NYC Sanitation Workers Dig Through Piles of Trash to Find Sentimental Ring

A Staten Island woman is singing the praises of New York City's Strongest after a team of sanitation workers went above and beyond the call of duty, searching through mounds of trash to find a deeply sentimental ring.

Jackie Cacace had received the abalone butterfly ring as a gift during a trip to Aruba this past June.

"It means a lot to me," she told ABC News station WABC. "A man who loves me very much, who I love very much, gave it to me."

Her world came crashing down this past week when she accidentally tossed the ring in the trash after wrapping it in a crumpled napkin.

When she realize her mistake a feeling of angst overwhelmed her.

"It was a strike of fear going from the top of my head all the way throughout my body, down to my toes," she told ABC News station WABC.

Sadly, she had tossed the ring on garbage day and the sanitation crew had already serviced her block. Her next move was to hop in her car and search the neighborhood for the garbage truck. She finally caught up to the truck and tried to communicate her harrowing tale to the workers.

She described the scene to WABC, "I have tears running down my face. My hands are trembling. I can not get my thoughts together and I'm sure my words made absolutely no sense."

On Facebook, Cacace explained, "They quickly calmed me down, placed a phone call to their supervisor, Richie, and ensured me my ring [would] be found. The truck was routed to the transfer station to be searched."

Cacace met the sanitation crew at Garage #3 in Staten Island and, after looking at the huge pile of trash bags that tumbled out of the truck, thought, "There's no way I'm finding my ring."

Five sanitation workers joined in the search and, within 15 minutes, Cacace's sentimental keepsake was found. The 46-year-old Cacace had provided a few clues that expedited the search, including the type of garbage bag she used and one of its known contents — a discarded box of Mallowmars, a throwback cookie that happens to have a bright yellow wrapper.

Sanitation worker Pete Mauro was credited with finding the ring.

"She was really upset when she came in," Mauro told WABC, "but we were able to get it done. We found it and she was really happy."

Cacace recounted, "At that point, tears were flowing out of my eyes. Tears of joy. I gave Pete the biggest hug ever. I was so grateful that he actually found my ring."

"THANK YOU to all the men who helped me (Mo, Anthony, Richie, Pete, Scott, Mike) and many others, including those behind the scenes who saved the trash on the truck from being dumped elsewhere," Cacace wrote on her Facebook page. "I recognize the massive amount of facilitation that took place, and the chaos I caused. I am simply impressed, humble, and overwhelmed with joy."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was also impressed with the Staten Island crew and gave New York's Strongest a shout-out on his Twitter account.

In New York City, members of the sanitation department are known as New York's Strongest, while police officers are called New York's Finest, and the firefighters are New York's Bravest.

Credits: Images via Facebook.com/Jackie.Cacace.

Eight Fancy Blue Diamonds Worth $70MM+ to Highlight Sotheby's Auctions

Eight ultra-rare, fancy blue diamonds ranging in size from 1.22 carats to 11.29 carats and collectively worth more than $70 million will headline Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels auctions in New York, Geneva and Hong Kong. Three of the stones will be offered for sale by the end of this year, and the rest will hit the auction block in early 2023.

"The De Beers Exceptional Blue Collection" includes blue diamonds of various shapes and weights totaling 32.09 carats. The diamonds were sourced at the historic Cullinan mine in South Africa, the same mine that produced the De Beers Blue, a 15.10-carat step-cut, fancy vivid blue diamond that fetched $57.5 million at Sotheby's Hong Kong in April 2022.

In November 2020, De Beers and Diacore jointly purchased five rare blue rough diamonds from the Cullinan mine that weighed a total of 85.62 carats. Over a period of nearly two years, Diacore meticulously cut and polished the five roughs — ranging from 9.61 to 25.75 carats — and transformed them into the eight-piece collection you see, above.

Each of the polished gems share the name "De Beers Exceptional Blue" and is distinguished by a number that represents its carat weight.

For instance, the De Beers Exceptional Blue 5.53, with an estimated sale price of $11 to $15 million, will highlight Sotheby’s Magnificent and Noble Jewels auction in Geneva on November 9.

Both the De Beers Exceptional Blue 3.24 ($5 million to $8 million) and De Beers Exceptional Blue 2.08 ($1.2 million to $1.5 million) will be offered on December 7 at the Magnificent Jewels sale in New York.

The other five diamonds from the collection are slated to be sold during the Spring of 2023.

Four of the eight blue diamonds in the collection earned the color grade of "fancy vivid" from the Gemological Institute of America. Fancy vivid is the highest color grading for colored diamonds. The other four earned the grade of "fancy intense."

