Cyclist Shelly Olds Believes Power of Gems and Minerals Will Give Her an Edge at the Olympics

In a sport where the difference between winning a gold or silver medal could come down to a tenth of a second, world-class cyclists are constantly looking for an edge. While most of the refinements in the sport have been seen in high-performance training methods, advanced cycle designs and aerodynamic racing gear, U.S. Olympic Team cyclist Shelly Olds of Groton, Mass., has added one more secret weapon to her arsenal.

Olds, a member of the four-woman U.S. road racing team, told ESPN.com that she wears special jewelry every time she competes and that a collection of her powerful baubles will be around her neck, in her jersey pocket and adorning her wrist when she goes for the gold at the upcoming Olympic Games in London on July 29.

"When I am racing, I wear a small mineral necklace close to my heart and lungs that gives me strength and energy," she said. "I also carry a stone in my back jersey pocket that I believe protects me and keeps all bad energy behind and away from me."

Olds, 31, added that during the Olympic Games road race, she'll be wearing a red, white and blue crystal bracelet – a bracelet that generates a source of strength and represents her national pride.

Specifically, the red carnelian is believed to be the stone of confidence, protection and courage, while white agate is said to be the stone of warriors, bringing power, good luck and healing energy. Olds believes that blue sodalite enhances endurance, inner peace and focus.

Music Friday: Elvis Presley's 'Wear My Ring Around Your Neck'

Welcome to Music Friday, when we bring you great songs with precious metals, gemstones or jewelry in the title or the lyrics. Today we step back to 1958 and join a 23-year-old Elvis Presley as he sings a #1 R&B hit, "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck." One of the most important figures of 20th-century popular culture, "The King" was a multitalented global phenomenon as he starred on stage and screen.

"Aloha from Hawaii," a concert staged by Presley in 1973, was the first performance ever to be broadcast to a worldwide audience. He was seen live via satellite by a staggering 1.5 billion viewers.

Only four years, The King passed away suddenly at the age of 42.

Presley is widely credited as being the highest-selling individual artist of all time with more than 300 million records sold. Only The Beatles have sold more records.

Our Music Friday selection includes a video slideshow that gives an intimate look at The King and his bride, Priscilla, who were married in May 1967 at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The lyrics to "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" are below if you'd like to sing along.

"Wear My Ring Around Your Neck"

Written by Bert Carroll and Russell Moody. Performed by Elvis Presley

Won't you wear my ring around your neck?
To tell the world I'm yours, by heck
Let them see your love for me
And let them see by the ring around your neck

Won't you wear my ring around your neck?
To tell the world I'm yours, by heck
Let them know I love you so
And let them no by the ring around your neck

Well they say that goin' steady is not the proper thing
They say that we're too young to know the meaning of a ring
I only know that I love you and that you love me too
So, darling, please do what I ask of you

Won't you wear my ring around your neck
To tell the world I'm yours, by heck
Let them see your love for me
And let them see by the ring around your neck

Well they say that goin' steady is not the proper thing
They say that we're too young to know the meaning of a ring
I only know that I love you and that you love me too
So, darling, this is what I, I beg of you

Won't you wear my ring around your neck
To tell the world I'm yours, by heck
Let them know I love you so
And let them know by the ring around your neck
And let them know by the ring around your neck
And let them know by the ring around your neck

Engagement Ring Rescued From the Shallows of Lake Erie After Three-Day Search

Bride-to-be Samantha Peckens was having some summer fun playing football in the water with her fiancé Adam Frost when the unthinkable happened. Her 1-carat princess-cut diamond engagement ring flew off her finger and vanished into the murky waters of Lake Erie near Buffalo, NY.

Drew Supon (inset) saves the day for bride-to-be Samantha Peckens.

Peckens screamed "My ring fell off," and instantly there were 30 bystanders and friends helping with the search. Despite their combined efforts, they couldn't find the ring.

Frost tried to console his sobbing fiancée, saying that it was OK and at least no one got hurt. But Peckens was devastated. The two have been a couple for 15 years, since they were teenagers.

"We went through so much together as kids and [the ring] was everything to me. It never came off my finger. And when it did, especially in the water, it just broke my heart. Absolutely broke my heart," the 27-year-old Peckens told the local NBC affiliate, WRGZ.

