Music Friday: The Crofts Sisters Yearn for an Engagement Ring in 'Merry Christmas, Marry Me'

Welcome to a special holiday edition of Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, sisters Callie, Colette and Devri of the Crofts Family yearn for an engagement ring and a walk down the aisle in their 2014 release, "Merry Christmas, Marry Me."

In the close-harmony style reminiscent of The Andrews Sisters, the Crofts girls deliver a lyrical marriage proposal to a boyfriend who won't take the plunge. In the official video, the sisters adopt the look and sound of the swing and boogie-woogie eras.

They sing, "I hear those church bells ringing for the season / But they give me starry eyes / And I've got an empty finger right here to put a ring on / Darling, if you ever get wise."

Written by Callie Crofts, "Merry Christmas, Marry Me" appeared as the seventh track on the Crofts Family holiday album titled Sparrow in the Birch.

The Crofts Family, which hails from the tiny town of Firth, Idaho (pop. 466), is led by patriarch Vincent Crofts, who encouraged his daughters to develop their musical talent at a young age. It's been reported that their country home looks like a scene from a vintage Christmas card.

By age 12, Callie Crofts was already an accomplished songwriter and guitar player. As an adult, she persuaded her family to finally produce the Christmas album they had always wanted to record. The 2014 release would include a number of holiday favorites that the girls sang as children, as well as two original tunes written by Callie.

One reviewer wrote that the voices of the Crofts girls are "pure and angelic with harmonies that hold your emotions hostage."

Please check out the official video of the Crofts Family performing "Merry Christmas, Marry Me." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Merry Christmas, Marry Me"
Written by Callie Crofts. Performed by the Crofts Family.

Merry Christmas, Marry me a thousand times
I wanna know you're mine, mine
So baby please don't let no

No-good honey steal a kiss
Under the mistletoe
Merry Christmas, Love me 'til the end of time
I wanna hang your stocking next to mine
When we're ninety-nine

I hear those church bells ringing for the season
But they give me starry eyes
And I've got an empty finger right here to put a ring on
Darling, if you ever get wise

Merry Christmas, marry me a thousand times
I wanna hang your stocking next to mine
When we're ninety-nine

Merry Christmas, I don't need a present
Wrapped up with a shiny bow, no no
You know what I'm wishing for
So don't you make me wait anymore

Merry Christmas, and honey if you cause a scene
When you get down on one knee
It won't bother me

I hear those church bells ringing for the season
But they give me starry eyes
And I've got an empty finger right here to put a ring on
Darling, if you ever get wise

Merry Christmas, Love me 'til the end of time
I wanna hang your stocking next to mine
When we're ninety-nine

I hear those church bells
Ringing for the season
But baby we could ring 'em
For a whole different reason
Merry Christmas, Marry me a thousand times

Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

Newly Engaged Woman Gets Big Surprise After Accidentally Texting Ring Selfie to Sarah Michelle Gellar

Charlyn Willis got engaged last Thursday and now the whole world is in on the big news. You see, the Savannah, Ga., native was so excited after receiving her new cushion-cut diamond engagement ring from beau, Dennis, that she took a selfie while sitting in her car and hastily texted the pic to her sister — or that's what she thought she was doing.

Willis had typed in the wrong number, but through a fortunate stroke of serendipity, accidentally shared the ring pic with Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar.

The '90s icon, who has been married to Freddie Prinze Jr. for 15 years, shared the bride-to-be's selfie on Instagram and Facebook, writing, "This is #CharlynWillis. She got engaged yesterday, and meant to text her sister, but in all the excitement, got me instead. Her sister didn’t respond, but I did. So please help me say congrats, to Charlyn. (And her fiancé whose name I don’t know) #congratulations.”

Well wishes came pouring in and Willis was quick to respond with a heartfelt thank you and a pledge to invite Gellar and her family to the wedding.

"Omg! Thank you Sarah! His name is Dennis! Thank you so much for this," Willis wrote. "You’ve truly made my engagement experience even more of a life changer! Please know when we set a date, I’ll be reaching out to invite you, Freddie, and the kids!"

Later, the 28-year-old Willis wrote, "I guess the best way to announce your engagement is to have a celebrity to do it for you. THANKS Sarah Michelle Gellar… AND YES, I SAID YES to Dee!!!!!”

Willis' story has been picked up by The Knot, Bride's, Glamour and The Daily Mail, among other high-profile outlets. Willis wondered out loud on Facebook whether any of them would cover the wedding.

Gellar's Facebook post — which currently has 12,481 Likes and 143 Shares — generated a wave of congratulatory messages for Willis and sweet compliments for the actress.

"Many blessings for a happy marriage!" wrote Facebook user Laura Engel. "...and Sarah Michelle Gellar, how amazingly sweet are you to not only respond to a wrong number, but to spread the joy!"

"And this is why I have always been a huge fan of yours," added Judy Anne Crosby. "Such a kind, generous, and thoughtful woman you are. Congrats to this beautiful woman and thanks to you for always being genuine."

Credits: Selfie images via Facebook/charlyn.willis, Facebook/sarahmichellegellar; Sarah Michelle Gellar photo by Rach [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

813-Carat 'Constellation' Visits Israel to Start Its Transformation Into a 350-Carat D-Flawless Polished Diamond

Swiss luxury jeweler de Grisogono has sent the 813-carat "Constellation" rough diamond to Israel to undergo the first stages of a cutting process that is expected to yield a 350-carat D-flawless polished stone — a gem that would rank as the fourth-largest faceted diamond in the world.

When he first purchased the rights to cut and polish the $63 million rough diamond from Dubai-based Nemesis International in September of 2016, the colorful founder of de Grisogono, Fawaz Gruosi, famously referred to the stone as his “princess.”

“I love her and I hate her,” he said. “Love because something like this is so exceptional — I could never dream to be able to have a stone like this in my own hands — and hate her because I don’t know how I’m going to dress her.”

Now, 15 months later, Gruosi has her attire all worked out. If all goes according to plan, the 813-carat rough — the most expensive of all time — will yield two historically significant D-flawless polished stones weighing 325 carats and 100 carats, as well as eight smaller diamonds, according to experts.

The Constellation was sent to Israel, where Diamond Laser Systems will utilize its state-of-the-art Synova Laser MicroJet to make the initial slices. The MicroJet has a laser beam guided by a hair-thin water jet. The water keeps the diamond cool during the process, minimizing the risk of damage.

Back in November of 2015, Lucara miners discovered two enormous gem-quality rough diamonds at its Karowe Mine in Botswana. The pair tipped the scales at a combined 1,922 carats. The larger of the two was the 1,109-carat “Lesedi la Rona,” which was purchased for $53 million in September by British billionaire and diamantaire Laurence Graff. The smaller of the two was the Constellation.

Both diamonds have been rated Type IIa by the Gemological Institute of America. Diamonds in this rare and coveted subgroup are chemically pure and often show extraordinary optical transparency.

The finished diamond that emerges from the Constellation will take its place among the largest and most famous faceted diamonds of all time. Currently, the top four are The Golden Jubilee (545.67 carats), The Cullinan I (530.20 carats), The Incomparable (407.48 carats) and The Cullinan II (317.4 carats). Both Cullinan diamonds were cut from the mammoth 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond, which was discovered in South Africa in 1905.

Credits: Screen captures via degrisogono.com.