14 karat gold.”

“14 Karat Gold” is the first track on Lightfoot’s 15th original album, titled Shadows. Prior to its 1982 release, the Canadian singer/songwriter provided radio stations with an interview album that offered his commentary on each of the tracks.

Lightfoot described “14 Karat Gold” as a surrealistic song about human relationships. “What it says is that you don't know everything there is to know, about everybody else, or about each other, or about anything for that matter,” he commented. “But [the song is] saying that you appreciate your lady in very positive terms.”

“14 Karat Gold” was apparently one of Lightfoot’s favorite performance pieces. “The song works extremely well on stage,” he said, “because I’ve sung it many times.”

Often referred to as Canada’s greatest songwriter, Lightfoot's music career has spanned more than five decades. The 76-year-old has produced more than 200 recordings, including the chart topping “If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Sundown" (1974), "Carefree Highway" (1974), "Rainy Day People" (1975) and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976). He has written songs for prominent artists, such as Bob Dylan, Dan Fogelberg, Jimmy Buffett and Jim Croce.

Check out the YouTube audio track of Lightfoot's “14 Karat Gold.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

"14 Karat Gold"
Written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot.

If you see me smile don't think I'm acting strange
I got my just reward for all my pains
If you see me on the TV talking proud
Please understand if I don't talk too loud

Step around and dance a bit
Polish up the dice
Set 'em loose and let 'em roll
This is my advice
Keep your mind a mystery
Running hot 'n cold
She's more than money
She's 14 karat gold

If you wonder why I'm acting up this way
Gonna cash my chips I'm leaving town today
I got more love than I could ever spend
So long, farewell, good-bye, this is the end

Step around and dance a bit
Polish up the dice
Set 'em loose and let 'em roll
Be as cool as ice
Keep your mind a mystery
Running hot 'n cold
She's more than money
She's 14 karat gold

If you get hit by the bug that bit on me
If you get caught with something soft and sweet
If you get found with something you can't waste
Then listen bud, let me give you a taste

Step around and dance a bit
Polish up the dice
Set 'em loose and let 'em roll
This is my advice
Keep your mind a mystery
Running hot 'n cold
She's more than money
She's 14 karat gold. Sold.

Step around and dance a bit
Polish up the dice
Set 'em loose and let 'em roll
Be as cool as ice
Keep your mind a mystery
Running hot 'n cold
She's more than money
She's 14 karat gold

Image via Gordonlightfoot.com

San Francisco Giants Awarded 2014 World Series Rings; Ceremony Marks Third Championship in Five Years

The San Francisco Giants received their giant-sized, diamond-encrusted championship rings on Saturday night at a festive pre-game ceremony commemorating their 2014 World Series victory over the Kansas City Royals. It was the team's third championship in five years.

The celebration offered tradition with a twist — with four skydivers parachuting into AT&T Park to deliver the first rings to executive vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy.

Giants announcer Duane Kuiper, an emcee for the ceremony, spoke about the significance of the championship rings. "Baseball has many, many traditions. Many are good. Some are great. But this ring ceremony may be the very best of them all. It's the one thing every professional athlete wants — a championship ring. Something they can hold on to, and something they can show off,” he said.

The striking rings were designed and created by Tiffany & Co. to honor the 2014 World Series winners, the 2012 and 2010 championship teams, and the five titles won by the franchise while in New York.

The Giants issued a statement detailing the rings' components. “The face of the 14k white gold championship ring features the San Francisco 'SF’ logo set in 18k yellow gold with 55 round melee diamonds. A bezel reading 'World Champions’ is highlighted along both sides of the ring. The top bezel is set with three round diamonds and the bottom bezel is set with five round diamonds, representing the three championships in the last five years and the eight total franchise world championships. One side of the ring features the player’s name and number with the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. The other side celebrates the franchise’s three recent World Series trophies.”

"We are thrilled to celebrate with the City of San Francisco and the Giants on another championship season," said Victoria Reynolds, group director of business sales for Tiffany & Co. “We are honored to have created the last three championship rings, which pay tribute to the Giants' dedication and performance on and off the field."

Second baseman Joe Panik proudly shared a photo in which he and his fiancée, Brittany Pinto, posed with his 2014 World Series bling. He captioned the photo, "What a special day! So proud to be a Giant!"

"It was a big day today with the guys getting their rings," noted Giants manager Bruce Bochy. “They all loved them, too. They're beautiful rings, it's just a great night. It was good to see these guys smiling, and it reminded them that they are the World Champions."

