Music Friday: Dua Lipa Is Feeling 'Diamond Rich' in Her '80s-Inspired Hit, 'Physical'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you outstanding songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, red-hot recording artist Dua Lipa channels the synth-pop sound of the 1980s with her 2020 international dance hit, "Physical."

In this song inspired by Olivia Newton-John's 1981 classic of the same name, Lipa uses a gem metaphor to describe the extraordinary feeling of being head-over-heels in love.

She sings, "Common love isn't for us / We created something phenomenal / Don't you agree? / Don't you agree? / You got me feeling diamond rich / Nothing on this planet compares to it / Don't you agree? / Don't you agree?"

Lipa told Billboard magazine that the song she wrote with Jason Evigan, Clarence Coffee Jr. and Sarah Hudson is very '80s inspired.

"It's quite Flashdance-y," she said, referencing the 1983 cult classic. "It's fun, you can dance to it. It's definitely my craziest of high energy songs."

The retro vibe of "Physical" instantly connected with the Brit's international fan base. The song charted in 48 countries, including #1 spots in Croatia, Israel, Lebanon, Poland and Slovakia. The song went platinum in the US, Canada and the UK.

"Physical" earned the critical acclaim of music critics, as well. They called it "this decade's perfect workout song," "a perfect pop song" and "an instant classic." It was also nominated for International Song of the Year at the 2020 NRJ Music Awards and Song of the Year at the 2021 Brit Awards.

Now 26, the London-born model-turned-singer was musically influenced by her father, who was the frontman of the Kosovan rock band, Oda.

At Fitzjohn's Primary School in London, Lipa wasn't disheartened when the teacher heading the school choir told her "she could not sing." Instead, the nine-year-old took weekend singing lessons at the Sylvia Young Theatre School.

As a high-schooler, she uploaded to YouTube videos of herself covering the songs of Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera.

Lipa became a model, which led to a role as the "singer" in and ad for The X Factor music competition show in 2013. A year later, she would ink a deal with Warner Bros. Records.

Please check out the audio track of Lipa performing "Physical." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…

"Physical"
Written by Dua Lipa, Jason Evigan, Clarence Coffee Jr. and Sarah Hudson. Performed by Dua Lipa.

Common love isn't for us
We created something phenomenal
Don't you agree?
Don't you agree?
You got me feeling diamond rich
Nothing on this planet compares to it
Don't you agree?
Don't you agree?

Who needs to go to sleep, when I got you next to me?

All night I'll riot with you
I know you got my back and you know I got you
So come on, come on, come on
Let's get physical
Lights out, follow the noise
Baby keep on dancing like you ain't got a choice
So come on, come on, come on
Let's get physical

Adrenaline keeps on rushing in
Love the simulation we're dreaming in
Don't you agree?
Don't you agree?
I don't wanna live another life
Cuz this one's pretty nice
Living it up

Who needs to go to sleep, when I got you next to me?

All night I'll riot with you
I know you got my back and you know I got you
So come on, come on, come on
Let's get physical
Lights out, follow the noise
Baby keep on dancing like you ain't got a choice
So come on, come on, come on
Let's get physical

Hold on just a little tighter
Come on
Hold on, tell me if you're ready
Come on
Baby keep on dancing
Let's get physical
Hold on just a little tighter
Come on
Hold on, tell me if you're ready
Come on
Baby keep on dancing
Let's get physical

All night I'll riot with you
I know you got my back and you know I got you
So come on, come on, come on
Let's get physical
Lights out, follow the noise
Baby keep on dancing like you ain't got a choice
So come on, come on, come on
Let's get physical

Let's get physical
(Physical)
Let's get physical
Come on, physical

Credit: Image by Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Purple-Pink Heart-Shaped Diamond Ring Tops All Lots at Christie's Geneva Sale

Carrying a pre-sale high estimate of $10.8 million, a 6.75-carat fancy vivid purple-pink heart-shaped diamond set in a platinum ring with yellow gold prongs has the honor of being the top lot at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels Sale in Geneva on November 9.

The gorgeous ring is one of five diamond lots with high estimates surpassing $4 million. Here's a look at the head-turners that will be up for grabs at the Geneva Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues.

-- Exceptional Colored Diamond Ring (Lot 77). The purple-pink diamond mentioned previously is flanked by colorless tapered baguettes and features a hidden — but beautifully finished — yellow gold gallery in a shape that mirrors the center stone. The diamond's shape is officially classified as a heart modified brilliant-cut. Estimated price range: $7.5 million to $10.8 million.

