Music Friday: Pink Floyd’s 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' Fetes Ex-Band Member

Welcome to Music Friday when we feature fabulous songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today we’re privileged to present Pink Floyd’s 1975 masterpiece, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.”

Written as a tribute to former band member Syd Barrett, who had to leave the group after suffering a mental breakdown, the song includes the famous opening line, “Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun. Shine on you crazy diamond.”

In comparing him to a diamond, the co-writers — all band members at the time — saluted Barrett's exceptional talent and creative genius.

A founding member of Pink Floyd, Barrett was the group’s lead vocalist, lead guitarist and primary songwriter during the band’s early years in the mid-1960s. He is also credited with naming the band, but it wasn’t long before mental illness and drug abuse took its toll.

His behavior became erratic: Concertgoers reported that Barrett would sometimes get on stage and not play a single note. Other times he would play the same note over and over. His stint with Pink Floyd lasted only three years, as the band reluctantly ousted him in 1968. He passed away in 2006.

Running nearly 26 minutes, the nine-part “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” was originally intended to fill the first side of the concept album, Wish You Were Here. Ultimately the band members decided it was best to split the epic song in half and allow it to bookend the album.

Wish You Were Here turned out to be a huge commercial success with more than 20 million copies sold worldwide. Rolling Stone magazine listed it as one of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

Although the original song officially runs 25:57, we’ve found a radio version that dives right into the powerful lyrics. It runs just 3:29. Enjoy...

“Shine On You Crazy Diamond”
Written by Roger Waters, David Jon Gilmour and Rick Wright. Performed by Pink Floyd.

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there’s a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom,
Blown on the steel breeze.

Come on you target for faraway laughter,
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!

You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.

Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well, you wore out your welcome with random precision,
Rode on the steel breeze.

Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
Come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!

Credit: Photo by Paul Carless, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

For the 2nd Time This Month, Lucara Unveils Mega Diamond From Its Karowe Mine

For the second time this month, Lucara has unearthed a massive top-quality diamond at its Karowe Mine in Botswana.

A few weeks ago, the mining company revealed a stunning 1,080-carat oblong gem that rates as the sixth-largest ever unearthed. On Monday, Lucara unveiled a 692.3-carat Type IIa high white gem from the same source. That diamond, yet to be named, takes its place at #20 on Wikipedia's "List of the Largest Rough Diamonds."

Of the top 20 diamonds ever discovered, seven have come from the Karowe Mine. The largest Karowe finds include the 1,758-carat Sewelô (2019), 1,174-carat unnamed (2021), 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona (2015) and the 998-carat unnamed (2020).

About the width of a golf ball, the newest find was recovered from the direct milling of ore sourced from the EM/PK(S) unit of the South Lobe at Karowe — the same extraction point as the 1,000-carat-plus diamond introduced earlier in August.

The 692.3-carat diamond measures 46.5mm (1.83 in) by 40.7mm (1.60 in) by 28.4mm (1.11 in). Its Type IIa classification represents a colorless diamond with no measurable impurities. Type IIa gems account for less than 2% of all natural diamonds.

So far this year, Karowe has produced four diamonds larger than 300 carats and 20 larger than 100 carats.

Lucara’s MDR (Mega Diamond Recovery) XRT circuit uses advanced technology to identify 100-carat-plus diamonds. By monitoring the rocky material for X-ray luminescence, atomic density and transparency, the new technology can identify and isolate large diamonds before they go through the destructive crushing process.

"The successful track record of delivering some of the world's largest diamonds continues with the recent recovery of a 692.3-carat diamond," said Lucara CEO William Lamb. "The recovery of large diamonds from the EM/PK(S) lithology of the South Lobe strongly supports our expectations for the underground project where the majority of material mined will constitute this phase of kimberlite during the first years of underground production."

The Karowe Mine, which was opened in 2012, had been expected to cease operations in 2025, but an underground expansion at the cost of $683 million promises to extend its productive lifespan until at least 2040.

Credit: Image courtesy of Lucara Diamond Corp.

Too Big for King Kong, Astros' World Series Ring Replicas Are a Sight to Behold

A World Series ring so enormous King Kong would have to see his jeweler to have it sized down was officially unveiled at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Friday.

The replica of the Astros' 2022 championship bling made its debut alongside the team's 2017 edition, providing an awesome photo op for fans entering the stadium from Texas Avenue.

The rings appear to be about three feet tall and match the design of the originals, stone for stone. Each ring stands upright on a circular blue platform on which fans can climb to pose with the ring.

The festive unveiling, which took place from noon to 3 p.m. prior to the game against the Seattle Mariners, included appearances by the Astros' dance team — the Coca-Cola Shooting Stars — as well as the Shuttle Crew, a group of marketing professionals that manned the prize wheel and other activities.

Fans attending the event also got a chance to pose with the actual 2022 World's Series Trophy, which was placed on a podium between the two giant-sized rings.

The Astros' social media team promoted the installation with a Facebook photo caption that simply noted, "The newest addition on Texas Ave. outside of Minute Maid Park." The post was punctuated by an Engagement Ring emoji and a Star Eye emoji.

Crafted by Jostens in 14-karat white and yellow gold and hand-set with 679 diamonds and sapphires, the actual 2022 World Series ring celebrates the Houston Astros’ memorable season and ultimate triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Each 2022 ring features 591 round diamonds, 11 baguette-cut diamonds, 22 emerald-cut diamonds, nine custom-cut orange sapphires, two round orange sapphires, one star-shaped orange sapphire, 42 round blue sapphires and one star-shaped blue sapphire. The total weight of all the gemstones is approximately 15.30 carats.

By comparison, the Astros’ 2017 World Series ring — also designed by Jostens — tells the story of the franchise’s first-ever championship using 225 colorless diamonds, nine orange sapphires and 16 blue sapphires set in 14-karat white and yellow gold. Each ring glitters with 10.40 carats of genuine gemstones.

The Astros' are currently vying for another run at the championship. The team is 70-55, just behind the first-place Texas Rangers in the American League West.

Credits: Giant ring replica images via Facebook / Astros. Actual ring photos courtesy of Jostens.