Peckens and her friends came back to the shore the next day to continue their search. Joining the group was Drew Supon, a part-time treasure hunter, who owned an underwater metal detector. Still, by the end of Day 2, there was no sign of the missing ring.

"We were starting to give up," said Peckens.

Supon had other ideas. He returned to the water on Day 3 and worked an area that he felt was promising. Supon and the detector finally worked their magic.

While wading in three feet of water, Supon reached down and slid his hand under five inches of sand. He wasn't sure what he found, at first. "Then the sun hit it at the right angle, and what I thought was another Pepsi pull tab, was Sam's ring in my hands," he exclaimed.

1-carat princess cut diamond engagement ring is resurrected from a watery grave.

Supon kept his discovery low key and let Adam do the honors.

Peckens recounted the scene... "Adam came up to me and said, 'Did you find the ring yet?' I said, 'No, I didn't find it yet,' and he had it in his hands. I said, 'Oh my God, oh my God.' I started crying. It was like he proposed to me all over again."

"If you lose it and it comes back, it's meant to be. I feel like it's good [omen] for the rest of our relationship," she said.

Supon is now the odds-on favorite to be the honorary best man at the Peckens-Frost wedding.

Platinum-Inscribed Sapphire Disks Designed to Preserve Nuclear Waste Warnings for 1 Million Years

Faced with the challenge of how to communicate the dangers of radioactive waste to archeologists hundreds of thousands of years from now, the French nuclear waste agency, ANDRA, devised an indestructible data disk made from industrial sapphire etched with platinum.

Designed to endure the elements for more than one million years, an eight-inch disk will carry 40,000 miniaturized pages of images and text covering the dangers of nuclear waste. The disk, which costs $30,000 to produce, runs on no device. It can be viewed with a common microscope. Apparently, the scientists made the assumption that future civilizations will have access to a microscope.

The scientists clearly picked sapphire and platinum because of their impressive characteristics of hardness, durability and extreme resistance to corrosion. The disks were acid tested to ensure their lifespan.

Disks made from industrial sapphire. Photo courtesy of Monocrystal.

Preserving warning data for vast periods of time is a byproduct of the extreme lifespan of nuclear waste, some of which is still dangerous for 100,000 years. ANDRA's Patrick Charton recently presented the sapphire-and-platinum disk solution before the Euroscience Open Forum, according to Sciencemag.org.

Charlton explained that these discs are meant to provide "information for future archaeologists," though he admitted that "[we] have no idea what language to write it in."

Music Friday With The Rolling Stones, The 50th Anniversary of Their First Gig, and 'Ruby Tuesday'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fabulous songs with gemstones, precious metals or jewelry in the lyrics or title. Today, we shine our spotlight on what is arguably the most famous rock band of all time – The Rolling Stones. Amazingly, the group is celebrating the golden anniversary of its very first gig, which took place in 1962 at London's Marquee Club. At the time, they were billed as "The Rollin' Stones." They added the "g" later.

The group appeared at London's Somerset House just yesterday to kick off a retrospective photo exhibition commemorating their first half century together.

The longevity and unwavering success of the group is unrivaled in the annals of rock and roll. Even though Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts are in their late 60s and early 70s, they are still going strong and hinting of a new tour.

The Stones have sold more than 200 million records, with hits including "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and our featured song, "Ruby Tuesday."

Released in 1967, "Ruby Tuesday" reveals the Rolling Stones' softer, more melodic side. The track hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard charts and was featured on two Rolling Stone albums, "Between the Buttons" and "Flowers." Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #303 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

The video below includes a photo montage covering the 50 fabulous years of The Rolling Stones. The lyrics are included if you'd like to sing along...

"Ruby Tuesday"

Written by Keith Richards. Performed by The Rolling Stones.

She would never say where she came from
Yesterday don't matter if it's gone
While the sun is bright
Or in the darkest night
No one knows, she comes and goes
 
Goodbye Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you
 
Don't question why she needs to be so free
She'll tell you it's the only way to be
She just can't be chained
To a life where nothing's gained
And nothing's lost, at such a cost
 
Goodbye Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you
 
"There's no time to lose," I heard her say
Catch your dreams before they slip away
Dying all the time
Lose your dreams and you will lose your mind
Ain't life unkind?
 
Goodbye Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you