What seemed to be an ordinary fire drill turned into a magical moment for Miss Z and the students of Greentown Intermediate School in North Canton, Ohio, when the popular counselor’s firefighter boyfriend delivered a surprise marriage proposal in front of the kids and faculty.



On March 19, Megan Zahorec (affectionately called Miss Z by her students) was completely convinced that she and her students were exiting the school building to participate in a drill with the local fire company.



She soon learned that something more exciting was brewing when the side compartment of the fire truck parked in front of the school slid open to reveal a large purple sign that read, “Miss Z — Will You Marry Me? I Love You, Justin."



At that moment, firefighter Justin Deierling (dressed in Greentown Fire Department protective gear) went down on one knee and presented Miss Z with a diamond solitaire ring. She accepted his proposal, the couple embraced, and the excited students could hardly believe what they were witnessing.



Back inside the school, the celebration continued as Miss Z, Deierling and the other firefighters distributed 600 Ring Pops to every student.



The four-minute feel-good video of the event has gone viral, with more than 890,000 views on YouTube.

Deierling, 31, and Miss Z, 27, had met at the Greentown fire station exactly six months earlier during a charity event.

"We passed out water to kids in a walkathon,” Deierling told the Huffington Post. “I knew instantly that she was someone special by the way that she interacted with the kids. I wanted to incorporate how we met and the kids, who she adores, into the proposal."

Deierling’s brother, Adam, told TODAY.com that Justin had been planning the surprise for two weeks and that just a few people at the school and firehouse were in on the ruse.

In recounting his story to the NY Daily News, Deierling remembered driving up to the school in the fire truck, seeing hundreds of children filing out of the school, and thinking, “You can’t back out now.” He also worried about losing the ring, checking for it over and over again under his bulky equipment.



From Miss Z’s perspective, she remembers being distracted with paperwork on the morning of the proposal and somewhat annoyed that the fire drill was taking place during the cold weather.

"I was trying to get everything done and Justin was trying to talk to me," she told The News. "He said, 'Look at the truck.'"

That’s when she saw the proposal sign and her life was about to change forever. Check out the viral video below.

Actor Johnny Depp trailblazed fresh “man-gagement” territory Monday when he wore a 5-carat diamond “chick’s ring” while promoting his newest movie, "Transcendence," in China.



When asked whether the 5-carat diamond solitaire ring that graced the ring finger of his left hand affirmed his engagement to actress Amber Heard, Depp cracked, “The fact that I’m wearing a chick’s ring on my finger is probably a dead giveaway. Not very subtle.”



How Depp obtained the platinum ring is the subject of some speculation. According to a source for Us Weekly, the ring is, indeed, a chick’s ring because it originally belonged to Heard. “It was too big for her, so he started wearing it,” the source said.

If the source is correct, then it makes sense that Depp replaced the first ring with a second of more petite proportions.



USA TODAY entertainment reporter didn’t know what to make of Depp’s left-hand bling. “Is this a new trend?” she asked rhetorically in Tuesday’s “Daily Dish” video. “Are guys going to be wearing diamond engagement rings? I don’t know. We’ll have to see.”

Jewelry expert Michael O’Connor told Celebuzz that it didn’t surprise him that Depp would be ahead of the curve when it comes to the “man-gagement ring,” a concept favored by 17 percent of men in a recent survey.

“He’s not afraid of jewelry and dressing himself,” O’Connor said. “He likes to be on the cutting edge.”



O’Connor estimated that Depp’s ring has a 5-carat round brilliant-cut center stone with 2 carats of pavé accents, while Heard’s ring has a 3-carat round brilliant-cut center diamond accented with 1 carat of pavé. O’Connor said the rings share a similar look, but have slight differences that symbolize the uniqueness of each.

O’Connor believes Depp’s ring is worth $125,000, while Heard’s would sell for $80,000.

It’s been widely reported that Depp proposed to Heard on Christmas Eve 2013. The couple celebrated their engagement with A-list friends at Los Angeles' Carondelet House on March 14.

When asked about future wedding plans, Depp told reporters, "I think that I would be better at making women's shoes than I would be at wedding planning. I can't plan anything. I'm really bad at that stuff."

