Music Friday: For Elvis Presley, 'This Tiny Ring Is a Token of Tender Emotion'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome throwback songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, we feature Elvis Presley singing about the colossal symbolism packed into a tiny circle of gold in his 1973 cover of “She Wears My Ring.”

To a smitten Presley, the ring he placed on his girlfriend's finger is not only an expression of his commitment, but also a signal to the world of their eternal love.

Presley sings, “This tiny ring is a token of tender emotion / An endless pool of love that’s as deep as the ocean / She swears to wear it with eternal devotion / That’s why I sing, because she wears my ring.”

Reinterpreted with English lyrics by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant in 1960, “She Wears My Ring” was adapted from a Spanish-language song, “La Golodrina.” That song was penned by Mexican physician Narciso Serradell nearly 100 years earlier, when the doctor had been exiled to France during the Second Franco-Mexican War.

He wrote “La Golodrina,” (“The Swallow” in Spanish) as a fond tribute to the country he left behind. The song is about a migrating bird yearning to return to her homeland.

Although Presley’s rendition of “She Wears My Ring” is the most memorable, the song was originally performed by Jimmy Bell in 1960 and covered by Roy Orbison in 1962 and Ray Price in 1968.

“She Wears My Ring” appears as the fifth track of Good Times, Presley’s 20th studio album.

Born in Tupelo, Miss., in 1935, Elvis Aron Presley ascended to stardom in the mid-1950s with his good looks, silky voice and outrageous performance style. Not only did he top the charts during the 1950s and 1960s, but he also starred in more than 30 movies, including Jailhouse Rock (1957) and Viva Las Vegas (1964).

Presley met Priscilla Ann Beaulieu in 1960 and married her after a seven-and-a-half-year courtship. The ceremony took place at the Aladdin hotel in Las Vegas and, yes, she wore his ring.

“The King,” as he was known, would eventually become one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music, with more than one billion records sold worldwide. His Memphis home, Graceland, is still a major tourist attraction.

Elvis died in Memphis on August 16, 1977, at the age of 44.

Please check out the audio track of Presley performing “She Wears My Ring.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“She Wears My Ring”
Written by Felice & Boudleaux Bryant. Performed by Elvis Presley.

She wears my ring to show the world that she belongs to me
She wears my ring to show the world she’s mine eternally
With loving care I placed it on her finger
To show my love for all the world to see

This tiny ring is a token of tender emotion
An endless pool of love that’s as deep as the ocean
She swears to wear it with eternal devotion
That’s why I sing, because she wears my ring

She swears to wear it with eternal devotion
That’s why I sing, because she wears my ring

This tiny ring is a token of tender emotion
An endless pool of love that’s as deep as the ocean
She swears to wear it with eternal devotion
That’s why I sing, because she wears my ring
That’s why I sing, because she wears my ring

Credit:Uncredited, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Oscar Mayer Transforms Iconic Wienermobile Into a Las Vegas Wedding Chapel

One of Oscar Meyer's 27-foot-long hotdog-shaped promotional vehicles will be making a two-day stop in Las Vegas this weekend, where it will be transformed into the city's newest wedding chapel: "The Wienermobile of Love."

On Monday, the popular hotdog brand, announced on its social media pages an opportunity for soon-to-be-newlyweds to exchange vows "in hotdog bliss." The Wienermobile, one of six that criss-cross the continent throughout the year, will be parked outside the famous Little White Wedding Chapel on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Via social media, Oscar Meyer explained that the all-expenses-paid ceremonies would take place within 30-minute time slots on Saturday and Sunday, April 15 and 16, and that reservations could be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

Couples who can secure a spot will be wed by the brand's beloved hotdoggers in a ceremony that includes a live wiener whistle quartet and an "odd wiener cake." (Wienermobile drivers are called “hotdoggers.”)

As of this writing, all the reserved spots have been taken, but applicants may still join the waitlist.

The company noted that the weekend promotion, titled "Meat You Down the Aisle," is designed to subvert the seriousness of stressful wedding planning and highlight the joy weddings should bring.

Specifically, the promotion addresses a recent Zola survey that revealed 72% of couples felt either “very” or “extremely” stressed about planning their big day.

Instead, Oscar Mayer is bringing some much-needed relief by providing couples the chance to trade in the hoopla of a traditional wedding in favor of something stress-free and fun: an elopement to the Wienermobile outside the Little White Wedding Chapel.

