Music Friday Flashback: This Lover No Longer Laughs at Blue Diamond Rings

Welcome to Music Friday when we like to bring you throwback songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, internationally renowned barbershop quartet Gimme Four covers Frank Sinatra's "Oh! Look at Me Now," a 1941 tune about a cynical, unlucky-in-love young man who used to laugh at the idea of gifting a blue diamond ring.

But, now's he's excited to tell the story of his remarkable change of heart.

Gimme Four sings, "So I'm the guy who turned out a lover / Yes I'm the guy who laughed at those blue diamond rings / One of those things / Oh, look at me now!"

The young man is now proud to be a better man, with a new heart and a brand new start. He also has a new appreciation of romantic, blue diamonds.

Written by John DeVries and composed by Joe Bushkin, "Oh! Look at Me Now" was made famous by a 26-year-old crooner Frank Sinatra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. The legendary singer recorded it again in 1957 for his album A Swingin' Affair!.

Over the years, "Oh! Look at Me Now" has been covered but the likes of Bing Crosby (1954), Bobby Darin (1962) and Ella Fitzgerald (1989), but the rendition featured today is artfully delivered by Gimme Four, a talented group of young men from Caldwell, NJ.

According to the group's official bio, Gimme Four has been singing together as a barbershop quartet since 2011. The singers are heavily involved in youth outreach and music education through barbershop singing, having coached students across the New York metropolitan area. They love to make music that leaves a lasting impression, one that changes someone's day — or life — for the better.

In 2017, Gimme Four opened for Jay Leno at The Freeman Stage at Bayside in Delaware and toured St. Petersburg, Russia. A year later, the group released its first album, Gimme Four: Volume I, on which "Oh! Look at Me Now" is the eighth track.

Please check out the video of Gimme Four performing "Oh! Look at Me Now" at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, during the Barbershop Harmony Society's 2013 International Convention. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Oh! Look at Me Now"
Written by John DeVries and composed by Joe Bushkin. Performed by Gimme Four.

I'm not the guy who cared about love
And I'm not the guy who cared about fortunes and such
I never cared much
Oh, look at me now!

I never knew the technique of kissing
I never knew the thrill I could get from your touch
I never knew much
Oh, look at me now!

I'm a new man better than Casanova at his best
With a new heart and a brand new start
Why I'm so proud I'm bustin' my vest

So I'm the guy who turned out a lover
Yes I'm the guy who laughed at those blue diamond rings
One of those things
Oh, look at me now!

I'm not the guy who cared about love
And I'm not the guy who cared about fortunes and such
I never cared much
Oh, look at me now!

And I never knew the technique of kissing
I never knew the thrill I could get from your touch
I never knew much
Oh, look at me now!

I'm a new man better than Casanova at his very best
With a new heart and a brand new start
I'm so proud I'm bustin' my vest

So I'm the guy who turned out a lover
Yes I'm the guy who laughed at those blue diamond rings
One of those things
Oh, look at me now!
Look at me now!

Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes Gave a Ring on Same Day He Got His Ring

The Kansas City Chiefs received their spectacular Super Bowl rings in a special ceremony on September 1, but did you know that on the same day MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes got his ring, he gave one, as well?

The romantic 24-year-old popped the question to his high school sweetheart, Brittany Matthews, with an eye-popping radiant-cut diamond ring. Experts believe the center stone weighs between 8 and 10 carats and could be worth as much as $800,000, depending on the diamond's quality.

The stone is secured with yellow-gold prongs and sits atop a double diamond band. Radiant-cut diamonds are square or rectangular, but unlike an emerald-cut, which has stepped facets, the radiant-cut mimics the faceting of a round brilliant cut.

The surprise proposal took place in a luxury suite at Arrowhead Stadium. In photos posted to Mahomes' Instagram page, the couple is seen posing in a room decorated with candles, flowers and a marquee sign spelling out, "WILL YOU MARRY ME."

Earlier, on the field, each Chiefs player and coach received a personalized Super Bowl championship ring featuring 255 diamonds and 36 rubies.