"Nearly six months after we set a new benchmark for one of the highest prices achieved for a blue diamond at auction with the $57.5 million sale of the De Beers Blue, we are honored to be entrusted with this superb collection of fancy blue diamonds," commented Quig Bruning, head of Sotheby’s Jewels, Americas. "Also recovered from the historic Cullinan mine in South Africa, the De Beers Exceptional Blues are a true testament of our world’s most extraordinary treasures and what is yet to be discovered."

Here's the full list of the diamonds of The De Beers Exceptional Blue Collection, from largest to smallest:

• De Beers Exceptional Blue 11.29: a step-cut fancy vivid blue weighing 11.29 carats (estimate $28 million to $50 million)
• De Beers Exceptional Blue 5.53: a cushion brilliant-cut fancy vivid blue weighing 5.53 carats ($11 million to $15 million)
• De Beers Exceptional Blue 4.13: a step-cut fancy intense blue weighing 4.13 carats ($2.5 million to $3.5 million)
• De Beers Exceptional Blue 3.24: a cushion brilliant-cut internally flawless fancy vivid blue weighing 3.24 carats ($5 million to $8 million)
• De Beers Exceptional Blue 3.10: a cushion brilliant-cut fancy vivid blue weighing 3.10 carats ($4.5 million to $5 million)
• De Beers Exceptional Blue 2.08: a cushion-cut fancy intense blue weighing 2.08 carats ($1.2 to $1.5 million)
• De Beers Exceptional Blue 1.50: a round brilliant-cut fancy intense blue weighing 1.50 carats ($750,000 to $1 million)
• De Beers Exceptional Blue 1.22: an oval brilliant-cut fancy intense blue weighing 1.22 carats ($600,000 to $800,000)

The De Beers Exceptional Blue Collection just embarked on an international publicity tour that starts in Hong Kong (October 17-19) and will move on to Singapore (October 20-21), Taipei (October 26-27) and Geneva (November 4-8).

Blue diamonds are considered one of the rarest colors of all diamonds. A fabulous fluke of nature, a blue diamond is produced by the random presence of the element boron within the diamond’s carbon structure.

Scientists believe that blue diamonds form about 400 miles below the surface, four times deeper than about 99 percent of all other diamonds.

Credit: Photo courtesy of De Beers.

Music Friday: Diamonds and Pearls Make a Cameo in Marvin Gaye's 1969 Hit

Welcome to Music Friday when we feature awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, a soulful Marvin Gaye compares his girlfriend's greatness to precious gems in his memorable hit from the late 1960s, “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby.”

Gaye portrays a man who is so obsessed with the love of his life that he “ain’t got time for nothing else.” He sings, “The diamonds and pearls in the world / Could never match her worth, no no / She’s some kind of wonderful, people tell ya / I got heaven right here on earth.”

Written by Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong and Janie Bradford, “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby” was first recorded by The Temptations in 1966, but attained huge commercial success when Gaye released his rendition three years later.

The song peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, sold more than 1.5 million copies and was the top R&B single of 1969. “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby” became Gaye’s second biggest hit of the 1960s, trailing only his iconic “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” — another Whitfield/Strong collaboration — which ascended to #1 on the charts in 1968 and sold more than 4 million singles.

Born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. in 1939, in Washington, DC, the singer co-founded a local doo-wop group, the Marquees, which later became the Moonglows. When the Moonglows’ tour arrived in Detroit, Motown executives noticed Gaye’s talent and signed him to a deal.

Proclaimed the Prince of Motown and Prince of Soul, Gaye enjoyed a stellar career that flourished throughout the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. Gaye’s life came to a tragic end on April 1, 1984, only one day before his 45th birthday. At the height of his success, Gaye was senselessly shot to death by his father after an argument.

Although he’s been gone for more than 38 years, Gaye’s music and influence lives on. After his death, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame and was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

We hope you enjoy the audio clip of Gaye performing “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Too Busy Thinking About My Baby”
Written by Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong and Janie Bradford. Performed by Marvin Gaye.

Ah-ah-aaah, oh yeah… Oh listen to me people

I ain’t got time to think about money
Or what it can buy
And I ain’t got time to sit down and wonder
What makes a birdie fly

And I don’t have the time to think about
What makes a flower grow
And I’ve never given a second thought
To where the rivers flow

Too busy thinking about my baby
And I ain’t got time for nothing else

Said, I ain’t got time to discuss the weather
How long it’s gonna last
And I ain’t got time to do no studies
Once I get out of class
Tellin ya I’m just a fellow
Said I got a one track mind
And when it comes to thinking about anything but my baby
I just don’t have any time

Too busy thinking about my baby
And I ain’t got time for nothing else

Too busy thinking about my baby
And I ain’t got time for nothing else

The diamonds and pearls in the world
Could never match her worth, no no
She’s some kind of wonderful, people tell ya
I got heaven right here on Earth
I’m just a fellow
With a one, one track mind
And when it comes to thinkin’ about anything but my baby
I just don’t have any time

Too busy thinking about my baby
And I ain’t got time for nothing else

Too busy thinking about my baby
And I ain’t got time for nothing else

Too busy thinking about my baby
And I ain’t got time for nothing else

Credit: photo by-J. Edward Bailey, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Mastercard Survey: Holiday 2022 Shoppers Are 'Ready and Able to Spend'

Despite some signs of a softening economy, US consumers are still in a spending mood as we hurtle toward the holiday season, according to the Mastercard SpendingPulse™. The credit card company's annual holiday forecast is predicting that US retail sales will increase 7.1% year over year, excluding automotive sales.

