Music Friday: Danny Vera Extols the Virtues of Hard Work in 'Pressure Makes Diamonds'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you new tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Netherlands-born Danny Vera extols the virtues of hard work in his 2019 international release, "Pressure Makes Diamonds."

The song's basic theme draws on the fact that pure carbon can become a diamond when the element is subjected to high temperatures and extreme pressure deep within the Earth. In the song, "pressure makes diamonds" becomes a metaphor for how success can only be achieved by learning from our mistakes and powering through obstacles.

He sings, "Pressure makes diamonds, not silver or gold / It breaks to pieces the hardest of stone / And it shines brighter than the stars that you know / Pressure makes diamonds and hard work pays off."

Later in the song, the 43-year-old singer-songwriter-musician gives a nod to the labor-intensive diamond-cutting process when making his case for having a strong work ethic: "You have to sharpen the edges, smoothen the surface / It’ll take you some time ’cause it’s rough and it’s tough."

Written by Vera under his birth name, Danny Polfliet, "Pressure Makes Diamonds" is the ninth track of Vera's 2019 album, Pressure Makes Diamonds 1&2.

Although he was born and raised in the southern Dutch province of Zeeland, Vera's musical style was heavily influenced by Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Chris Isaak and his idol, Elvis Presley. In The Netherlands, Vera's genre is considered "Americana" — a mix of country, rock, folk, bluegrass and blues.

Vera formed his first band in 1999 and earned a record contract with Universal Music in 2002. Vera's career got a big boost in 2009, when he and his band landed a running gig on Holland's popular sports talk show, Voetbal Inside.

Please check out the video of Vera's live performance of "Pressure Makes Diamonds." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Pressure Makes Diamonds"
Written by Danny Polfliet. Performed by Danny Vera.

Pressure makes diamonds, not silver or gold
It breaks to pieces the hardest of stone
And it shines brighter than the stars that you know
Pressure makes diamonds and hard work pays off

Pressure makes diamonds, no giant can hold
He thought he could carry this world on his own
But even the strongest can’t do it alone
Pressure makes diamonds and hard work pays off

You have to sharpen the edges, smoothen the surface
It’ll take you some time ’cause it’s rough and it’s tough

Then you will find what you’re looking for
They’ll appear like a falling star
Shake off the dirt and let it shine

Pressure makes diamonds, a long heavy road
First the weight on your shoulders, it’s crushing your bones
And then it gets darker than the blackest of coal
Then pressure makes diamonds, ’cause hard work pays off

You have to sharpen the edges, smoothen the surface
It’ll take you some time ’cause it’s rough and it’s tough

Then you will find what you’re looking for
They’ll appear like a falling star
Shake off the dirt and let it shine

Pressure makes diamonds, not silver or gold
It breaks to pieces the hardest of stone
And it shines brighter than the stars that you know
Pressure makes diamonds and hard work pays off
Pressure makes diamonds and hard work pays off

Credit: Image by Paul Luberti / CC BY.

This Modern-Day Cinderella Story Comes With a Surprising Male Twist

When Doug Faucher pulled a men's wedding band from the sand near Cato's Bridge in Jupiter, FL, he was determined to use the power of social media to solve the mystery and right the wrong.

"Marriage is sacred and I’m sure the rightful owner was devastated when [he] lost this wedding ring," the Tequesta, FL, resident wrote on Facebook.

Interestingly, the Good Samaritan didn't hesitate to post photos of the white gold ring even though it wasn't inscribed and had no other unusual markings. The way Faucher was able to verify the owner was the same way Prince Charming was able to match the glass slipper with Cinderella. It was all about the fit.

It was late June when Faucher turned to Facebook to implore his friends from Jupiter and Tequesta to share his post until the owner could be found.

Along with three photos of the rings, Faucher offered details of how he was "chillin in lap deep water" south of Cato's Bridge in a spot the locals call "Sand Mountain."

He also told the Palm Beach CBS affiliate, CBS12, that he had been sitting in the water with his hands in the sand.

