Music Friday: Kelly Clarkson Wants a Canary Diamond or Red Ruby for Christmas

Welcome to a special holiday edition of Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Kelly Clarkson sings about the glittery items on her Christmas wish list in the 2013 favorite “4 Carats.”

In this tune penned by Clarkson and three collaborators, the “Original American Idol” temporarily casts aside her squeaky clean image and implores Santa to make her Christmas Eve, "4 carats, please."

She proclaims that she’s been good all year and deserves a “shiny” gift. Specifically, she has her heart set on a canary yellow diamond or red ruby. And, yes, size matters. The baubles have to weigh in at 4 carats.

In the catchy refrain, she sings, “Like a diamond ring / Just a little something from Tiffany’s / Or a big ruby / You know red has always looked good on me.”

Later in the song, as the clock strikes 2 in the morning, Clarkson is concerned that Santa may have forgotten her.

This is when she coos about fancy yellow diamonds: “Mm, something sparkly / Yellow canaries / Ooh yea yea / Mm, I’m waiting patiently / Santa don’t forget me / Ooh don’t forget me!”

Clarkson told Billboard magazine that “4 Carats” was inspired by Eartha Kitt’s “Santa Baby” (1953) and Madonna’s “Material Girl” (1984). The end result was a mashup of the two. Music critics generally praised the song for its memorable pop hook and bouncy melody.

“4 Carats” appeared as the 12th track on Clarkson’s popular Wrapped in Red Christmas album, which was certified platinum after selling more than one million copies. The album peaked at #3 on the US Billboard 200 chart and the single reached #30 on Billboard's Holiday Digital Songs chart.

Born in Ft. Worth, TX, in 1982, Kelly Brianne Clarkson rose to fame in 2002 after winning the inaugural season of American Idol. In a career spanning 20 years, Clarkson has sold 25 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide, making her the second-best-selling American Idol contestant to date, just behind Carrie Underwood.

Clarkson served as a coach on The Voice from its 14th season ( February 2018) to its 21st season ( September 2021). She's expected to return for Season 23 (March 2023). She also has hosted her own daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, since September of 2019.

Please check out the audio track of Clarkson’s “4 Carats.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“4 Carats”
Written by Kelly Clarkson, Cathy Dennis, Livvi Franc and Gregory Kurstin. Performed by Kelly Clarkson.

The door’s unlocked
And you don’t even have to knock
Or you can use the fireplace
I’ll be waiting either way

You come and go
And no one is supposed to know
But ever since you caught my stare
You know I know that you are real

Well Santa I’ve been thinking
And I’m just in needin’ one thing
You to bring me, something shiny

Like a diamond ring
Just a little something from Tiffany’s
Or a big ruby
You know red has always looked good on me

I won’t tell (I won’t tell) anyone
Anyone
I’ve been good all year long
Oh Santa make my Christmas Eve
4 carats please

Oh oh
Oh

It’s getting late
I know you have your rounds to make
But I’ve been waiting up for you
And now the clock has just struck 2

I’m looking out my windows
Looking for a red nose
My heart’s sinking
Don’t forget me

Oh my diamond ring
Just a little something from Tiffany’s
Or a big ruby
You know red has always looked good on me

I won’t tell (I won’t tell) anyone
Anyone
I’ve been good all year long
Oh Santa make my Christmas Eve
4 carats please

Oh oh
Oh oh

Mm, something sparkly
Yellow canaries
Ooh yea yea
Mm, I’m waiting patiently
Santa don’t forget me
Ooh don’t forget me!

Oh my diamond ring
Just a little something from Tiffany’s
Or a big ruby
You know red has always looked good on me

I won’t tell (I won’t tell) anyone
Anyone
I’ve been good all year long
Oh Santa make my Christmas Eve
4 carats please

Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh
Oh oh

Credit: Photo by Marc Piscotty, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Diamond and Gold Donations Point to a Bright Season for The Salvation Army

Early season donations of valuable diamond jewelry and gold coins are signaling a bright holiday season for Salvation Army chapters across the country.

The Salvation Army’s bell-ringing season starts each November and runs through Christmas Eve. Most of the donations come in the form of pocket change and paper money, but each year the well known charitable institution is excited to promote instances of anonymous benefactors generously dropping precious items into the iconic Red Kettles.

In Hopkinton, MA, for example, a generous resident sneaked a diamond ring worth more than $1,000 into The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle outside the Price Chopper supermarket on West Main Street.

A stunned Salvation Army volunteer discovered the 12-stone, 14-karat white gold ring while sifting through the day's donations, according to Boston TV station WHDH.