Chupa Chups candy lovers in 150 countries were thrilled when the confectionery company announced that it had released exactly five 50-carat precious stone “lollipops” into worldwide distribution — a promotion that reminds us a lot of Willy Wonka’s five Golden Tickets in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.



But the excitement soon turned to disappointment when the gemstone giveaway was exposed as an April Fools’ Day hoax designed to generate a lot of buzz for the company’s line of faceted lollipops in colors that include sapphire blue, ruby red and emerald green.



Chupa Chups, which is owned by a multinational Italian company and sells more than five billion lollipops each year, had stated in a press release that five lollipops made entirely of emerald, ruby, sapphire, diamond and giant black pearl were distributed randomly across the world “as part of a marketing campaign to surprise and delight customers everywhere.” Each precious stone was reported to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.

At a press conference held at holding company Perfetti Van Melle headquarters in Milan, Italy, chief marketing officer Marco DiPaulo added more fuel to the fire when he reported that the campaign had created overwhelming excitement in Argentina, where the first gemstone lollipop has been discovered by a 16-year-old boy.



A YouTube video supposedly shows a news report about lucky winner Antonio Lorenzo and his mother in a convenience store where he bought the gemstone sucker that was believed to be an “uncut diamond.”

In the report, the young man and his mom visit a jewelry store, where the jeweler estimates the value of the rough “diamond” to be $1 million to $2 million.

“You may ask why Chupa Chups has decided to do this," said DiPaulo. "Well, just imagine if the next person who happens to be lucky enough to uncover a precious gemstone is you.”

All the buildup came crashing down when Chupa Chups’ various international Facebook pages started to let their fans in on the hoax.

“Lollipops filled with rare stones?” asked the Australia-based Chupa Chups Facebook page. “Sorry to break the bad news, fans, but it's April 1, and you know what that means! Sorry if we've left you feeling glum, but you can still grab your favorite Chupa Chups and suck away those sad faces!"

Added Chupa Chups’ Malaysia Facebook page, “Congratulations, everyone — you’re on the ball today! Yes, of course the precious stone range was just an April Fools' prank. And did you see this video circulating across the Internet, too? Yep, that was just a prank as well. But unwrapping a Chupa Chups is like unwrapping a precious stone so you can still experience the joy."

Check out the staged video featuring lucky Lorenzo below…

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. In the oft-quoted first two lines of his 1996 hit, “Walls,” rock legend Tom Petty defines the essence of everyday life with this brilliant, yet simple, phrase: “Some days are diamonds / Some days are rocks.”



The song, which appeared in the soundtrack album from the movie, She’s the One, describes how the most beautiful and wonderful things in life are often fleeting. He relates this theme to a broken relationship that he hopes to repair. He’s not overly optimistic, however, because he “can't hold out forever; even walls fall down.”

Written by Petty and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “Walls” peaked at #69 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #6 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The soundtrack album was certified gold after ascending to #15 on the Billboard 200 chart.

“Walls” was widely praised by rock critics. One reviewer wrote that it was “one of the all-time great Tom Petty songs; so good is it that it gets two performances on this [album], a loose-limbed version with harmonies by Lindsey Buckingham and a violinist, and a tighter-focused version.”

Formed in 1976, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have sold more than 80 million records worldwide, which ranks them as one of the best-selling acts of all time. Now in its fifth decade, the band continues to have an active touring schedule.

Please check out Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performing “Walls” in the video at the end of this post. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along.

“Walls (Circus)”
Written by Tom Petty. Performed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Some days are diamonds,
Some days are rocks.
Some doors are open,
Some roads are blocked.

Sundowns are golden,
Then fade away.
And if I never do nothin',
I'll get you back some day.

'Cause you got a heart so big it could crush this town.
And I can't hold out forever; even walls fall down.

And all 'round your island
There's a barricade.
It keeps out the danger,
It holds in the pain.

And sometimes you're happy,
Sometimes you cry.
Half of me is ocean,
Half of me is sky.

But you got a heart so big it could crush this town.
And I can't hold out forever; even walls fall down.

Yes, they do.

Oh!

And some things are over,
Some things go on.
And part of me you carry,
Part of me is gone.