The team announced that a personalized World Series ring would be raffled off to benefit the Giants Community Fund. Raffle tickets and information are available online at sfgiants.com/ringraffle. Tickets are available until June 21. The winner will be announced on June 23.

Credit: Tiffany; Instagram/Joe Panik

‘Perfect’ 100.20-Carat Emerald-Cut Diamond Fetches $22.1 Million at Sotheby’s New York

A 100.20-carat D-flawless diamond — one of only six 100-carat-plus “perfect” diamonds to hit the auction block in the past 25 years — fetched $22.1 million at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels event in New York yesterday.

The final price was halfway between the auction house’s $19 million to $25 million pre-sale estimate.

The emerald–cut diamond’s per-carat price of $220,558 is a bit lower than the per-carat achievements of two similar behemoths sold in 2013: The 101.73-carat Winston Legacy fetched a record $262,830 per carat, and the 118.28-carat Spectacular Oval Diamond rated narrowly behind at $258,708 per carat.

Still, the $22.1 million selling price of yesterday’s show-stealer was impressive. The winning bid was submitted via telephone, and both the buyer and seller chose to remain anonymous. The bidding process took a mere three minutes.

The previous owner sacrificed exactly one-half of the original 200-carat rough diamond to yield the 100.20-carat flawless gem. The cutting and polishing process took more than one year to complete. The rough diamond was mined by De Beers in South Africa within the past 10 years, according to Sotheby’s.

The diamond is set in a simple platinum ring, size 6 1/2.

“This 100.20 carat diamond is the definition of perfection,” commented Gary Schuler, Head of Sotheby’s Jewelry Department in New York. “The color is whiter than white. It is free of any internal imperfections, and so transparent that I can only compare it to a pool of icy water.”

Before being put up for bid, the diamond starred in a multi-city tour, which included stops in Dubai, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, London and Doha.

Photos courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Nicki Minaj Sparks Engagement Rumors by Sharing Photo of Huge Heart-Shaped Sparkler; Ring’s Value Estimated at $500K

Nicki Minaj had Instagram fans buzzing last week after posting a photo of herself with fellow rapper Meek Mill in front of a luxury sports car in Miami. Minaj then teased fans on Twitter, coyly posting emojis of a diamond ring, a yellow heart, and plain diamonds with the line, “I’ll post it later.” Later, she shared the bling – a spectacular yellow heart-shaped diamond ring on her left ring finger, sparking rumors that she and Mill are engaged.

Pascal Mouawad, of Los Angeles’ Mouawad Jewelers, tells Page Six the retail value of the ring could be as much as $500,000. “It is most likely a custom ring made especially for her,” he added, also speculating there could be more than 100 total diamonds in the ring.

"This looks like a 15-carat fancy yellow heart modified brilliant cut diamond mounted in platinum with a double halo of white pavé diamonds," said jewelry expert Morgan Shara of MASbisjoux jewelry. Shara told E! News, "This would retail for approximately $500,000.” Shara added that the ring "looks like the natural fancy colored diamond trend that is continuing full steam ahead."

According to Hip Hop DX, after photos of Nicki Minaj’s ring were posted, pro boxer Floyd Mayweather’s girlfriend, Bad Medina, posted a picture of a similar ring — inciting a snarky response from Mill.

The 32-year-old multi-platinum superstar rapper/singer of “Super Bass,” “Starships” and “Anaconda” fame has transcended genres, consistently commanding at the top spot of numerous music charts, including Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop, and Dance/Mix. Her third studio album, The Pinkprint, was released on Dec. 15.

Minaj and Mill, 27, had been spotted around town in recent months holding hands. In January, Page Six reported spotting the couple dining at the trendy Red Stixs in Manhattan. Minaj insisted, however, that the friendship was strictly platonic.

We’ve reported here on many big, bold and beautiful celebrity engagement rings. Back in February, Lady Gaga accepted a dazzling heart-shaped engagement ring on Valentine’s Day. The ring was designed by Lorraine Schwartz and features the letters T and S separated by a heart symbol on the band to represent Taylor loves Stefani (Lady Gaga's real name). The ring’s value was estimated to be $500K.

While neither Minaj nor Mill has confirmed their engagement, a source told E! News the pair were definitely getting married and that Minaj's supersize bling cost $500,000. Minaj broke up with Safaree Samuels in 2014.

Photos: Instagram