That's very good news, considering last year's holiday sales hit a record high.

Retail jewelry sales showed no signs of slowing down in September 2022, as consumer spending jumped 6.9% compared to September of 2021 (YOY) and an impressive 67.7% versus the pre-pandemic figures of September of 2019 (YO3Y).

"This holiday season, consumers may find themselves looking for ways to navigate the inflationary environment – from searching for deals to making trade-offs that allow for extra room in their gift-giving budgets," noted Michelle Meyer, US Chief Economist at the Mastercard Economics Institute. "New job creation, rising wages and lingering savings should have many consumers ready and able to spend."

Experiential spending continues to rein in consumers’ dollars, according to the survey, as reflected in these sectors showing strong September 2022 YOY gains: Airlines (56.4%), Lodging (38.1%) and Restaurants (+10.9%).

These numbers reflect pent-up demand from consumers, who were forced to hunker down during the prolonged effects of the global pandemic. A shift in consumer spending reflects a need for normalcy, the survey noted.

Overall US retail sales (excluding automotive) increased 11% in September 2022 compared to September 2021, and 24.6% compared to September 2019. The month's in-store sales picked up 11.1% YOY and e-commerce sales increased 10.7% over that same period.

Consumers' widespread acceptance of spending online is reflected in the e-commerce YO3Y sales increase of 90.3%.

Mastercard SpendingPulse™ findings are based on aggregate sales activity in the Mastercard payments network, coupled with survey-based estimates for certain other payment forms, such as cash and check.

Credits: Shopper image by Bigstockphoto.com. Table courtesy of Mastercard SpendingPulse™.

Williamson Pink Star Lives Up to Pre-Sale Hype, Fetches $57.7MM and Sets Record

The 11.15-carat Williamson Pink Star lived up to its pre-sale hype at Sotheby's Hong Kong on Friday when — after a tense, 20-minute bidding war — the second-largest internally flawless, fancy vivid pink diamond ever to appear at auction sold for the staggering $57.7 million. That was more than 2.5 times the auction house's high estimate of $21 million.

The winning bid submitted via phone by a collector in Boca Raton, FL, stands as the second highest price ever paid for any gem at auction. Only the 59.60-carat CTF Pink Star sold for more at $71.2 million (Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2017).

The Williamson Pink Star also crushed the record for the highest price-per-carat ever paid for any gemstone at auction. At $5.2 million per-carat, the gem soundly overtook the $3.9 million per carat achieved by the 14.62-carat Oppenheimer Blue at Christie's Geneva in 2016.

The bubblegum pink, cushion-cut gem (shown, above, mounted on an 18-karat ring and flanked by trapeze-cut diamonds) was cut from a 32-carat rough diamond unearthed at the famous Williamson Mine in Tanzania.

This is the same mine that produced the 23.6-carat “Williamson” pink diamond, which centers a Cartier-designed, flower-motif brooch often worn at high-profile events by the late Queen Elizabeth II. The gem had been given to the Queen as a wedding gift in 1947 by Canadian geologist Dr. John Thorburn Williamson, who owned the mine.

In fact, the name “Williamson Pink Star” is a nod to both the Williamson mine and the CTF Pink Star.

Just after Friday's single-lot sale in Hong Kong, the anonymous winning bidder renamed the stone “The Rosenberg Williamson Pink Star.” The Rosenberg part of the gem's name and the owner's location of Boca Raton, FL, offer clues to who the new owner could be. We assume that person will come forward shortly.

Market watchers believe that the strength of the pink-diamond segment is partly attributed to the closure of Rio Tinto’s Argyle Mine in Australia, which famously produced between 90% and 95% of the world’s pink and red diamonds during its 37 years of production. The mine officially ceased operations on November 3, 2020.

Unlike yellow or blue diamonds that owe their color to the presence of nitrogen or boron in their chemical makeup, pink diamonds owe their color to the effects of intense pressure and heat while they were still deep within the Earth. These factors caused distortions in the diamond’s crystal lattice that influence the way the gem absorbs green light, thus reflecting a pink hue.

Credits: Images courtesy of Sothebys.