But you got a heart so big it could crush this town.
And I can't hold out forever; even walls fall down.
Baby, you got a heart so big it could crush this town.
And I can't hold out forever; even walls fall down.

Yeah, I guess they do.

Yes, they do,

They fall down.

The Boston Red Sox received their 2013 World Series rings during a heartfelt pregame ceremony last Friday on Opening Day at Fenway Park. The ceremony was especially memorable because it paid tribute to the team and the city’s comeback following the Boston Marathon bombings.



Jostens collaborated with the Red Sox to create a special collection of jewelry that tells the story of an emotional Red Sox victory. Described as “pretty classy” and “wicked sharp” by ESPN, the striking rings are crafted of 14-karat white gold and feature 126 diamonds, 16 custom-cut sapphires and nine custom-cut rubies – nearly eight carats in total. The right side has the individual's name and number, and the left side features a "Boston Strong" logo with the Red Sox "B."



Those players with multiple titles in Boston have multiple trophy images on their rings to represent each crown. The inside of the rings honor the Bearded Brothers image and the date 10-30-13, when the Red Sox clinched the World Series at Fenway.


In a touching moment, survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings and their loved ones delivered the rings in cases in front of the Red Sox dugout while the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra played. They were greeted by Red Sox executives and several players before taking their seats on the first-base line.



In addition to the championship ring that every player received, David “Big Papi” Ortiz was honored with a special surprise – a World Series MVP ring. After all the players had received their rings, Ortiz was introduced – with 36,728 cheering fans on their feet. In a surprise move, Red Sox officials handed Ortiz two ring cases.


"I thought they were giving me somebody's else ring," Ortiz said. "I'm like, 'Hey, you're giving me two. I thought we were only getting one.' They said, 'No, that's the MVP one.' I was like, 'Whoa.'"



The one-of-a kind, 14-karat white gold diamond-encrusted stunner features nine rubies depicting the hanging Sox logo. The words "World Series" and "MVP" appear on the front with the Red Sox "B" logo on one side and Ortiz's jersey number 34. The left side features a likeness of Ortiz's face. Ortiz placed it on a thick white metal chain he wears around his neck, alongside his three other championship rings.

"It's been a blessing for the organization and for the fans – everybody," Ortiz said of winning three championships. "It keeps you motivated to keep working hard and trying your best."

Ortiz earned the World Series MVP with a .688 batting average (11-for-16), including two home runs, two doubles, six RBIs and eight walks (four intentional) in six games against the St. Louis Cardinals last October. The Boston Red Sox won the 2013 World Series Championship in Game 6 of the series, earning their third championship crown in 10 years, and their eighth overall championship.

The search for the Holy Grail may be over. Two historians claim that the jewel-encrusted golden chalice displayed in Spain’s San Isidro Basilica is the actual cup shared by Jesus Christ and his Apostles during the Last Supper.


The surprising revelations of León University medieval history lecturer Margarita Torres and art historian José Manuel Ortega del Rio were published last week in their book, "Kings of the Grail."


News of the much-sought-after chalice, which played key roles in the 1970s British comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Dan Brown's controversial thriller The Da Vinci Code, resulted in a deluge of visitors to the basilica’s small museum. Curators were forced to pull the chalice from its exhibit while they tried to find a larger space to accommodate the crowds, according to The Guardian.

"It was in a very small room where it was not possible to admire it to the full," museum director Raquel Jaén told AFP.



The oversized onyx chalice, which is adorned with agate, gold and other precious stones, is actually two goblets connected bottom to bottom. The historians believe that Christ drank from the top chalice long before it was doubled in size and bejeweled.

Before del Rio and Torres identified the chalice as the holy grail, the vessel had been known less spectacularly as the goblet of the Infanta Dona Urraca, the daughter of the King of León, who ruled from 1037 to 1065.

A piece of Egyptian parchment found three years ago by the historians at Cairo’s University of Al-Azhar offered clues regarding the whereabouts of the Holy Grail. Torres and del Rio traced the origins of the chalice to the early Christian communities of Jerusalem.



Credit: José-Manuel Benito Álvarez/Wikimedia Commons.holygrail

The historians are convinced that the chalice was transported to Cairo by Muslim travellers and then handed to an emir in Spain who had assisted victims of an Egyptian famine.

