Friday, February 05, 2016

Music Friday: Reflective Justin Bieber Sings, 'If You Had a Diamond for All of Your Passion, Diamond for Your Dedication'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you superb songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, we have a reenergized and reflective Justin Bieber singing about seizing the moment and pursuing ones dreams in his uplifting treatise, "All In It."

bieber1

In this song co-written by Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd, Mark "The Mogul" Jackson, Mason "MdL" Levy and Josh Gudwin, Bieber reminds us that we all have potential to do great things — if we are willing to give 100%.

He sings, "If you had a diamond for all of your passion / Diamond for your dedication / You could be icy like cake / Icy for every occasion / Gotta go hard, yeah / That's all I'm condoning / Love is a component / You’re the only opponent / Gotta seize the moment."

"All In It" is featured as a bonus track on Bieber's 2015 album, Purpose. The album, which already has spawned three U.S Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers, has been a tremendous commercial and critical success. MTV called the album "lyrically revealing and sonically appealing." Fans agreed, as the album made its debut at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 522,000 copies in its first week of release.

For the 21-year-old Bieber, it's been a time for soul-searching after a tumultuous period of broken relationships and eyebrow-raising behavior. In the 18 compelling tracks of Purpose, Bieber admits his mistakes and challenges himself to be a better man.

The Canadian born Justin Drew Bieber made his mark on the music industry in 2007 as an adorable, fresh-faced 13 year old. Scooter Brown, the singer’s current manager, had spotted him on YouTube and was impressed by his talent and potential. With the permission of Bieber’s mom, Brown introduced the young man to singer-songwriter Usher, who soon became his mentor. Bieber was then signed by record executive L.A. Reid and the rest is Bieber history.

Bieber, who will turn 22 on March 1, is the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Forbes magazine named the young artist as one of the top 10 most powerful celebrities in the world in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He has more than 75 million “likes” on Facebook, 74.7 million followers on Twitter and 53.4 million followers on Instagram.

We hope you enjoy the audio track of "All In It." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along.

"All In It"
Written by Justin Bieber, Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd, Mark "The Mogul" Jackson, Mason "MdL" Levy and Josh Gudwin. Performed by Justin Bieber.

Don't do nothin' 'less your heart's in it
Heart's in it, heart's in it
Don't do nothin' 'less you're all in it
All in it, all in it

If you got a 20 for all of your tries
Twenty for all of the times
The times you got back up, whoa
Could be a billionaire in a year
That's how you gotta think 'til you're there
On the regular

If you had a diamond for all of your passion
Diamond for your dedication
You could be icy like cake
Icy for every occasion
Gotta go hard, yeah
That's all I'm condoning
Love is a component
You’re the only opponent
Gotta seize the moment

And don't do nothin' 'less your heart's in it
Heart's in it, heart's in it
Don't do nothin' 'less you're all in it
All in it, all in it
Come again each time
'Til the water runs dry
Oh don't do nothin' 'less you're all in it
All in it, all in it

Oh, oh
Oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh

If I had a guitar missing five strings
A guitar with only one string
I could only play one song, ooh
A simple melody
Simple enough to make the world sing
Strong enough to make your mood swing
You know what I mean

If you had a diamond for all of your passion
Diamond for your dedication
You could be icy like cake
Icy for every occasion
Gotta go hard, yeah
That's all I'm condoning
Love is a component
You're the only opponent
Gotta seize the moment

And don't do nothin' 'less your heart's in it
Heart's in it, heart's in it
Don't do nothin' 'less you're all in it
All in it, all in it
Come again each time
'Til the water runs dry
Don't do nothin' 'less you're all in it
All in it, all in it

Oh, oh
Oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh

All in it, all in it

See, growing up, I
I always felt like I had to be the best at everything
Cause I, I just didn't think I was good enough
And, and maybe if I was good at something that I'd get recognition from that but
I quickly found out that I wasn't gonna get the recognition that I wanted or that I needed because
Because people aren't perfect and by not being perfect you sometimes can disappoint people
And with God it's like he's perfect
And he never disappoints
So I just get my recognition from him
And give him recognition

