Music Friday: Gold Is a Metaphor for the Exuberance of Youth in Sabrina Carpenter's 'We'll Be the Stars'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you new songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, 16-year-old Disney darling Sabrina Carpenter sings about letting go of fears, pursuing dreams and feeling invincible in "We'll Be the Stars."

As the lead single from Carpenter's 2015 debut album, Eyes Wide Open, "We'll Be the Stars" uses "gold" as a metaphor for the exuberance of youth.

She sings, "We are young, we are gold / Trying things we didn't know / Looking at the sky, see it come alive / All our fears became our hopes / Climbed out every locked window / We rode the lion's mane and fell upon the rain."

Interestingly, the gold/youth connections of "We'll Be the Stars" are present in a number of other songs, including "Stay Gold" by Stevie Wonder and "Stay Gold" by First Aid Kit. Each of those songs is inspired by Robert Frost’s eight-line poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay.”

In that poem, which was originally published in 1923, Frost writes about striving to hold onto the wondrous, pure, innocent and exciting “goldenness” of youth.

He begins with these two lines, “Nature’s first green is gold / Her hardest hue to hold” and ends with these, “So dawn goes down to day / Nothing gold can stay.”

"We'll Be the Stars" was released in January 2015 and made its radio premiere on Radio Disney. Carpenter's debut album topped out at a respectable #29 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

The Pennsylvania-born singer-actress launched her career in 2011 with a guest role on NBC's drama series, Law & Order: SVU. In January 2013, Carpenter was cast as Maya Hart in the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World.

Please check out the video of Carpenter's entrancing acoustic version of "We'll Be the Stars." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along.

"We'll Be The Stars"
Written by Steven Solomon, Skyler Stonestreet, Cameron Walker. Performed by Sabrina Carpenter.

We are young, we are gold
Trying things we didn't know
Looking at the sky, see it come alive
All our fears became our hopes
Climbed out every locked window
We rode the lion's mane and fell upon the rain

We can reach the constellations
Trust me, all our dreams are breaking out

No, we're never gonna turn to dust,
Yeah, all we really need is us
Don't be scared to close your eyes
No, we're never gonna die, we'll be the stars
Oh, no, we're never gonna step too far
Yeah, we're holding on to who we are
When it's time to close your eyes
They will see us in the sky,
We'll be the stars!

Oh ooh ooh oh oh
We'll be the stars!
Oh ooh ooh oh oh
We'll be the stars!

Let me in, hold me close
Fill my heart with simple notes
So when it's hard to see,
They are there, reminding me
Take my breath, and hold me high
So I can feel the city lights
Glowing under me
It's in our reach, we're breaking out

No, we're never gonna turn to dust,
Yeah, all we really need is us
Don't be scared to close your eyes
No, we're never gonna die, we'll be the stars
Oh, no, we're never gonna step too far
Yeah, we're holding on to who we are
When it's time to close your eyes
They will see us in the sky,
We'll be the stars!

Oh ooh ooh oh oh
We'll be the stars!
Oh ooh ooh oh oh
We'll be the stars!

We can reach the constellations
Trust me, all our dreams are breaking out

No, we're never gonna turn to dust,
All we really need is us
We'll be the stars

Oh, no, we're never gonna step too far
Yeah, we're holding on to who we are
When it's time to close your eyes
They will see us in the sky,
We'll be the stars!

Oh ooh ooh oh oh
We'll be the stars!
Oh ooh ooh oh oh
We'll be the stars!

Oh ooh ooh oh oh
We'll be the stars!
Oh ooh ooh oh oh
We'll be the stars!

Image: Video captures via YouTube.

New Law Opens Door for Commercial Mining of Precious Metals on Asteroids, the Moon and Other Planets

Science fiction is now science fact.

President Barack Obama signed a new law that allows U.S. space miners to extract and sell the precious metals they find on asteroids, the moon and other planets. 

The U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act paves the way for companies, such as Redmond, Wash.-based Planetary Resources, to start planning for commercial prospecting trips to explore what is estimated to be trillions of dollars worth of untapped resources, especially gold, platinum and palladium. The company expects to launch the first space-mining missions before the end of this decade.

“This is the single greatest recognition of property rights in history,” Eric Anderson, Planetary Resources' co-founder and co-chairman, said in a news release. “This legislation establishes the same supportive framework that created the great economies of history, and will encourage the sustained development of space.”

Although the law does not allow for companies to claim, say, an asteroid, for their own, miners may keep anything they obtain from their exploration and mining.

Chris Lewicki, president and chief engineer of Planetary Resources, has his eyes on the 13,000 asteroids whose orbits approach the Earth. They range in size from a few yards to hundreds of miles across.