Torres reported that Spanish royalty originally obtained the grail in the early 11^th century as a peace offering from the emir of the Muslim part of Spain.

Torres and del Rio further backed their claim with a carbon dating test on the chalice that revealed it was fabricated between 200 BC and 100 AD.

"The only chalice that could be considered the chalice of Christ is that which made the journey to Cairo and then from Cairo to León — and that is this chalice,” Torres said.

Before you accept the historians’ conclusion that this chalice is the real deal, keep in mind that Europe holds claim at least 200 “Holy Grails,” all believed to be the sacred vessel from which Jesus himself drank on the night before he died.

Who said big, strong tough guys can’t have a romantic soft side? At Houston’s Westfield High, burly football coach Justin Outten enlisted his powerhouse team to assist him with a sugar-sweet, super-creative marriage proposal. Here’s how it went down…



Outten, a former offensive lineman at Syracuse University and a seven-year offensive coordinator for the nationally ranked high school team, orchestrated a fake melee among his players during a Thursday afternoon practice.



Although nobody was actually fighting, and nobody really got hurt, the coach raised the drama by texting to his girlfriend, Vanessa, that he was hit from behind during the ruckus. She texted back her concern his safety: "Hun, are u ok."

News of the fight was actually a ruse to get his girlfriend to view Thursday’s practice film, something she would never do normally.



In the video, which is backed by Blake Shelton’s “God Gave Me You,” the coach is seen settling the ruckus, bringing his players into a huddle and asking them to take a knee.

Then the coach takes off his black warmup jacket to reveal a red button-down shirt and black tie (Yes, he’s wearing shorts). He turns to the camera and holds up a handmade poster that reads: "Vee, Will U Marry Me?"



Supporting their beloved coach are the players, who ham it up by placing their palms together in a prayer position and pleading for an answer.

The whole event was captured on the coach’s Hudl platform, a video suite for recording and editing games and practices.



Two days later, Vee got to see the video of the ugly “brawl” for the first time. Outten set up a hidden camera in her kitchen to capture Vee's reaction to the skirmish that unfolds into the coach's romantic marriage proposal.

We then see Outten going down on one knee and proposing to Vee with a beautiful halo-style diamond engagement ring. “I’d like to spend the rest of my life with you,” the coach says. “Will you marry me.”



Vee is stunned at first and doesn’t answer the question. “Are you serious right now?” she asks. He nods and she finally answers, “Yes, yes, yes.”

In a sweet sidebar, Outten revealed to Syracuse.com that his players were distressed when he called a team meeting last week.

“I started the meeting saying I had been at the high school for seven years and it was time for a change,” Outten said.

At that point, some players started to get emotional because they expected to hear the coach announce that he would be leaving the program. Instead, he told them how he wanted to include them in an elaborate plan to surprise his girlfriend.

“I need your help,” Outten told his players. “I’m a little nervous right now but I want to propose to my girlfriend and I wanna make sure that you guys are involved.” The players erupted in celebration.

Outten revealed that a wedding date has been tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2015, likely in Texas.

Outten’s proposal video, which was posted on YouTube on Saturday and has been picked up by Yahoo! Sports and other major news outlets, has already generated 103,000 views. We hope you enjoy it, too.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, we feature Paul Simon’s doo-wop-inspired “Bernadette” from his 1998 Broadway production of “The Capeman.”



In a stunning line from the song, Simon and poet Derek Walcott describe the sky as a ”coat of diamonds.”

Although “Capeman” — a tale of teen gangs and mistaken identity — failed at the box office, “Bernadette” became one of Simon’s most beloved songs. Critics have called the song both “mysterious” and “beautiful.”

"Personally speaking, this is my favorite song since 'Graceland,'" Simon told an interviewer in 1998. "It's a love song that takes place right before Sal wanders into the neighborhood of another gang, a place he shouldn't be, and he sings this to his girlfriend. I was really trying to evoke that innocent part of his life, before he became a symbol of so much, for so many people."

Songs From The Capeman became Simon’s ninth studio album and “Bernadette” was released as a single. The album peaked at #42 on the Billboard 200 chart.



