Music Friday: Coldplay's Chris Martin Learns He Doesn't Have to Possess Achilles' Gold to Get a Shot at True Love

Hey, it's Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. When "Something Just Like This" was released earlier this year, the lyric video set a YouTube record with more than 9 million views in 24 hours. To date, that video has been seen an astonishing 686 million times.

A collaboration of The Chainsmokers and Coldplay, "Something Just Like This" uses a precious metal reference to tell the story of a young man who discovers that he doesn't have to possess superhuman qualities to get a shot at true love.

In the first verse, Coldplay's frontman Chris Martin compares himself to legendary heroes and faces the harsh reality that he doesn't stack up.

He sings, "I've been reading books of old / The legends and the myths / Achilles and his gold / Hercules and his gifts / Spiderman's control / And Batman with his fists / And clearly I don't see myself upon that list."

Fortunately for him, his girlfriend is logical, level-headed and more realistic about what is really important in a relationship.

Martin sings her response, "I'm not looking for somebody / With some superhuman gifts / Some superhero / Some fairytale bliss / Just something I can turn to / Somebody I can kiss / I want something just like this."

Written by members of both The Chainsmokers and Coldplay, "Something Just Like This" became an international sensation when it was released in February of 2017. The song charted in 38 countries, and topped out in #3 spots on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian Hot 100 lists.

Andrew Taggart of The Chainsmokers told New Musical Express (NME) how the song magically came together during a studio session.

"We found some chords that everyone loved and then Chris plugged a mic into the PA in the studio and freestyled for an hour. This song was the result," Taggart said. "We've never seen a song written in such a stream of conscious. It's hard to maintain your identity when working with such an established artist, but we feel this song is a great balance between both us and Coldplay."

The song was released by both bands. It was the second single from The Chainsmokers' debut album Memories... Do Not Open. A live version, recorded in Tokyo, appeared as the first single from Coldplay's Kaleidoscope EP.

"Something Just Like This" was premiered with a remarkable live performance at the 2017 BRIT Awards. The video of that performance has earned more than 27 million views on YouTube and can be seen below. Here are the lyrics if you'd like to sing along...

"Something Just Like This"
Written by Andrew Taggart, Guy Berryman, Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion. Performed by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay.

I've been reading books of old
The legends and the myths
Achilles and his gold
Hercules and his gifts
Spiderman's control
And Batman with his fists
And clearly I don't see myself upon that list

But she said, where'd you wanna go?
How much you wanna risk?
I'm not looking for somebody
With some superhuman gifts
Some superhero
Some fairytale bliss
Just something I can turn to
Somebody I can kiss

I want something just like this
Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo
Doo-doo-doo
Oh, I want something just like this
Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo
Doo-doo-doo
Oh, I want something just like this
I want something just like this

I've been reading books of old
The legends and the myths
The testaments they told
The moon and its eclipse
And Superman unrolls
A suit before he lifts
But I'm not the kind of person that it fits

She said, where'd you wanna go?
How much you wanna risk?
I'm not looking for somebody
With some superhuman gifts
Some superhero
Some fairytale bliss
Just something I can turn to
Somebody I can miss

I want something just like this
I want something just like this

Oh, I want something just like this
Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo
Doo-doo-doo,
Oh, I want something just like this
Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo
Doo-doo-doo

Where'd you wanna go?
How much you wanna risk?
I'm not looking for somebody
With some superhuman gifts
Some superhero
Some fairytale bliss
Just something I can turn to
Somebody I can kiss
I want something just like this

Oh, I want something just like this
Oh, I want something just like this
Oh, I want something just like this

Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

Government of Botswana Calls 'First Dibs' on Exceptional Diamond Discoveries

In mid-November 2015 — during a span of just 72 hours — Lucara's Karowe Mine in Botswana yielded three exceptional rough diamonds that tipped the scales at a combined 2,296 carats. Now, the government of Botswana wants first dibs on future historic finds.

A new clause in Botswana's Precious and Semi-Precious Stones Act compels mining companies to notify the minister within 30 days of coming into possession of an "unusual" rough or uncut diamond. The country's chief mineral officer said that a diamond "outlier" may be considered "unusual" if it demonstrates extraordinary size, quality or color.

The chief mineral officer told BusinessWeek that the government wanted an opportunity to celebrate as national treasures the museum-quality diamonds sourced at Botswana's mines.