This past July, for example, a small asteroid containing $5.4 trillion in platinum flew within 1.5 million miles of this planet. The summer fly-by sparked speculation of how asteroids could be captured and brought into orbit around our Moon, making it easier for crews to extract the precious metal in a more controlled way.

“This is how something turns from science fiction into science fact," Lewicki told Arizona Public Media, "and we are right in the middle of it now.”

Asteroids could one day be a vast new source of scarce material in a world of ever-increasing demand. In addition to gold, platinum and palladium, asteroids likely contain other valuable materials, such as silver, iridium, osmium, rhenium, rhodium, ruthenium, tungsten, iron, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, aluminium and titanium.

“The natural resources of our Solar System have great potential to facilitate and support our human endeavors, both in outer space and on Earth," said Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX). "Commercial space companies in the United States are making significant investments to develop technical capabilities that will allow us to explore and use outer space resources. This bill enables this new industry and provides guidance for future entrepreneurs.”

Images: Screen captures via planetaryresources.com; NASA (public domain).

Color Experts at Pantone Pick Rose Quartz and Serenity Blue as 2016's Blended Color of the Year

For the first time ever, the color experts at Pantone have blended two shades — Rose Quartz and Serenity Blue — to create its 2016 Color of the Year. Together, the mineral pink and tranquil blue combine to communicate a sense of wellness and peacefulness, with a dash of gender equality.

Noted Pantone, "Rose Quartz is a persuasive yet gentle tone that conveys compassion and a sense of composure. Serenity is weightless and airy, like the expanse of the blue sky above us, bringing feelings of respite and relaxation even in turbulent times."

On its website, Pantone is displaying a short video showing the two colors flowing seamlessly into each other. This transition back and forth from pink to blue represents “societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity," according to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

Each year, the color authorities at Pantone pick a color that they believe will be popular for designs and products in the coming year. Typically, Pantone’s annual selection shows up in fashion, beauty, housewares, home and industrial design and consumer packaging.

A year ago, Pantone disappointed the masses with its choice of Marsala, a brownish-red hue resembling high school cafeteria mystery meat.

This year's colors — which are formally designated as PANTONE 13-1520 and PANTONE 15-3919 — were greeted with enthusiasm by a leading jewelry-industry publication.

"The shades, Rose Quartz (yay! My pick!) and Serenity Blue, are ideal for the jewelry industry," wrote Brittany Siminitz of JCK. "The blue reads as a chalcedony to me, touched with an almost purplish hue, while the pink, like its name, resembles rose quartz."

A New York Times columnist offered a more tepid review...

"Admittedly, choosing the most clichéd gender colors can seem a bit simplistic," wrote Vanessa Friedman in the Times, "but Pantone has a broad constituency to manage; this is not about the cutting edge, but the big middle."

Here’s a list of the previous Pantone Colors of the Year…

PANTONE 18-1438 Marsala (2015)
PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid (2014)
PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald (2013)
PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango (2012)
PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle (2011)
PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise (2010)

PANTONE 14-0848 Mimosa (2009)
PANTONE 18-3943 Blue Iris (2008)
PANTONE 19-1557 Chili Pepper (2007)
PANTONE 13-1106 Sand Dollar (2006)
PANTONE 15-5217 Blue Turquoise (2005)
PANTONE 17-1456 Tigerlily (2004)

Images via Pantone.com.

John Dyer's 'Internal Fire' Takes First Prize at Idar-Oberstein Gem-Cutting Competition

A "hauntingly beautiful" flame-shaped Brazilian citrine — conceived and meticulously faceted by American John Dyer — took first prize at the 46th German Award for Jewellery and Precious Stones. The awards ceremony took place in Idar-Oberstein on November 27.

Judges unanimously gave top honors to Dyer's "Internal Fire," an 88.17-carat red-orange gem that measures 52.6mm (2.07 in.) long by 20mm (.78 in) wide. The competition's theme was "Light My Fire," and Dyer's interpretation was right on point.

Explained Dyer, "The theme 'Light My Fire' didn’t immediately suggest anything to me so I prayed, asking God for inspiration about what to cut. From there on, it was an unfolding process."

The master gem cutter, who has won nearly 50 cutting awards since 2002, believed that an orange gem would fit the "fire" theme best.

"With this in mind, I searched through my stock of rough, and one deep orange citrine stood out," he said. "Once I had ground it clean, it was indeed a flame shape and so the process of cutting the gem was begun."

Dyer revealed that the look of a flame is achieved by the use of a unique faceting pattern on the underside of the gem.