Simon is one of the most accomplished singer/songwriters of all time. He’s won 12 Grammy Awards, has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (once as a solo artist and the other time as half of Simon & Garfunkel) and was named by Time Magazine as one of the “100 People Who Shaped the World.”

We invite you to check out the video of Paul Simon and Marc Anthony performing “Bernadette” during a 1997 appearance on VH-1’s Storytellers. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along.

"Bernadette"
Written by Paul Simon and Derek Walcott. Performed by Marc Anthony and Paul Simon.

Whoa--I got time on my hands tonight
You're the girl of my dreams
When I'm near you my future seems bright
OO--I want you to be my girl
I want you to be my movie
I am Sal Mineo and I need you so

Sweet Bernadette

Whoa--You got style from your head to your heels
Though my words may be jumbled
Still I'm telling you just how it feels
I love you

I love you
And the breeze that wraps around you

Satin summer nights
A girl I can't forget

Whoa--You're the smile of the moon
Bernadette

Dom Dom Dom Zoom
Well-a well I'm home
Dom Dom Dom Zoom
Well-a well I'm home

Wop, Wop. Wop, Wop
Come with me
There's a place I want you to see

When the leaves are dark
I've got a hiding place in Central Park
And the sky is a coat of diamonds

There's a wooden cross over my bed
The city is lit with candles
They're shining for you Bernadette

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa
You’re the smile of the moon

Dom Dom Dom Zoom
Well-awell I'm home
Dom Dom Dom Zoom
Weil-a well I'm home

Wop, Wop, Wop, Wop, Wop

Sotheby’s Geneva is set to auction the 100.09-carat Graff Vivid Yellow, one of the largest fancy vivid yellow diamonds in the world. Boasting a “sensational daffodil yellow” color and described as “exceptionally beautiful with extraordinary fire and brilliance," the gem is estimated to fetch $15 million to $20 million.



Also on the auction block May 13 will be a Graff 103.46-carat diamond ring featuring one of the world's largest known round brilliant diamonds. It is expected to fetch $3.5 million to $5 million.


Previously known as the Dream Diamond, the Graff Vivid Yellow was a captivating 190-carat rough stone when it was originally purchased by Graff in Kimberley, South Africa. When he first saw the diamond crystal, he stated, “It was an intense golden yellow and one of the rarest yellow diamonds I had ever seen. I knew the polished stone within would be more than exceptional.”


The Dream Diamond was then sent to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to certify its natural authenticity. For the next nine months, New York master cutter Nino Bianco transformed the stone. The brilliant, 100.09-carat polished cushion-cut diamond was renamed the Graff Vivid Yellow and was unveiled as the world’s largest yellow diamond. It made its public debut at Kensington Palace in London.



Graff is a high-profile connoisseur and collector of fine colored diamonds. In fact, Sotheby’s Geneva set an auction record in 2010 when the Graff Pink Diamond was purchased for a staggering $46.2 million. The exceptionally rare 24.78-carat emerald-cut pink diamond once owned by Harry Winston features rounded corners and a mesmerizing deep pink hue. It is set on a platinum ring flanked by shield-shaped diamonds. “It is the most fabulous diamond I’ve seen in my career,” Graff said.

An incredibly rare 17.4mm round natural South Sea pearl could sell for $400,000 or more when it goes under the hammer at Woolley and Wallis in Salisbury, England, on May 1.



Almost as amazing as the pearl itself is the story behind it. Apparently, the woman who owned the pearl as part of a matched pair of drop earrings, didn’t realize that one of the two was a world-class natural pearl.

When she decided to put her earrings up for auction, the experts at Woolley and Wallis suspected that one of the pearls was not like the other.

“I thought there was a difference between the two because one had an outer layer of about one millimeter thick, but the other seemed to be solid,” Jonathan Edwards, head of the jewelry department at Woolley and Wallis, told the Daily Mail. “It is very difficult to tell if a pearl is cultured or natural by looking at it and you can never be 100 percent sure unless you have it X-rayed.”



Labs in London and Switzerland affirmed that the pearl was, in fact, natural. It is nearly three-quarters of an inch in diameter and took at least 10 years to develop. A grading report described the natural pearl as having an attractive white color with weak rosé and green overtones, often referred to as the "orient of pearls."