"Next thing I knew, I found the ring,” Faucher said. “I free dive a lot in the local area. Sometimes I find a $10 bill or a $20 bill that might have fallen out of a surfer’s pocket, but nothing of this significance.”

About three weeks later, one of the 500-plus shared posts found its way to Jason Baxter, a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, who had accidentally dropped his ring in the water while on a boat outing. That was three years ago.

“I got a post from Jason and Jason said, ‘Hey, I think that’s my ring. Then he also attached two photographs with it. One photograph was when he was signing his marriage certificate,” Faucher said. “You can really see how the ring looked and obviously it was a perfect match.”

More importantly, Faucher needed to confirm Baxter's very unusual ring size.

(A well known online jeweler claims the most commonly purchased men's rings range between size 8 and 10.5, with size 9 being the most popular. Other sources report that their most popular men's ring size is 10.)

Faucher knew he had his man “because it’s a very large ring and Jason has a size 13 finger,” Faucher told CBS12. “He was so excited and I can’t wait to get the ring to him.”

The TV station reported that life has changed dramatically for Baxter since his lost his wedding ring three years ago. He's now a father of three, including newborn twins.

“Never in a million years did I ever think I would see this ring again,” he told CBS12.

“It shows a lot about his character, that he would take the time and the effort to try to find the owner," Baxter continued. "I’m sure he was thinking it’s a one in a million shot that he would find me, and he did. Again, it shows a lot about Doug’s character and the kind of person he is and I’m very thankful.”

Credits: Images via facebook.com/douglas.faucher.77.

115-Carat Pear-Shaped Diamond Is the Star of Christie's New York Auction

A 115.83-carat pear-shaped diamond is the star of Christie's upcoming Magnificent Jewels auction in New York. The F-color, VVS1 gem dangles from a majestic 19-inch platinum necklace that is completely encircled by 51 pear-shaped diamonds, 31 of which range in size from 0.97 to 5.50 carats.

This headliner — The Property of a Lady — is expected to fetch between $5 million and $7 million when the hammer comes down on July 29. The piece has the highest pre-sale estimate and any item in the sale and is slated to be the last of 264 lots offered.

The Christies sale includes a wide range of head turning gems and jewelry from prominent private collections. Here are some of our favorites...

• The item with the second-highest presale estimate is a platinum ring featuring a fancy intense blue pear-shaped diamond weighing 7.16 carats. The center stone is rated internally flawless and is expected to sell in the range of $3.5 million to $5 million.

• Another impressive pear-shaped diamond in the sale is this 25.22-carat gem, which boasts a D color and VVS2 clarity. The diamond is set on a platinum diamond band accented with circular-cut diamonds. This piece is expected to sell for $1.5 million to $2.5 million.

• Listed as the property of an important private collector, this "Sky Tower" necklace was designed by Anna Hu. The piece, which carries a presale estimate of $1 million to $1.5 million, features a carved jadeite plaque placed over an irregularly-shaped shield inlayed with circular-cut white and yellow diamonds. The central portion of the titanium and 18-karat white gold necklace may be detached and worn as a brooch.

• A superb Art Deco sapphire and diamond sautoir by Bulgari features an oval cabochon star sapphire and 28 oval cabochon sapphires in a piece that can be detached and worn as two bracelets. The platinum and white gold necklace was created circa 1930 and carries an estimated price of $650,000 to $850,000.

• A cushion mixed-cut Ceylon sapphire weighing 53.48 carats is set on a platinum band accented by circular-cut diamonds. Christie's expects the piece to sell in the range of $500,000 to $700,000.

• Weighing 7.65 carats is the fancy light purplish pink pear-shaped diamond at the center of this platinum and 18-karat rose gold ring. The pretty, VS2-clarity center stone is accented with tapered baguette-cut diamonds. The presale estimate for this piece is $400,000 to $600,000.

• Fans of yellow diamonds will be excited to see this internally flawless 11.06-carat cut-cornered, rectangular-cut diamond. The stone is rated fancy vivid yellow and is set on an 18-karat yellow gold band accented with circular-cut diamonds. Presale estimate: $400,000 to $500,000.

Credits: Images courtesy of Christie's.