Matthews wrote on Instagram, "On a day that was meant to celebrate you, you turned it into celebrating us. It’s always us, it’s always you & me, the words you looked into my eyes and said to me, will NEVER leave my mind! You made this day perfect, you took my entire breath away! I LOVE YOU @PatrickMahomes." She punctuated her post with a double-red-heart emoji.

Mahomes was excited to post a closeup of the ring on his Instagram Story. "Ring SZN," Mahomes wrote atop the snap. Of course, that translates to "Ring Season."

Another shot shows the bride-to-be smiling ear-to-ear and proudly holding out her newly adorned left hand to the camera as Mahomes kisses her cheek. The proposal took place one day after her 25th birthday.

Matthews and Mahomes have been dating since they were teenagers. They were prom dates in 2013.

Wrote Matthews on Instagram, "8 years ago, you played safety & I was a cheerleader in a small town called Whitehouse, TX. Oh how times have changed! Love you."

While Mahomes runs the offense for the Kansas City Chiefs, his new fiancée heads a company called Brittany Lynn Fitness. In early July, Mahomes signed the richest contract in sports history, a 10-year, $503 million deal.

No wedding date has been announced.

Credits: Images via Instagram/Patrick Mahomes.

Rio Tinto Reveals Six 'Heroes' From the 2020 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender

Rio Tinto recently unveiled the six "hero" diamonds from its 2020 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, a collection of the rarest diamonds from a year’s worth of production at the Argyle mine in the remote east Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Among the heroes is the largest Fancy Vivid round brilliant diamond ever offered by Rio Tinto at the Tender, a 2.24-carat Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink diamond known as Argyle Eternity™.

With the Argyle Mine scheduled to close down at the end of this year, the current Tender is presumed to be the second-to-last offering of its kind. During its 35 years in operation, the mine famously produced between 90% and 95% of the world's pink and red diamonds.

“Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine is the first and only ongoing source of rare pink, red and violet diamonds in the world," said Arnaud Soirat, Rio Tinto's chief executive of Copper and Diamonds. "We have seen, and continue to see, strong demand for these highly coveted diamonds, which together with extremely limited global supply, supports the significant value appreciation for Argyle pink diamonds.”

Overall, the 2020 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender — titled "One Lifetime, One Encounter" — includes 62 diamonds weighing a total of 57.23 carats.

According to Rio Tinto, the six hero diamonds were selected for their unique beauty and named to ensure there is a permanent record of their contribution to the history of the world’s most important diamonds:

• Lot 1: Argyle Eternity™, 2.24-carat round brilliant Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink diamond.

• Lot 2: Argyle Ethereal™, 2.45-carat square radiant-shaped Fancy Intense Purple-Pink diamond.

• Lot 3: Argyle Sakura™, 1.84-carat pear-shaped Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink diamond.

• Lot 4: Argyle Emrys™, 0.43-carat princess-shaped Fancy Deep Grayish Violet-Blue diamond.

• Lot 5: Argyle Skylar™, 0.33-carat heart-shaped Fancy Dark Gray-Violet diamond.

• Lot 6: Argyle Infinité™, 0.70-carat oval-shaped Fancy Dark Violet-Gray diamond.

Also included in the Tender 2020 are 12 lots of carefully curated pink, red, blue and violet diamonds weighing 13.90 carats in total. Called "The Petite Suites," these collectible diamonds were assembled over five years and represent a harmonious balance of size, shape, color and clarity.

Rio Tinto has provided a virtual preview of the rare Argyle pink, red, violet and blue diamonds to an exclusive group of collectors, diamond connoisseurs and luxury jewelry houses. In-person viewings will be offered later in the year at the Argyle mine, as well as Perth, Singapore and Antwerp. Bidding will close on December 2, 2020. Rio Tinto's final Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender is expected to take place in 2021, after the iconic mine's closure.

Credits: Images courtesy of Rio Tinto Diamonds.