Edwards reported that the mollusk that produced the natural pearl was likely a Pinctada maxima gold-lipped oyster, which can grow up to 12 inches in diameter.

Natural pearls are organic gems, created by a mollusk totally by chance, without human intervention. When a foreign irritant gets into the mollusk’s shell, the bivalve secretes layer after of layer of nacre to protect itself. Over time, the layering of iridescent nacre produces a pearl. To find a natural pearl is a rarity. To find one 17mm in size and completely round is almost unfathomable.

Cultured pearls, by comparison, are grown under controlled conditions, where a bead is implanted in the body of the mollusk to stimulate the secretion of nacre.

Woolley and Wallis noted on its web site that the natural pearl, which weighs 33.14 carats, could be the largest to ever hit the auction block. The presale estimate was conservatively set at $200,000, but auction officials believe the final selling price could rise to $400,000 or more.

In April 2011, Christie’s in Dubai sold a 59.92-carat irregular-shape natural pearl for $254,500.

Tana Clymer, the vivacious Oklahoma teenager who unearthed a jelly bean-sized 3.85-carat canary yellow diamond at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park in October, recently sold the gem for $20,000. The bonanza will be used to help pay for college.



Interestingly, Clymer and her family were thisclose to giving up their gem quest after having spent two fruitless hours sifting through soil and rocks. Then, the 14-year-old believes she was directed by a higher power.

“I think God pointed me to it,” the teenager told a reporter from local TV station KWTV. “I was about to sprint to join my family, and God told me to slow down and look.”



At that moment, Clymer saw a reflective object on the surface of the ground. “I thought it was a foil candy wrapper,” she said. “Then, when I touched it I thought it was a marble.”



It turned out to be a beautiful teardrop-shaped canary yellow diamond — the 396^th diamond found at the park in 2013. Clymer could hardly believe her good luck and asked her father if she was dreaming. Clymer decided to name the gem “God’s Jewel.”



The search area at the park is a 37 1/2-acre plowed field, which is actually the eroded surface of an ancient volcanic crater. It’s the only diamond-producing site in the world where amateur miners get to keep what they find. Clymer’s park admission cost a mere $7.

Since 1972, more than three million park visitors have tried their luck. Over that same time, the field has yielded more than 30,000 diamonds, and 900 of those weighed more than 1 carat.

The largest diamond ever discovered in the United States was unearthed here in 1924 during an early mining operation. Named the Uncle Sam, the white diamond with a pink cast weighed 40.23 carats. Other notable finds from the Crater include the Star of Murfreesboro (34.25 carats) and the Star of Arkansas (15.33 carats).

The park staff provides free identification and registration of diamonds. Park interpretive programs and exhibits explain the site’s geology and history, and offer tips on recognizing diamonds in the rough.

The three most common diamond colors found at the Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro are white, brown and yellow.  Other gems and minerals found in the park’s search area include amethyst, garnet, peridot, jasper, agate, calcite, barite and quartz.

Jenny McCarthy, the high-energy co-host of “The View,” thrilled her studio audience and three million viewers at home yesterday when she showed off a huge yellow sapphire-and-diamond ring and announced she was engaged to New Kids On The Block singer Donnie Wahlberg.



"I just got engaged," she screamed as she flashed her ring, jumped up and down and hugged co-hosts Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters. “It’s a yellow sapphire!”



The 41-year-old actress and TV personality said that Wahlberg, 44, had proposed to her over the weekend with the beautiful ring that features a square-cut yellow sapphire surrounded by a halo of white diamonds set on a white-metal band. On Monday, the Sun-Times reported the couple had been shopping for engagement rings in New York City.

McCarthy had hinted to her 1.15 million Twitter followers early Wednesday morning that something special was going to happen on the show.

At about 8 a.m. she tweeted, "Good morning my friends... Between us... I would watch #theview today. Just Sayn. Xxoo." Then, right before the live show was about to air, she tweeted again, “Turn on #theview It's gonna be a goooood one. : )”

McCarthy described how Wahlberg’s romantic marriage proposal included a big assist from McCarthy’s 11-year-old son, Evan.


“I was sitting with Donnie… and he went into the other room and out came Evan with a card that said “Will” and he handed it to me,” she recounted.

