Music Friday: Mika Celebrates Youth in His 2009 Teen Anthem, 'We Are Golden'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, English singer Mika performs his uplifting 2009 teenage anthem, "We Are Golden," a celebration of youth that encourages young people to dream big and acknowledge how awesome they are.

Mika told The Daily Mail how the song came together. "I lost myself in a teenage world," he said. "[The song is] about trying to convince yourself that you're special."

He also revealed to The Sun that the song was inspired his own experiences of being bullied in school. "I was thinking how things were as a teenager," he said. "I worried about surviving into my 20s. That song is dark but it's also saying, 'I'm going to survive.'"

Mika chants, "We are not what you think we are / We are golden, we are golden / We are not what you think we are / We are golden, we are golden."

The terms "we are gold" and "we are golden" come up frequently in popular music. Because of the precious metal's impressive characteristics, songwriters use "gold" as a metaphor for someone or something that is untarnished or pure.

Music buffs may remember Joni Mitchell using this phrase in "Woodstock," her 1970 classic. She sings, "We are stardust / We are golden / And we've got to get ourselves / Back to the garden." The garden, in this case, is symbolically the Garden of Eden.

"We Are Golden" was released as the first single from Mika's second studio album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much. The song charted in more than 20 countries and was featured in TeenNick promos during the fall of 2009. It was also used as the theme song for Fox's broadcast of the 2009 Teen Choice Awards.

Born Michael Holbrook Penniman, Jr., the 32-year-old British singer/songwriter stylized his name as MIKA. He got his big break in 2007 when he was named the #1 breakthrough act in a BBC poll of music critics.

Please check out the video of Mika's high-energy performance of "We Are Golden." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"We Are Golden"
Written and performed by Mika.

Teenage dreams in a teenage circus
Running around like a clown on purpose
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?
No givin' up when you’re young and you want some

Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running

Waking up in the midday sun
What’s to live for?
You could see what I’ve done
Staring at emotion
In the light of day
I was running from the things that you’d say

We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden
We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden

Teenage dreams in a teenage circus
Running around like a clown on purpose
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?
No giving up when you’re young and you want some

Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running
Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running

I was a boy at an open door
Why you staring
Do you still think that you know?
Looking for treasure
In the things that you threw
Like a magpie
I live for glitter, not you

We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden
We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden

Teenage dreams in a teenage circus
Running around like a clown on purpose
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?
No giving up when you’re young and you want some

Now I’m sitting alone
I’m finally looking around
Left here on my own
I’m gonna hurt myself
Maybe losing my mind
I’m still wondering why
Had to let the world let it bleed me dry

We are not what you think we are
We are not what you think we are
We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden

Teenage dreams in a teenage circus
Running around like a clown on purpose
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?
No giving up when you’re young and you want some

Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running
Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running

We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden

Credits: YouTube screen captures.

Diamond and Sapphire-Encrusted $4 Million Sneakers to Be Auctioned for Charity

Encrusted with hundreds of carats of white diamonds and blue sapphires, this $4 million pair of customized Li-Ning Way of Wade 4s are the most expensive sneakers in the world.

Dan Gamache of Mache Custom Kicks collaborated with luxury lifestyle brand Bicion to design this one-of-a-kind footwear fantasy that will be auctioned to raise money for Soles4Souls. Since 2006, the charity has donated 26 million pairs of shoes and sneakers to underprivileged children in 127 countries.

Named after Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade, the shoes feature diamonds and sapphires set in 18-karat gold on the back heel logo, tongue logo and midsole. They even come with a solid gold hang tag and a custom display case with an 18-karat gold base and LED lighting.

The customized Way of Wade sneakers have been dubbed "The Fire Monkey," a tribute to the Chinese Year of the Monkey, a year that represents prosperity, new business ventures and ambition. In Chinese tradition, the lucky monkey hails the chrysanthemum as its flower of choice. The custom sneakers incorporate a gemstone-adorned flower pattern reminiscent of the chrysanthemum.

"In a time when celebrities have increasing power, the fact that the Bicion team has chosen to put that influence to good use is amazing," Soles4Souls CEO Buddy Teaster told popsugar.com. "Their donation to Soles4Souls will literally put shoes on the feet of hundreds of thousands of people in the year ahead."

