Friday, May 28, 2021

Music Friday: Engagement Ring Falls Into Spaghetti Plate in Kenny Chesney's ‘The Good Stuff’

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you chart-topping songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, we have Kenny Chesney singing the #1 country music single of 2002, “The Good Stuff.”

In the song, a young man learns some critical life lessons from a middle-aged barkeep who recently lost his wife to cancer. The younger man heads to the bar after having a major disagreement with his new wife, and orders “the good stuff.” But instead of serving whiskey or beer, the bartender pours two glasses of milk and shares his views about the things in life that are really “the good stuff.”

Among these items is an engagement ring that a nervous suitor accidentally dropped into a plate of spaghetti and a cherished pearl necklace that marked a special occasion.

The sing-along chorus contains these memorable lines… “’Cause it’s the first long kiss on a second date / Momma’s all worried when you get home late / And droppin’ the ring in the spaghetti plate / ‘Cause you’re hands are shakin’ so much.”

Later in the song, Chesney sings, “Was the sight of her holdin’ my baby girl / The way she adored that string of pearls / I gave her the day that our youngest boy Earl / Married his high school love.”

Written by Nashville hitmakers Jim Collins and Craig Wiseman, “The Good Stuff” was the second single from Chesney’s album No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems.

The song zoomed to #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and had cross-over success, topping out at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “The Good Stuff” would go on to become the #1 country music single of 2002, according to Billboard.

Wiseman told The Boot that “The Good Stuff” was loosely based on the heartbreaking story of a dear friend, Rusty Martin, who lost his wife to cancer.

“I actually played Rusty the song,” Wiseman said. “I told him the song was inspired by him in some ways so I wanted to make sure he was OK with it.”

Wiseman continued: “I had gotten in touch with the funeral home where he had buried his wife and had a matching foot stone made for her that was engraved with ‘The Good Stuff.’ I went and gave it to him at the No. 1 party. Everybody was crying.”

Born in Knoxville, TN, in 1968, Chesney has recorded 32 Top-10 singles on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts and has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.

We hope you enjoy the video of Chesney's live performance of “The Good Stuff.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“The Good Stuff”
Written by Craig Michael Wiseman and Jim Collins. Performed by Kenny Chesney.

Well, me and my lady had our first big fight
So I drove around till I saw the neon light
The corner bar. It just seemed right so I pulled up.

Not a soul around but the old bar keep
Down at the end lookin’ half asleep
But he walked up and said, “What’ll it be?”
I said, “The good stuff.”

He didn’t reach around for the whiskey.
He didn’t pour me a beer.
His blue eyes kinda went misty.
He said, "You can’t find that here."

‘Cause it’s the first long kiss on a second date.
Momma’s all worried when you get home late
And droppin’ the ring in the spaghetti plate
‘Cause you’re hands are shakin’ so much

And it’s the way that she looks with the rice in her hair.
Eatin’ burnt suppers the whole first year
And askin’ for seconds to keep her from tearin’ up
Yeah man, that’s the good stuff.

He grabbed a carton of milk and he poured a glass.
And I smiled and said, "I’ll have some of that."
We sat there and talked as an hour passed like old friends.

I saw a black-and-white picture and it caught my stare.
It was a pretty girl with bouffant hair
He said, "That’s my Bonnie, taken ’bout a year after we wed."

He said, "I spent five years in the bar when the cancer took her from me.
But I’ve been sober three years now
‘Cause the one thing’s stronger than the whiskey.
Was the sight of her holdin’ my baby girl
The way she adored that string of pearls
I gave her the day that our youngest boy Earl
Married his high school love.
And it's a new t-shirt sayin’ I’m a grandpa.
Bein’ right there as our time got small
And holdin’ her hand when good the Lord called her up
Yeah, man, that’s the good stuff."

He said, "When you get home she’ll start to cry.
When she says, 'I’m sorry,' say 'So am I.'
Look into those eyes so deep in love and drink it up
‘Cause that’s the good stuff."

That’s the good stuff.

Credit: Image by LawrenceFung, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

End of an Era: Rio Tinto Previews Heroes From Final Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender

Rio Tinto just unveiled the “heroes” of its 2021 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, the final collection of rare pink, red and blue gems from the now-shuttered Argyle mine in the remote east Kimberley region of Western Australia.

During its 37 years of production, the mine famously produced between 90% and 95% of the world’s pink and red diamonds. Mining operations officially ceased on November 3, 2020.

The 38th and final Tender will be attended later this year by an exclusive group of collectors, diamond connoisseurs and luxury jewelry houses. They will be bidding on 70 pink and red diamonds weighing a total of 81.63 carats.

