Music Friday: Ray Stevens Launched His 60-Year Career With a Song About a 'Silver Bracelet'

Welcome to Music Friday when we often bring you golden oldies with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, we climb into our Wayback Machine and transport ourselves 60 years into the past, where a 17-year-old Ray Stevens has just signed a deal with Capitol Records' subsidiary, Prep Records.

For his first single, the teenager releases "Silver Bracelet," which tells the story of a simple, yet significant, piece of jewelry that symbolizes his devotion to his new girlfriend. Penned by Stevens, the song is an adorable look at love from the young man's point of view.

He sings, "A silver bracelet / My silver bracelet / This simple token I do give / A silver bracelet / My silver bracelet / To show my love will ever live."

He goes on to describe how he had his girlfriend's name engraved on the front and his on the back: "Turn it over there is mine / Forever let it shine."

Stevens wrote about the origin of "Silver Bracelet" on his official website. His family had moved to Atlanta in 1956, and while still in high school, Stevens (then Ray Ragsdale) got his first big break when he met radio personality and Georgia Tech football broadcaster, Bill Lowery.

"He was looking for talent to write songs," he wrote. "I went out to his house and I said, ‘My name is Ray Ragsdale and I’m going to learn to write songs for you.’ He said, ‘Okay lad, go to it.’"

Stevens continued, "I borrowed a little tape recorder from a friend. I got the key to the lunch room, which also served as the assembly hall, from the principal. The room had a very high ceiling and a piano on a little stage. I went there one Sunday by myself and made a demo of a song that I and a friend had written called, 'Silver Bracelet.' I took it to Bill and he liked it. He called Ken Nelson at Capitol Records, who was coming to Nashville a lot during those days to produce records. Ken liked the song and signed me to a contract with Prep Records.”

The success of "Silver Bracelet" helped launch a stellar career that has seen the artist release more than 40 studio albums and 93 singles. His two most popular tunes were "The Streak" (1974), a novelty song about streaking, and "Everything Is Beautiful," a 1971 Grammy winner for Song of the Year.

Born in Clarksdale, Ga., in 1939, Stevens started piano lessons at the age of six. His mom insisted he practice at least an hour each day. At 15, he sang and played piano in a band, the Barons, and they performed all over the area for the American Legion, the Elks and private parties.

Please check out this rare audio track of "Silver Bracelet." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Silver Bracelet"
Written and performed by Ray Stevens.

A silver bracelet
My silver bracelet
This simple token I do give
A silver bracelet
My silver bracelet
To show my love will ever live

I had your name engraved on the front
In letters of my heart's design
Turn it over there is mine
Forever let it shine

Wear my bracelet, please wear my bracelet
Wear it proudly on your arm
So everyone can see
Your heart belongs to me

Whoa, don't ever lose my silver bracelet
My silver bracelet
This simple token I do give
A silver bracelet
My silver bracelet
To show my love will ever live

Cherish this token
Though small it may be
May it always remind you of me
Let no other take my place
Let none my name erase

This tiny trinket is such a small part
Of the love I hold in my heart
Won't you say you love me too
No one else will ever do
Whoa, don't ever lose my bracelet
Silver bracelet

Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

Swiss Lab Reveals 'Game-Changing' Nanotechnology That Can Trace the Origin of Emeralds

In what has been labeled as a "true game-changer" for the colored-gemstone market, a Switzerland-based laboratory is using DNA-based nanoparticles to mark emeralds with an invisible imprint that will provide proof of their origin anywhere along the supply chain.

The particles, which are smaller than 100 nanometers in size, will be applied to rough emerald crystals at mining sites. The particles are so small that they can only be seen with an electron microscope. A human hair, by comparison, is 100,000 nanometers wide.

Gübelin Gem Lab explained that the particles will remain intact throughout the cleaning, cutting, polishing and setting processes. What's more, they will have no effect on the appearance or properties of the gemstones. For now, Gübelin will be focusing on emeralds because the particles are able to adhere to the natural fissures unique to the gemstone.

“This technology offers all stakeholders along the entire supply chain, from the miner to the final customers, proof of the exact source of emeralds, instilling confidence and creating trust,” said Daniel Nyfeler, Gübelin’s managing director. “It enables a new level of transparency for the gemstone trade.”

Gübelin is calling its ground-breaking traceable technology the "Emerald Paternity Test" due to the fact that each mine will have a unique DNA tag.

Partnering with Gübelin to test the nanotechnology is Gemfields, the London-based majority owner of Kagem, the world’s largest emerald mine in Zambia.

“Embracing innovation, technology and increased transparency is at the heart of our approach," noted Ian Harebottle, chief executive officer of Gemfields. "We were therefore thrilled to assist Gübelin in the testing of this new technology, and we are very excited about the outcome as it offers a multitude of benefits to the industry and the consumer.”

Credit: Photo by Parent Géry (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons.

Australia Post Set to Release Eye-Catching Series of Gem Stamps

On Thursday, Australia Post will release a dazzling collection of colorful stamps illustrated with native gemstones — the golden sapphire, pink diamond, rhodonite and fluorite. The stamp issue is titled "The Rare Beauties: Extraordinary Gemstones."

What all four gems have in common is that they are housed in the mineral collection of the Australian Museum in Sydney.

"Australian gemstones are admired and valued worldwide," noted Australia Post Philatelic Manager Michael Zsolt. "We trust these beautiful and striking stamp designs will appeal to everyone, especially collectors and gemstone enthusiasts."

Australia Post clarified that two of the gemstones — the golden sapphire and the pink diamond — represent stones that are cut and polished to be used in precious jewelry, while the rhodonite and fluorite are valued more often as "collector stones."

The 7-carat golden sapphire shown on the $1 stamp has been in the Australian Museum collection since 1984. The original rough stone was mined near Anakie, Queensland.

“The color is intense and the stone is quite large," gem specialist Gayle Sutherland said in an interview with Australia Post Collectables. "It’s a stunning stone. The cut has emphasized the depth of color, while ensuring the stone is lively and brilliant. This stone comes from an area in central Queensland that is renowned for its fine golden sapphires.”

One of the two $2 stamps honors Australia's role as the world's most prolific supplier of pink diamonds. The material comes primarily from the Argyle Mine in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is believed that pink diamonds owe their color to the effects of intense pressure and heat while they were still deep within the earth. These factors caused distortions in the diamond’s crystal lattice that influence the way the diamond absorbs green light, thus reflecting a pink hue.

The rhodonite shown on the $1 stamp became part of the Australian Museum collection in 2002. Weighing more than two carats, the material from which it was cut came from Broken Hill, New South Wales.

"The rhodonite is remarkable for its rich red color combined with transparency," said Sutherland, who co-wrote a prestige booklet as part of the stamp issue. "Rhodonite is commonly a pink, opaque material suitable for carving. This stone is from... one of the few places in the world where rhodonite of such quality has been found. This material is now only available from old collections.”

Australia Post noted that the fluorite on the $2 stamp is a perfectly faceted stone weighing 147 carats. It was cut in 2001 from a rough gem that has been part of the Australian Museum collection since 1918. The material originated at Rumbsy's Mine in New England, New South Wales.

"The fluorite is a gemstone for collectors," added Sutherland. "Its beauty is fragile, and this stone needs particular care whenever handled and displayed."

The release of the gemstone stamps is perfectly timed to coincide with the dates of the Melbourne 2017 International Stamp Exhibition, which is scheduled to run from March 30 to April 2.

The four stamps were designed by Gary Domoney of Visua, a Melbourne-based visual communication and brand strategy agency.

Credits: Images courtesy of Australia Post.