Even though the Karowe Mine is 100% owned by Vancouver-based Lucara Diamond Corp. through its Boteti Mining subsidiary, the government of Botswana will have the right of first refusal on "unusual" diamonds. Purchases of rough diamonds would be made in accordance with the current market price.

Interpreting the market price of enormous gem-quality rough diamonds is not an easy task.

For instance, the largest of the three diamonds discovered in November 2015 still doesn't have a clear value. Named Lesedi la Rona, the Type IIa diamond weighed a spectacular 1,109 carats, making it the second-largest gem-quality rough diamond ever discovered. Lucara decided to circumvent normal diamond-trading channels and put the gem up for bid at Sotheby's in 2016. After the diamond failed to meet the $70 million reserve price (bidding stalled at $61 million), Lucara wondered out loud if the stone was just too big to sell.

Today, it remains unsold, and Lucara has seriously considered slicing the mammoth stone into smaller segments. Buyers have been apprehensive to make a play for Lesedi la Rona because of the enormous investment and lack of guarantees. Cutting a 1,109-carat diamond is uncharted territory, fraught with risks.

Lesedi la Rona's stablemates — the 813-carat “Constellation” and the 374-carat shard that broke off from Lesedi la Rona — were sold for $63 million and $17.5 million, respectively.

With Lucara employing new large diamond recovery (LDR) equipment and X-ray transmissive technology (XRT), the unveiling of the next massive rough diamond could be right around the corner. Under the new rules, Botswana will get first dibs.

Credits: Images courtesy of Lucara Diamond.

Argyle Mine — World's Primary Source of Pink, Red and Blue Diamonds — Is Nearly Tapped Out

Rio Tinto's Argyle Mine in Western Australia — the world's most prolific diamond mine and primary source for pink, red and blue diamonds — is nearly tapped out. The mine is expected to cease operations in 2021 after a 38-year run that has produced more than 800 million carats of rough diamonds.

While the bulk of Argyle's yearly output is brown in color, a minute segment of the production represents fancy-color diamonds so rare and so valuable that only 16 people in the world are permitted to touch them.

According to a recent article in The Western Australian, Rio Tinto has 50,000 employees worldwide and not even its London-based CEO, Jean-Sebastien Jacques, is allowed handle the 58 diamonds that make up the 2017 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender.

The 2017 Tender is currently on a multi-city tour that started in Perth, traveled to Hong Kong and will end in New York. At each stop, top buyers are being invited to view the collection and put their secret bids into sealed envelopes. Bidding ends on October 11 and winners will be announced shortly thereafter.

The headliner of the 2017 Tender is a fancy red diamond called the Argyle Everglow. The 2.11-carat, VS2-clarity, radiant-cut diamond was given this name because it seemed to possess an inner glow. The magnificent diamond, which could sell for upwards of $10 million, was cut from a 4.38-carat rough diamond discovered in the fall of 2016. It is the first 2-carat-plus fancy red diamond ever offered by Rio Tinto.

Red diamonds are so rare that in the 33-year history of the Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender there have been fewer than 20 carats of fancy red certified diamonds sold.

The collection includes five “hero” diamonds selected for their unique beauty and named by Rio Tinto to ensure there is a permanent record of their contribution to the history of the world’s most important diamonds:

• Argyle Everglow™ — 2.11-carat radiant-cut fancy red diamond
• Argyle Isla™ — 1.14 carat radiant-cut fancy red diamond
• Argyle Avaline™ — 2.42-carat cushion-cut fancy purple-pink diamond
• Argyle Kalina™ — 1.50-carat oval-cut fancy deep pink diamond
• Argyle Liberté™ — 0.91-carat radiant-cut fancy deep gray-violet diamond

Rio Tinto's Argyle mine is currently the largest diamond producer in the world by volume and accounts for 90% of the world's pink diamonds. Once shuttered, the world's annual supply of fancy-colored pinks, reds and blues are expected to diminish, forcing prices sky high.

If the Argyle Everglow earns a $10 million bid, it will set a record for the highest price ever paid per carat for a gemstone. The current record is held by the 12.03-carat Blue Moon of Josephine, which sold for $48.4 million, or a bit over $4 million per carat.

It is believed that red diamonds get their rich color from a molecular structure distortion that occurs as the jewel forms in the earth’s crust. By contrast, other colored diamonds get their color from trace elements, such as boron (yielding a blue diamond) or nitrogen (yielding yellow), in their chemical composition.

Credits: Images courtesy of Rio Tinto.