The volunteer brought the ring to a local jeweler, who verified that it was, indeed, fine jewelry and confirmed a four-figure valuation.

“When we get generous donations like this, it certainly helps our overall effort, so we really appreciate whoever the person was who deposited this ring in the kettle,” Kevin Polito, a Milford Corps. Salvation Army Captain, told the news outlet.

In the Detroit area, an anonymous patron recently dropped a rare, 1980 South African gold Krugerrand into a kettle at a Kroger supermarket near St. Clair Shores. The 1-ounce, pure gold coin carries a value of nearly $1,800.

According to Detroit TV station WXYZ, the latest gold coin donation marked the 10th consecutive year that a gold Krugerrand has been deposited in a Red Kettle in that community.

About 475 miles southwest, in Evansville, IN, Salvation Army volunteers were delighted to retrieve a gold coin from a Red Kettle in front of the West Side Walmart. Salvation Army officials told 14news.com that the donation occurred on a "matching day," when all kettle donations for the weekend were matched by an unnamed philanthropist, up to $10,500.

The Salvation Army Red Kettle Program can track its origins to 1891, when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee struggled with the reality that so many poor individuals in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken. His only hurdle was a tall one — funding the project.

According to The Salvation Army’s official website, McFee’s red kettle idea was inspired by his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England. There, he remembered an iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” into which passers-by tossed a coin or two to help the poor.

The next day, McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” He soon had the money to see that the needy people of the area were properly fed at Christmas.

According to a Salvation Army press release, Red Kettle volunteers didn’t become bell ringers until 1900, when a young cadet named Amelia from New York City bought a 10-cent bell to ring. The bell was a huge success and drew attention and donations from those who passed. Not long after, all the cadets had bells to ring.

Now in its 131st year, the Red Kettle Campaign is one of the longest-running and most recognizable fundraising efforts in the world. Red Kettles are now used worldwide and can be found in Korea, Japan, Chile and throughout Europe.

During its Christmas season campaign, approximately 25,000 bell ringers, young and old, brave the elements to help The Salvation Army raise money for local community programs. The Salvation Army serves more than 30 million Americans each year.

Credits: Images courtesy of The Salvation Army.

Reveling in Pure Joy, 'Viva Magenta' Is Pantone's 2023 Color of the Year

Described as a "new animated red that revels in pure joy," Viva Magenta was just named Pantone's Color of the Year for 2023.

According to The Pantone Color Institute, Viva Magenta is inspired by cochineal, a red dye derived from the dried bodies of female cochineal insects. Cochineal dye was used as early as the second century BC by the Aztecs and Mayans. Incidentally, it takes 70,000 cochineal insects to make one pound of dye.

"In this age of technology, we look to draw inspiration from nature and what is real," said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute. "PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known."

Pantone said its 2023 Color of the Year is powerful and empowering — a new animated red that revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraint. It's an electrifying and boundary-less shade that is manifesting as a stand-out statement.

Consumers who embrace Viva Magenta-inspired fashion items will be accessorizing with fine jewelry featuring ruby, garnet, tourmaline, spinel and red beryl.

Viva Magenta takes the reins from 2022's Very Peri, a dynamic periwinkle blue hue with an intense violet-red undertone. Veri Peri was a brand new Pantone color, and its selection marked the first time the international color authority cooked up a color and then instantly designated it as the Color of the Year.

To arrive at the selection each year, this global team of color experts at the Pantone Color Institute comb the world looking for new color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, aspirational travel destinations, new lifestyles, play styles or enjoyable escapes as well as socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even upcoming sporting events that capture worldwide attention.

The Pantone Color Institute originally created the Pantone Color of the Year educational program in 1999 to engage the design community and color enthusiasts around the world in a conversation around color.

"We wanted to draw attention to the relationship between culture and color," said Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute. "We wanted to highlight to our audience how what is taking place in our global culture is expressed and reflected through the language of color. This thought process rings just as true today just as it did back in 1999."

Typically, Pantone’s yearly selection influences product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design.

Here are the Pantone Colors of the Year dating back to 2010…

PANTONE 17-3938 Veri Peri (2022)
PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray (2021)
PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating (2021)
PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue (2020)
PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral (2019)
PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet (2018)
PANTONE 15-0343 Greenery (2017)
PANTONE 13-1520 Rose Quartz (2016)
PANTONE 15-3919 Serenity (2016)
PANTONE 18-1438 Marsala (2015)
PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid (2014)
PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald (2013)
PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango (2012)
PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle (2011)
PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise (2010)

Credits: Images courtesy of Pantone.