-- Exceptional Unmounted Diamond (Lot 11). This pear modified brilliant-cut diamond weighs an astounding 55.50 carats and is the largest of all the diamonds being offered at the Christie's sale. It earned a color rating of D and a clarity rating of VVS2. This is a Type IIa diamond, which means that it is colorless and chemically pure with no traces of nitrogen or boron. Estimated price range: $4.3 million to $5.4 million.

-- Important Diamond Ring (Lot 52). Also a Type IIa diamond, this 43.19 carat oval brilliant-cut diamond is flanked by baguettes and set in a platinum ring. The D-flawless diamond is secured with four claw prongs. Estimated price range: $3.2 million to $4.3 million.

-- Exceptional Colored Diamond and Diamond Ring (Lot 71). A fancy vivid yellow rectangular cut-cornered diamond of 42.98 carats is complemented by a pair of kite-shaped diamonds with 1.70 and 1.69 carats, respectively, in this stunning platinum and yellow gold ring. The yellow diamond carries a clarity rating of VVS1. Estimated price range: $2.1 million to $4.3 million.

-- Harry Winston Colored Diamond and Diamond Brooch (Lot 76). A fancy light pink marquise brilliant-cut diamond of 7.37 carats adds a bloom of color to this floral-motif diamond brooch. The pink diamond is surrounded by a colorless 10.31-carat marquise pear brilliant-cut diamond and colorless pear brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 9.59, 9.38 and 4.87 carats. Eight smaller colorless marquise-shaped diamonds fill out the stem. The piece carries the maker's mark Jacques Timey and is displayed in a black Harry Winston case. Estimated price range: $2.1 million to $4.3 million.

Credits: Images courtesy of Christie's.

93-Carat Black Diamond Makes Debut at London's Natural History Museum

A rare 93-carat natural black diamond — one of the largest in the world — recently made its debut at the Natural History Museum in London. The limited engagement will run for 12 months.

The “Anastacia Diamond” was cut from a rough gem weighing just over 300 carats, which likely originated from Brazil. The rough diamond was acquired by the owner's family during the late 1800s in Goa, India, which was well known as a gem-cutting center at the time. The gemstone has remained with the family since. More recently, the stone was named for the owner's daughter.

The diamond was set into a pendant that features a large crescent moon and three yellow-diamond stars on the front and a depiction of the constellation Al-Dubb al-Akbar (a.k.a Ursa Major) rendered in diamonds on the back. The pendant, which includes 41 colorless diamonds and 26 yellow diamonds, was designed specifically for the diamond's namesake.

The “Anastacia Diamond” is now the largest diamond of any color on display at the museum. It can be see in "The Vault," alongside other impressive gems and minerals, including the Aurora Pyramid of Hope (the largest collection of fancy colored diamonds currently on display in the world), the 1,384 carat Devonshire Emerald and the recently discovered Winchcombe Meteor.

Black diamonds are different from other colored diamonds because they do not get their color from chemical impurities, such as nitrogen, hydrogen or boron, in the diamond’s makeup. Instead, black diamonds owe their color to numerous dark inclusions (mostly graphite). Their opaqueness is caused by a “polycrystalline” structure that inhibits the reflection of light.

According to the Natural History Museum, the inclusions made the cutting and polishing of the gemstone much more challenging. The tiny interlocking grains can be seen as lines on the surface of the polished faces. The diamond is translucent rather than opaque, and the inclusions can be seen as scattered "glitter" within.

The “Anastacia Diamond” is 25.5 carats larger than the world-famous Black Orlov diamond, which was discovered in the early 1800s in India and weighs 67.50 carats. That gem had been previously displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Natural History Museum, London.

The London museum is recognized as a leading science research center and the most-visited natural history museum in Europe. The Natural History Museum in London welcomes more than five million visitors each year, while its digital content reaches hundreds of thousands of people in more than 200 countries each month. Touring exhibitions hosted by the museum have been seen by approximately 30 million people in the past 10 years.

The museum is also the custodian of one of the world’s most important scientific collections, comprising more than 80 million specimens. The museum’s 300 scientists continue to represent one of the largest groups in the world studying and enabling research into every aspect of the natural world.

Credits: Jewelry images © Trustees of the Natural History Museum London, used with permission. Museum image by Chiuchihmin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.