Music Friday: Boyz II Men Sing About the ‘Diamond Eyes’ of a Long-Lost Love

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you wonderful tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Philadelphia R&B legends Boyz II Men sing about a long-lost love in their 2014 release, “Diamond Eyes.”

In this power ballad about a man longing to be reunited with the dream girl of his past, the soulful singers croon, “And then the sun rose, our bodies unfroze / And it turned us both gold / Your diamond eyes glowed, yeah.”

Songwriter Coley O'Toole uses the precious metal reference to symbolize the innocent and exciting “goldenness” of youth, an idea first invoked in the 1923 Robert Frost poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay." Her diamond eyes connote strength, brilliance and perfection. In the end, the song's protagonist says he will never lose hope that she will be found.

"Diamond Eyes" was the first single released from the group's 12th studio album, Collide. The album reached #6 on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #37 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart.

The four-time Grammy-winning act, which features the sweet harmonies of long-time members Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris and Nathan Morris, has sold more than 60 million recordings and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012. The group was named by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) as the most commercially successful R&B group of all time.

Originally known as Unique Attraction, Boyz II Men was founded in 1985 by friends Nathan Morris and Marc Nelson at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. The original group often rehearsed in a school bathroom due to its excellent acoustics.

By the early 1990s, Boyz II Men earned international fame with a series of Top 5 releases, including "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday." The group originated as a quartet, but became a trio when Michael McCary had to leave the group in 2003 due to multiple sclerosis.

In 2017, a section of Broad Street in Philadelphia was renamed “Boyz II Men Boulevard.” That section of Broad Street happens to be the home of the high school where the boys got their start.

Check out the audio clip of Boyz II Men performing “Diamond Eyes.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along...

“Diamond Eyes”
Written by Coley O'Toole. Performed by Boyz II Men.

When we were young, our hearts were strong,
And they beat as one, till the day had come
When I thought that you were gone

And then the sun rose, our bodies unfroze
And it turned us both gold
Your diamond eyes glowed, yeah, ohhhhh

When we were young, our love was strong
We beat as one, till the day had come,
And I thought that you were gone

And then the sun rose, our bodies unfroze
And it turned us both gold
Your diamond eyes glowed, yeah

I would search near and far
Drag the seas and mine the dark,
Search through every place I think you are
I would search near and far
Drag the seas and mine the dark
And never losing hope that you be found, ohhhh

And then the sun rose, our bodies unfroze
And it turned us both gold
Your diamond eyes glowed, yea,
your diamond eyes glowed,
your diamond eyes glowed,
your diamond eyes glowed, ohhhh

Credit: Image by Lunchbox LP from Culver City, CA, USA / CC BY.

Here's How a 28.86-Carat Diamond Made History and Changed the Market

The 28.86-carat D-color diamond that is slated to headline an online auction in June has been named by Christie's as one of the "10 Jewels That Made History — and Changed the Market."

The emerald-cut gem, which is estimated to fetch between $1 million and $2 million at Christie's Jewels Online sale, June 16-30, joined the likes of the $58 million Oppenheimer Blue diamond, the impossibly rare Hancock Red diamond and the world's most famous natural pearl, La Peregrina, in a feature article published last week at Christies.com.

While the 28.86-carat online offering doesn't carry the gravitas of the other gems spotlighted by Christie's, it is very significant in other ways. It is not only the first gem to be offered online with an expected sale price of at least $1 million, but it is also the highest-valued lot ever offered for sale online at Christie’s.

The value of the gem signals a move by the famed auction house to move higher-ticket items to the online sales platform.

“This year has presented unprecedented circumstances, enabling Christie’s new opportunities through our enhanced digital platform,” said Rahul Kadakia, International Head of Jewelry at Christie’s. “Year-over-year, we have seen an increase in online participation and the value threshold for transacting online. Recognizing greater client confidence, we are proud to announce the highest valued lot ever to be offered for sale in our June 2020 Jewels Online auction.”

The D-color diamond boasts a Type IIa purity grading, a designation earned by fewer than 2% of all gem diamonds. Type IIa diamonds have exceptional optical transparency and are the most chemically pure variety of diamonds. They contain no measurable trace of other elements, such as nitrogen, which could alter the color.

The Oppenheimer Blue diamond made Christie's list because it is the most expensive diamond in auction history. It sold for $57.97 million at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in Geneva in May of 2016.

The Hancock Red diamond turned heads when it became the top lot at Christie's New York in April of 1987. Weighing just under 1 carat, the fancy-color purple-red diamond was described as "so rare that experienced diamond dealers would consider themselves extremely lucky to handle more than three in the course of a lifetime." It sold for $880,000 and was, at the time, the most expensive per-carat gemstone ever sold at auction.

With a 500-year history that linked royals, empresses and Hollywood stars, the perfectly pear-shaped La Peregrina natural pearl sold at Christie's New York in 2011 for $11.84 million. It was discovered off the coast of Panama in 1576 and soon became part of the Spanish Crown Jewels. In 1969, actor Richard Burton purchased the gem at auction for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, on the actress's 37th birthday.

Credit: Image courtesy of Christie's.

Hyatt Regency Seattle Assists With 21-Story-Tall, Sky-High Marriage Proposal

Even though the Hyatt Regency Seattle had to suspend its normal operations due to COVID-19 health concerns, the brand new 45-story hotel at 8th & Howell has been lighting up the sky with love.

Each evening for the past six weeks, the 500-foot-tall, 1260-room landmark — the largest hotel in the city — has been honoring Seattle's first responders and health care workers with a giant heart rendered by lighting individual rooms on the upper floors.

On Thursday, the hotel was happy to oblige a special request by Seattle resident Mitesh Munot, and the lighting configuration became a 21-floor love letter to his girlfriend, Apoorva Prasad.

Right at dusk, the simple heart shape was amended to say "I Love You, AP," with the heart standing in for the word "love."

From the balcony of his home on 2nd Avenue, and with the Hyatt specially lit in the distance, Munot popped the question and Prasad said, "Yes."

Munot told komonews.com how he came up with the idea for the sky-high proposal.

"We can see the beautiful heart sign that the hotel shows with the use of lights in individual rooms," Munot said. "It would probably be the best proposal that I could ever hope for!"

The Hyatt's social media team got into the spirit with an Instagram post that included a photo of the couple and a caption that read, "Love is in the air! Congratulations on tonight’s engagement! Thank you for letting us be a part of your joyous celebration!"

Commenting on the post, Munot, a senior account executive at Amazon, wrote, "@hyattregencyseattle, I can’t thank you enough for making this happen for us! Thank you for giving us a memory we will cherish forever."

Prasad, a senior manager at Amazon, was more than delighted, commenting, "@hyattregencyseattle, your team is incredible! We’ve always loved Hyatt, but you’ll now hold a place in our hearts forever. Thank you!"

The Hyatt Regency officially opened in December of 2018, but was forced to temporarily suspend its normal operations due to COVID-19. The good news is that the hotel was given the green light to start serving customers again on June 1.

Credits: Images via Instagram/hyattregencyseattle.