Music Friday: Teardrops Turn Into Precious Gems in Kelita's Song of Inner Healing

Welcome to Music Friday when we often bring you uplifting songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Canadian recording artist Kelita performs “Tears,” an inspirational song about inner healing and overcoming adversity.

In this song, Kelita compares herself to a sparrow with broken wings. But, instead of accepting her fate of never being able to “fly,” she describes how the Holy One will take away the pain by cradling her teardrops in His hand and transforming them into precious stones.

She sings, “Shimmering diamonds, rubies of red / Bright as the blood that my dear Savior shed / Emeralds of green, sapphires of blue / He’ll take away your teardrops / Turn them into jewels.”

“Tears” first appeared in 2000 on Kelita’s Naked Soul album, a work that earned her a nomination for a Juno Award (Canada’s version of a Grammy) for Best Gospel Album. Kelita also included the song as the final track of her Heart of a Woman album in 2010.

Born Kelita Haverland in Alberta, Canada, the singer/songwriter/actress/comedian draws her strength from having overcome a series of seemingly insurmountable life challenges. As a child, she suffered physical abuse at the hands of a sibling. Her alcoholic father committed suicide and then her mother died from cancer. Her abusive sibling later died from a heroin overdose, and Kelita nearly lost her own life in a terrible auto accident.

Kelita’s official website explains that the artist writes, sings and speaks what is gleaned from her own life experiences. From a relentless life of tragedy to triumph, the lessons are shared with a transparency and honesty that engages, encourages and inspires. Her ability to touch and penetrate the hearts of audiences is what drives her success.

Kelita helped launch the career of an aspiring 19-year-old singer name Eilleen (Shania) Twain. The teenager from Timmins, Ontario, sang backup on Kelita’s hit song, “Too Hot to Handle.” Twain has gone on to become one of the best-selling artists of all time with more than 100 million records sold worldwide.

Please check out the audio clip of Kelita singing “Tears.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Tears”
Written and performed by Kelita Haverland.

Tiny little sparrow fell from the tree
Sometimes I feel that little wounded sparrow is me
Tiny broken wings that never will fly
I wonder does her little heart know how to cry

Does her heart know how to cry
Are her tears gently falling inside
Crying tears she’s been trying to hide
Does her heart know how to cry like mine

Warm velvet words poured like sweet honey from his tongue
Until tonight I’d never heard the Holy one
He said that he would cradle every teardrop in His hand
He’d take away the pain and turn them into precious gems

Jesus knows the tears that you’ve cried
And he has seen them falling inside
Crying tears you’ve been trying to hide
Jesus knows the tears that you’ve cried like mine

Shimmering diamonds, rubies of red
Bright as the blood that my dear Savior shed
Emeralds of green, sapphires of blue
He’ll take away your teardrops
Turn them into jewels

Jesus knows the tears that you’ve cried
And he has seen them falling inside
Crying tears you’ve been trying to hide
Jesus knows, Jesus knows,
Jesus knows the tears that you’ve cried like mine

Credit: Promotional image via kelita.com.

World's Largest Faceted Citrine at 20,200 Carats Seems to Have Vanished

The sunny yellow November birthstone you see here is the world’s largest faceted citrine — an oval-cut, 20,200-carat marvel that vanished from the public eye in 2012.

Named for what was once its host city, the “Malaga” had been selected as one of the “Special Exhibition Gems” of the Programa Royal Collections. It was 2010, and the curated collection of 24 world-class gems was expected to attract huge crowds to the Art Natura Malaga, a natural science museum on Spain’s Costa del Sol.

The mammoth rough citrine crystal that would be transformed into the Malaga was unearthed in Mina Gerais, Brazil, in 1990. Due to the risks, complexity and special equipment required to cut and polish the stone, it remained in its original form for 19 years. Finally, in 2009, a team of Brazilian gem cutters took on the formidable challenge of shaping the stone — with startlingly beautiful results.

Rarely does nature present a citrine crystal that could yield such a large faceted stone. Typically, citrine crystals are found in geodes and measure just a few centimeters in size. When they are found in larger formations, the quality is usually lacking and those specimens are used as decorative items.

The internally flawless Malaga citrine measured 20 x 15 x 10 centimeters (7.87 x 5.90 x 3.93 inches) and was set to take up permanent residency at Art Natura alongside other extraordinary citrines, including the previous record holder, the oval-cut, 8,200-carat “Sol del Sur” (Southern Sun) and the 6,705-carat, emerald-cut “Soledade” (Solitude).

Art Natura boasted one of the world’s largest collections of museum-quality gemstones. In all, the collection comprised more than 500,000 carats, and each gem represented the best in its class in terms of size, purity and color.

All the excitement surrounding the opening of Art Natura Malaga came to a screeching halt during the fall of 2012, when legal disputes between the museum's owners and the Malaga City Council forced the complex to close.

Art Natura Malaga continues to have a website and a Facebook page, but both properties seem to be stuck in November of 2012. Sadly, the internet hasn't provided any clues as to the whereabouts of the Malaga citrine or its supersized citrine cousins. In the meantime, we'll just have to relish that special time a decade ago when the Malaga citrine was a rock star.

Credit: Courtesy photo by Programa Royal Collections, 2010.

Colossal 187,775-Carat Cluster of Emerald Crystals Could Set Price Record

The Kafubu Cluster, a colossal 187,775-carat matrix of individual and intertwined emerald crystals, is expected to set a Gemfields' price record at the mining company's rough tender in mid-November.

The impressive, 82.8-pound specimen was extracted in March 2020 from the Chama pit of the famous Kagem emerald mine in Zambia. Kagem is believed to be the world’s most prolific emerald mine.

“Rarity is one of the factors that makes emeralds hold such a special value in many cultures around the world, but the combination of this crystal cluster formation, the overall quality and the sheer enormity of the Kafubu Cluster is something I never thought possible,” commented Jackson Mtonga, Kagem's assistant sort house manager.

What's unique about the formation is that it's made up almost entirely of hexagonal emerald crystals. Hardly any other minerals are present.

According to the mining company, the Kafubu Cluster displays all the desired characteristics that an emerald should possess, including a vivid green color that glows and shines. The cluster also presents various levels of crystallization that will allow a cutter to create a collection of gems, ranging from fine-quality faceting material to cabochons and beads for everyday fun.

Gemfields believes the Kafubu Cluster could be transformed into tens of thousands of carats of commercial-to-fine-quality cut emeralds. There is also a possibility that the winning bidder will choose to preserve it in its natural form.

The Kafubu Cluster owes its name to the Kafubu river, which forms the natural southwest boundary of the Kagem property. Gemfields noted that the name Kafubu honors the unique landscape in which the colossal cluster was formed.

Gemfields, which owns 75% of the Kagem mine in a partnership with the Zambian government, noted that emeralds from Kagem tend to have a higher iron content than emeralds from other origins. This means they are less fragile and have fewer surface-reaching fractures.

Given its size and quality, it is likely that the Kafubu Cluster will be the most expensive single emerald piece ever sold by Gemfields. Viewing of the spectacular piece began last week at Gemfields' London headquarters. Bidding is set to close on November 17.

Credits: The Kafubu Cluster images courtesy of Gemfields.