"It has little flame-shaped internal facets on the back, which reflect light individually with varying intensities so that they look like flames shooting upwards as the gem is moved," he said.

The original rough gemstone weighed 335.50 carats, and the end product represented about one-quarter of that weight. The Edina, MN-based Dyer explained that the rough gem also yielded about 18 finished carats of smaller gems from sawn off pieces. The cutting process took four days.

One judge called the gem "hauntingly beautiful." Another said it was "a perfect gem which leaves no questions unanswered, executed with knowledge... The striking use of light refraction distinguishes this sensual yet powerful competition piece.”

The prestigious biennial competition in Idar-Oberstein brings together the work of top gem cutters from around the world. Judges consider the concept, realization of the theme and quality of craftsmanship to determine their winner.

Below are other impressive works from Dyer's portfolio...

46.22ct Bolivian ametrine in a StarBrite™ round cut.

6.82ct Sherry zircon in a Regal Radiant™ cushion cut. Mined in Tanzania or Kenya.

16.58ct Oregon sunstone in a ZigZag cut.

11.52ct Blue topaz StarBrite™ cut.

A 3.17ct StarBrite™ cut oval pink spinel.

3.82ct Afghani tourmaline rectangle with concave faceting.

Credits: "Internal Fire" gem photo by Lichtblick Foto-Design, Hiltrud & Jürgen Cullmann of Schwollen, Germany; Other photos by Priscilla Dyer, John Dyer & Co.

 

Wreck of 300-Year-Old Spanish Galleon Packed With $17B in Gold Coins and Jewelry Discovered Off Colombian Coast

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos excitedly tweeted Friday that the holy grail of all treasure shipwrecks — the Galleon San José — was found near the port city of Cartagena.

Loaded with 11 million gold coins and other riches from the Spanish-controlled colonies, the Galleon San José was sunk by a British warship in 1708. The treasure could be worth upwards of $17 billion, one of the largest amounts ever lost at sea.

The soon-to-be recovered gold coins of the Galleon San José are likely to look like these specimens salvaged from a 1715 Plate Fleet wreck off the coast of Florida.

"Great news!" the president tweeted in Spanish. "We have found the San José galleon."

Santos said during a news conference on Saturday that the discovery was made on November 27 with the assistance of an international team of experts. Although he said the exact location of the wreck remains a state secret, the Associated Press is reporting that that ship was believed to have sunk along the coral reefs near Colombia's Baru peninsula, about 16 miles south of Cartagena.

The Colombian president added that the discovery of the Galleon San José "constitutes one of the greatest — if not the biggest, as some say — discoveries of submerged patrimony in the history of mankind." The recovery effort is expected to take years.

He also noted that a museum would be built in Cartagena to exhibit the ship's historic bounty.

The Galleon San José, one of three ships that was on its way to Spain with riches obtained in the Nueva Granada colony, now Colombia, was reportedly carrying 200 tons of gold, silver, emeralds and jewelry when it was intercepted by The Expedition, a British ship that opened fire on the galleon. Most of the crew of 600 were killed in the attack. The Galleon San José was part of Spain’s royal convoy taking colonial gold to King Philip V during the War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714).

The wreck was discovered at a depth of 1,000 feet by an unmanned submersible vehicle. Fitted with video equipment, the research submarine was able to transmit indisputable visual evidence that the wreck was, indeed, that of the Galleon San José.

The discovery and salvage rights of the Galleon San José have been the focus of a 34-year legal battle. Back in 1981, a U.S.-based salvage company called Sea Search Armada (SSA) had claimed that it had found the wreck and sought to recover the treasure.

SSA was seeking a 50 percent stake, but two years after the claim, Colombia's government overturned a well-established maritime law that typically awarded 50 percent to whoever located a shipwreck. This effectively slashed Sea Search's take to a 5 percent "finder's fee" and sparked lawsuits in both the U.S. and Colombia, according to the Associated Press. An American court dismissed the case in both in 2011 and 2015. SSA claimed that the Colombian courts ruled in favor of the salvage company.

Jack Harbeston, managing director of SSA, told CNN in a written statement that the government of Colombia "keeps repeating the Big Lie (which is unfortunately repeated by the press) that the government of Colombia "won the case" in Federal District court and SSA had lost its rights to the treasure. Nothing could be further from the truth."

In his press conference, President Santos did not mention the salvage company's lawsuit and noted that the ship was found in a never-before-referenced location using new meteorological and underwater mapping studies, according to the Associated Press.

Credits: National Maritime Museum; Facebook/1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels, LLC; Twitter/Juan Manuel Santos; Google Maps; Twitter/24 Horas.