Said Ed Roland, Oscar Mayer’s senior manager of brand communications, “Now, as more people seek stress-free ceremonies with their partners, our Hotdoggers are thrilled to reignite the joy of this special day and give them a once-in-a-lifetime experience: a wedding through a pair of meat-colored glasses.”

For years, the brand's fans have been encouraged to order up a Wienermobile for their marriage proposals. To book one, all they had to do was visit the company’s website, fill out a request form, and hope for some good luck. Each year, Oscar Meyer receives thousands of requests for the Wienermobile to be part of a couple's big day.

Wienermobile proposals became a thing at Oscar Mayer after Zach Chatham, an official Wienermobile driver, revealed his plans to pop the question in front of the vehicle at Yellowstone National Park. This hotdogger’s proposal idea caught the attention of Nick Guerten, marketing director for Oscar Mayer.

“When Zach told us about his plans to propose with the Wienermobile at Yellowstone, we knew it would be a one-of-a-kind experience they would never forget,” Guerten told foodandwine.com. “We wanted to extend this to our fans so everyone can have the opportunity of a 27-foot hotdog on wheels present during such an important life moment.”

Oscar Mayer charges no fee for a Wienermobile appearance, but spots are based on availability. The company has recommended that requests be made from three to 12 months ahead of the big day. The company usually notifies couples one week prior to the requested date.

Trivia: The first Wienermobile was created in 1936 by Carl Mayer and the 1952 version of the Wienermobile has a permanent home at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI.

Fans can track the whereabouts and promotional appearances of the six Wienermobiles on this page.

Credits: Images via BusinessWire, oscarmeyer.com.

55-Carat 'Estrela de Fura' Could Break Two Ruby Records at Sotheby's New York

The 55.22-carat "Estrela de Fura," the largest gem-quality ruby to ever appear at auction, is expected to make headlines at Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels sale in New York on June 8. The gem has a chance to break two records that have stood since 2015: The largest sum ever paid for a ruby and the highest price-per-carat ever paid for a ruby.

Back in September 2022, mining company Fura Gems unveiled the Mozambique-sourced “Estrela de Fura” in its rough form. At the time, it weighed 101 carats and was described as a “once in a century” discovery.

Even in its rough, untouched state, Estrela de Fura was considered by experts as an exceptional treasure of nature for its fluorescence, outstanding clarity and vivid red hue, known as "pigeon’s blood" — a color traditionally associated only with Burmese rubies.

The company’s chief executive, Dev Shetty, said at the time that the gem could eventually yield a faceted stone weighing 50 carats or more and challenge the records held by the 25.59-carat, cushion-cut "Sunrise Ruby."

We assumed that if the quality of the polished Estrela de Fura (Portuguese for “Star of Fura”) turned out to be on par with the “Sunrise Ruby” ($30.3 million), Fura's find might deliver $50 million or more.

The past week, Fura and Sotheby's confirmed that the 101-carat rough from the Montepuez ruby deposit did, indeed, yield a top-quality, cushion-cut ruby exceeding 50 carats. Fura reported that Estrela de Fura displays a saturated and homogeneous red color, combined with a degree of clarity unseen in any other unheated ruby of comparable size.

Estrela de Fura was masterfully cut and faceted by a team of artisans, according to Fura. The rough was transformed into a beautiful cushion-shaped stone which, according to a report from the Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF), “resulted in vivid red hues due to multiple internal reflections.”

The report further stated that the gem is profoundly rich in chromium which, when exposed to ultraviolet light — as found in sunlight — causes the stone to radiate a fiery red fluorescence, further enhancing the stone’s vibrancy, as though it was lit from within.

"From the in-depth analysis and study of the stone through the process of cutting and polishing, we have worked with the utmost care and respect for the ruby, recognizing its importance and stature, " said Shetty. "Witnessing the completion of Estrela de Fura was a monumental achievement for all of us, and we are excited that a new page in the story of this incredible gem and Mozambican rubies is about to be written with Sotheby’s.”

While it's nearly a sure bet that Estrela de Fura will beat the Sunrise Ruby's record for the highest price ever paid at auction for a ruby, the "once-in-a-century" gem will need to achieve about $66 million to overtake the Sunrise Ruby's per-carat record of $1,185,451. That's a tall order.

Estrela de Fura is currently embarking on a multi-city tour ahead of the New York auction. The stone will be making appearances in Hong Kong, Taipei, China, Singapore, Geneva and Dubai.

Credits: Images courtesy of Fura Gems.