"Doing custom sneakers for what seems like forever, it always seems hard to top the last project," Gamache said about his partnership with Bicion. "This is something different, something special. To have the opportunity to design and create the most expensive sneaker in the world is a humbling opportunity. But to know that this sneaker will help put shoes on children's feet across the globe is an amazing feeling. It makes my work and everything I have ever done worth it."

Images via Bicion; YouTube screen captures.

Average Engagement Ring Spend Edges Up to $5,871, Reports The Knot

The average amount spent on an engagement ring in the U.S. edged up to $5,871 in 2015, according to The Knot's ninth annual Real Weddings Study. That number rose only a touch from 2014's average cost of $5,855. The engagement ring is the second-highest-priced item on an average couple's list of wedding expenses. Only the reception venue, at $14,788, rated higher.

The Knot reported that weddings continue to be one of the most important — and most expensive — events in couples' lives. Overall, brides and grooms spent $32,641 on their weddings in 2015, and that tally doesn't include the honeymoon. The cost of the average wedding is up about $1,400 compared to last year and by more than $5,500 over the past five years. That increase was driven by a number of key categories: reception venue (+$1,950), ceremony site (+$652) and reception band (+$545).

Other key findings from the survey include the following:
• The most expensive place to get married is Manhattan ($82,299), while the least expensive is Alaska ($17,361).
• The most popular month to get engaged is December (16%).
• The average length of an engagement is 14.5 months.
• The most popular months to get married are October (17%) and September (15%).
• The average marrying age of the bride is 29 and the groom is 31.
• Manhattan has the oldest brides (32.8 years) and the oldest grooms (35.4 years).
• On average, the bride's parents contribute 44% of the overall wedding budget, while the bride and groom contribute 43% and the groom's parents pitch in 12%. "Others" account for 1% of the budget.
• The average number of guests at a wedding is 139, down from 149 in 2009.
• The average cost per wedding guest is $237, up from $194 in 2009.
• 40% of couples had a family member or friend officiate their ceremony, compared to 29% in 2009.

Here are the average costs of key bridal services: reception band ($3,833), photographer ($2,618), florist/décor ($2,300), ceremony site ($2,089), wedding/event planner ($1,996), videographer ($1,824), wedding dress ($1,469), rehearsal dinner ($1,296), reception DJ ($1,171), transportation ($792), ceremony musicians ($703), wedding cake ($575), invitations ($445), groom's attire and accessories ($269), favors ($267), officiant ($266), wedding day hair styling ($114) and wedding day make-up ($95).

The popular wedding planning website also revealed that couples are using their mobile devices to find the vendors who will create their perfect event. Exactly 89% of couples reported using their smartphones to help plan their wedding.

The 2015 Real Weddings Survey captured responses from nearly 18,000 U.S. brides and grooms married between January 1 and December 31, 2015.

Credits: Bridal couple shot via BigStockPhoto.com; Infographic courtesy of The Knot.

NY Mets Earn National League Championship Rings Blazing With 110 Diamonds and 42 Sapphires

The defending National League Champion New York Mets returned to Citi Field on Thursday to host their home opener and to claim the spoils of their unlikely run to the 2015 World Series — impressive white gold rings featuring 110 diamonds and 42 blue sapphires.

Even though they eventually fell to the Kansas City Royals in five games, the Mets were proud of a season that saw the team go on a late-season surge to overtake the Washington Nationals to win the East Division, and then knock out the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs in the playoffs.

Created by Jostens, the 10-karat white gold National League Championship rings feature the team's iconic NY logo fashioned from 42 round sapphires. The logo is set atop an infield base path surrounded by a field of pavé-set diamonds. The words "NATIONAL LEAGUE" and "CHAMPIONS" surround the top and bottom of the ring in raised white gold against a black ground. In all, the ring has a total gem weight of 2.75 carats.

"[The] guys were excited to get the rings," manager Terry Collins said. "That's what you play for. I know these guys are getting paid and they're getting paid a lot of money, but when you can win a ring, that means it's extra special."