Titled “The Journey Beyond,” the 2021 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender collection includes five "hero" diamonds selected for their unique beauty and individually named to ensure a permanent record of their contribution to the history of the world’s most important diamonds.

The headliner of the group is Lot Number 1, the Argyle Eclipse™, a 3.47-carat radiant-shaped diamond that has the distinction of being the largest Fancy Intense Pink diamond ever offered at the tender.

Other notable lots include the following:

Lot 2: Argyle Stella™ — 1.79-carat, square radiant-shaped Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink diamond;
Lot 3: Argyle Lumiere™ — 2.03-carat, square radiant-shaped Fancy Deep Pink diamond;
Lot 4: Argyle Solaris™ — 2.05-carat, radiant-shaped Fancy Intense Pink diamond;
Lot 5: Argyle Bohème™ — 1.01-carat, radiant-shaped Fancy Red diamond.

“The Argyle pink diamond story has continued to enthrall throughout the years following the remarkable discovery of the Argyle mine in 1979,” noted Patrick Coppens, General Manager of Sales and Marketing for Rio Tinto’s diamonds business. “The final Tender collection of these beyond-rare diamonds will be keenly sought after as heritage gemstones of the future, coveted by collectors and connoisseurs from around the world.”

Also offered alongside the 2021 annual Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender are 41 lots of carefully curated Argyle blue diamonds, weighing 24.88 carats in total. Titled "Once in a Blue Moon," these are the very last blue and violet diamonds to emerge from the Argyle mine.

“This final epoch-making offering of pink, red and blue diamonds encapsulates the near-impossible rarity and compelling beauty of the natural treasures gifted to the world by the east Kimberley region of Western Australia,” said jewelry historian Vivienne Becker. “Over the near-four-decade lifespan of the Argyle mine, Rio Tinto has built a unique diamond brand of integrity and authenticity, an Australian icon and source of national pride, now recognized and asked for, by name, across the globe.”

The 2021 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender will be showcased in Perth, Antwerp, Singapore and Sydney, with bidding closing on September 1, 2021.

Rio Tinto Chief Executive Officer Sinead Kaufman said the 2021 Tender represents a “historic collection of extraordinary diamonds and a testament to the amazing Argyle ore body and the men and women who have worked so hard to bring these diamonds to market.”

Credits: Images courtesy of Rio Tinto.

Monday, May 24, 2021

Fancy Vivid Purple-Pink 'Sakura Diamond' Sets Two Records at Christie's HK Auction

“The Sakura Diamond,” a 15.81-carat gem that takes its name from the Japanese word for cherry blossom, set two records at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Hong Kong on Sunday. The flawless, rectangular mixed-cut stone became the largest fancy vivid purple-pink diamond ever to appear at auction, and then went on to achieve a record price of $29.3 million, or $1.85 million per carat.

Christie's had estimated that "The Sakura Diamond" would fetch between $25 million and $38 million.

The previous record for a diamond of that color had been held by “The Spirit of the Rose,” a 14.83-carat stone that was sold for $26.6 million at Sotheby's Geneva in November of 2020.

Auctioneer Elaine Kwok opened the bidding for Christie's top lot at HK$170 million ($22.5 million). Two telephone bidders escalated the price in increments of HK$5 million. After five bids, Kwok threw down the hammer at HK$195 million ($25.1). With fees, the final price was $29.3 million.

A second pink diamond also turned heads at Christie's Hong Kong. Named "The Sweet Heart," the 4.19-carat, fancy vivid pink, heart-shaped diamond earned $6.5 million, or $1.56 million per carat.

Prices have been very strong for fine pink diamonds since Australia's depleted Argyle mine was shuttered in 2020. For 37 years, that mine had been the world’s only consistent source of rare pink diamonds, accounting for more than 90% of the supply.

According to Christie’s, the extreme rarity of the pink diamonds appearing at the Hong Kong auction had been amplified by the fact that fewer than 10% of pink diamonds weigh more than 1/5 of a carat. What’s more, only 4% of pink diamonds possess a color deep enough to qualify as “Fancy Vivid,” according to the Gemological Institute of America. Pink diamonds fall under the rare Type IIa category of diamonds, which make up less than 2% of all gem diamonds.

The 59.6-carat, flawless, fancy vivid pink diamond called "The Pink Star" still holds the record for the highest price paid at auction for a pink diamond. That stone fetched $71.2 million at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2017. It was purchased by Hong Kong luxury jeweler Chow Tai Fook and renamed "CTF Pink Star." Not only did it set a record in the pink category, but also shattered the world record for the highest price ever paid for any gem at auction.

Credits: Images courtesy of Christies.