Image credit: Instagram/JustinBieber

Thursday, February 04, 2016

Amethyst: Here Are 10 Fun Facts About February's Regal Birthstone

For centuries, historians and jewelry lovers alike have been enchanted by the mystique of amethyst, the official birthstone of February. A member of the mineral quartz family, amethyst radiates a wide array of regal purple hues ranging from sparkling lilac to sultry deep violet. Amethyst is associated with spirituality, sobriety, security and wisdom. It is also the zodiac stone for the constellation of Pisces.

amethyst1

The alluring gemstone has been the focus of many intriguing myths and legends throughout history. The name "amethyst" is derived from Greek, meaning "not drunken." According to Ancient Greek lore, the stone could ward off the intoxicating powers of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and intoxication, and keep the wearer clear-headed and quick-witted. The color purple was traditionally the color of royalty, and amethyst was used to adorn the richest and most powerful monarchs and rulers. The English revered the stone for its majestic properties — creating emblems and insignia featuring amethysts during the Middle Ages to symbolize royalty.

amethyst2

Historically, the highest-quality amethysts were found in Russia and were featured in royal European jewelry. While Brazil is now the primary source of this gemstone, fine-quality amethyst can also be found in parts of Zambia, Mexico, Uruguay, Italy, Germany, Canada, Maine, Colorado, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Cut gems of amethyst are often graded using the terms: Siberian, Uruguayan or Bahain, representing high, medium and low-grade stones regardless of the actual source. Due to patchiness of the color distribution in the crystals, amethyst is often cut as brilliant round finished gems to maximize the color.

10 Fun Facts About Amethyst
1. Amethyst is the birthstone for the month of February, and the official gem for Wednesday, Jupiter and those born under the sign of Pisces.
2. Amethyst is the official gemstone of the province of Ontario.
3. Amethyst has been used to symbolize deep love, happiness, humility, sincerity and wealth.
4. Amethyst was once revered as the "Jewel of the Gods.”
5. Amethyst rings are traditionally worn by Bishops; some believe that amethyst brings good luck to petitioners.
6. Farmers believed wearing amethyst would protect their crops from hailstones and locusts.
7. The Hebrew word for amethyst is "ahlamah,” meaning "dream;” the stone was said to cause dreams and visions… and if you dream of amethyst, you will be free from harm.
8. Amethyst was the emblem for Matthew, one of the Twelve Apostles.
9. Leonardo da Vinci believed amethyst had the power to control evil thoughts, to quicken intelligence, and to make men shrewd in business matters.
10. Prasiolite, a rare dark green variety of quartz, is sometimes (wrongly) called green amethyst.

Credits: Photo of a large cushion-cut amethyst from the National Gem Collection, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Photo by Chip Clark. Amethyst geode by Didier Descouens (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Wednesday, February 03, 2016

Pizza Hut Marks Big Game's Golden Anniversary With Pizza Glistening in Edible Gold

Pizza Hut is celebrating the golden anniversary of the Super Bowl with a special pizza glistening in edible gold.

pizza1

Fifty lucky fans who order a Stuffed Garlic Knots Pizza on the day of the big game, Sunday, February 7, will be surprised when a Pizza Hut delivery person drives up with a special-edition gilded version topped with $100 worth of edible 24-karat gold. The pizza will be presented in a specially designed golden box along with a $100 Pizza Hut Gold Card. Carryout and dine-in customers are also eligible to win.

Super Bowl Sunday is the year's biggest single day of pizza consumption in the U.S., according to Ad Age. Pizza Hut expects to deliver well over two million pizzas this Sunday, a jump of 80% to 90% from a typical day.

pizza2

"It's not every day that the Golden Anniversary of the Big Game is played in the Golden State, so we felt it was only appropriate to celebrate with a limited-edition Golden Garlic Knots Pizza," said Jared Drinkwater, Pizza Hut's vice president of marketing, in a statement.

You don't have to order the $12.99 pizza to be eligible to win the gilded version. It's also possible to enter by emailing the Pizza Hut PR team between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. EST on February 7. Entries can be earned by sending an email with the subject line “Golden Garlic Knots Pizza Giveaway” to PR@PizzaHut.com with your complete name, mailing address, date of birth, and phone number (including area code). Each email will immediately trigger a winning or losing result.

Sadly, the promotion is limited to residents of only seven states: Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana and West Virginia.

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube; Pizza Hut.