Mets team captain David Wright noted that although a second-place ring is nice, the real goal is capturing a World Series ring. "I think all of us will wear that proudly,” Wright said. “At the same time, it’s time to move on. We want that first place ring, so I think it kind of reminds you that there is still work to be done."

Adorning both sides of the players' rings are the iconic arches of Citi Field, which are patterned after the brick exterior of historic Ebbets Field, where the Brooklyn Dodgers played from 1913 to 1957.

One side of the ring features the player's name above a silhouette of the New York skyline, overlaid with the Mets script logo that sits atop an image of the Brooklyn Bridge. The player's number is featured below the bridge.

The other side features the National League Championship Series (NLCS) logo and the Major League Baseball logo surrounded by the words "NEW YORK" and the championship year 2015.

The inside of the ring is inscribed with the years of the Mets' five National League championships (1969, 1973, 1986, 2000 and 2015) set next to a silhouette of the Warren C. Giles National League Trophy with NEW YORK etched above the trophy.

About 750 people in the Mets organization received a National League Championship ring. Notably absent from that group was Steven Boldis, the long-time Mets mascot, Mr. Met. Boldis, who has worn the mascot costume for 15 years, was publicly miffed by the snub. The New York Daily News reported that the Mets organization denied the ring because the mascot worked only half of the minimum number of hours to qualify.

On May 29, the first 15,000 fans to arrive at Citi Field will receive a replica of the Mets' 1986 World Series ring.

Credits: Ring photos courtesy of Jostens. Mr. Met photo via Facebook/New York Mets.

Largest Pear-Shaped Pink Diamond Ever Offered at Auction Comes to Sotheby's Geneva in May; Gem Could Fetch $38M

The largest pear-shaped fancy vivid pink diamond ever offered at auction is expected to fetch upwards of $38 million when it headlines Sotheby's Geneva sale in May.

Known as the "Unique Pink," the 15.38-carat gemstone's impressive size, superb color and stunning clarity puts it in the top echelon of the finest pink diamonds of all time.

"It is difficult to imagine a diamond that better illustrates the term 'vivid pink' than this outstanding stone," noted David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby's International Jewelry Division. "The color is simply astonishing and, for its size, it is in my experience truly unique."

The record for the highest price ever paid at auction for a fancy vivid pink diamond is currently held by the 24.78-carat emerald-cut "Graff Pink," which was sold by British billionaire Laurence Graff for $46.2 million at Sotheby's Geneva in 2010.

Although the Unique Pink is expected to yield a $8 million less than the Graff Pink, it should outperform the highly acclaimed “Sweet Josephine,” a cushion-shaped fancy vivid pink diamond weighing 16.08 carats that was purchased by Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau for $28.5 million at Christie’s Geneva in 2015.

In addition to receiving the Gemological Institute of America's highest possible color grading, the Unique Pink also earned a Type IIa rating, reflecting its "exceedingly pure structure."

The rough diamond that yielded the Unique Pink was cut and polished by the New York-based Cora International, known worldwide for its expertise in handling large sizes and vivid fancy colors. Noted the GIA: “Although nature is largely to thank for the Unique Pink’s most striking and unusual attributes, the work of its cutter must not go unnoticed. The task of polishing the valuable rough crystal into the sparkling gem it is today required tremendous skill.”

Pink diamonds are also extraordinarily rare. The GIA reports that of all the diamonds submitted for grading each year, only 3% are colored diamonds. Of that grouping, only 5% are predominantly pink.

Because of this rarity, wealthy investors have sought pink diamonds for their portfolios. According to the Fancy Color Research Foundation, since January 2005, pink diamonds have risen in value by more than 350%. Over that same period, gold, by comparison, has risen by just over 160% and the S&P 500 gained 66%.

Sotheby's set the pre-sale estimate for the Unique Pink at $28 million to $38 million. It will be the top lot of the auction house's Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale, which is set to take place on May 17 in Geneva.

The Unique Pink already has completed two legs of a three-city promotional tour that included Hong Kong and London. The gem will appear in New York from April 15-19.

Credits: Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s; screen capture via Sothebys.com.