Then Evan walked back into the other room and returned with a second card that read, “You.”

At that point, McCarthy knew what was coming next and she started to cry.

Evan returned a third time with a card that was supposed to say “Marry” but it was spelled “Mary.”

"The last time, Donnie came out with Evan, and Donnie's shirt said, 'Me' with a question mark... and he got down on his knee," she told the panel as she attempted to hold back happy tears.

"Of course, I said 'Yes,'" she related. "In that moment Evan yelled, 'I have another dad!' and it made all of us cry."



Finally, Walhberg, who was hiding offstage, came onto the set to sneak up on McCarthy from behind and give her bear hug and then a sweet kiss.



Wahlberg, who is a singer, actor and film producer, is preparing to mark the 30th anniversary of New Kids On The Block in Las Vegas in July.

The couple is considering a wedding date some time in August 2015. This will be the second marriage for Walhberg and McCarthy.

In Meat Loaf’s 1977 rock classic “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” the singer is being kicked to the curb by a girlfriend who desperately wants a “love” commitment. Meat Loaf confesses that he wants her and needs her, but there ain’t no way he’s ever going to love her. “But, don’t be sad,” he sings, “cause two out of three ain’t bad.”


Meat Loaf comments on his girlfriend’s futile efforts to change his mind, and this is where our precious metal and gemstone references comes in: “You'll never find your gold on a sandy beach / You'll never drill for oil on a city street / I know you're looking for a ruby in a mountain of rocks / But there ain't no Coupe de Ville hiding at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box.”

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Our featured song appropriately qualifies in two out of three categories, and “two out of three ain’t bad.”

Composer Jim Steinman wrote this love song for Meat Loaf’s iconic Bat Out of Hell album, one of the most successful albums of all time with more than 43 million copies sold worldwide. “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” reached #11 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and remains one of Meat Loaf’s signature tunes.

In a 2003 interview with VH1, Steinman explained that “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” was spawned when a friend recommended that he try to write an uncomplicated song, similar to Elvis Presley’s “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You.”

Meat Loaf’s powerful vocals and three-octave range has helped to propel his stellar career. Born Michael Lee Aday, Meat Loaf is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 80 million records.

Please check out the video of Meat Loaf's original Bat Out of Hell version of "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along.

“Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad”
Written by Jim Steinman. Performed by Meat Loaf.

Baby we can talk all night
But that ain't gettin us nowhere
I told you everything I possibly can
There's nothing left inside of here
And maybe you can cry all night
But that'll never change the way I feel
The snow is really piling up outside
I wish you wouldn't make me leave here
I poured it on and I poured it out
I tried to show you just how much I care
I'm tired of words and I'm too hoarse to shout
But you've been cold to me so long
I'm crying icicles instead of tears

And all I can do is keep on telling you
I want you, I need you
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you
Now don't be sad
’Cause two out of three ain't bad
Now don't be sad
’Cause two out of three ain't bad
You'll never find your gold on a sandy beach
You'll never drill for oil on a city street
I know you're looking for a ruby in a mountain of rocks
But there ain't no Coupe de Ville hiding at the bottom
Of a Cracker Jack box

I can't lie, I can't tell you that I'm something I'm not
No matter how I try
I'll never be able to give you something
Something that I just haven't got
There's only one girl I'll ever love
And that was so many years ago
And though I know I'll never get her out of my heart
She never loved me back
Oh I know

I remember how she left me on a stormy night
She kissed me and got out of our bed
And though I pleaded and I begged her not to walk out that door
She packed her bags and turned right away

And she kept on telling me
She kept on telling me
She kept on telling me
I want you, I need you

But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you
Now don't be sad
’Cause two out of three ain't bad
I want you, I need you
But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you
Now don't be sad
’Cause two out of three ain't bad
Baby we can talk all night
But that ain't getting us nowhere

California runner Shonra Taylor will be wearing her new engagement ring today as she participates in the 2014 Boston Marathon. Taylor accepted boyfriend Brian Goodell’s surprise marriage proposal at the marathon’s finish line less than 24 hours before she was set to compete.



"I was feeling really nervous and sick about the race,” Taylor told New England Cable News (NECN), “but I have something else to focus on now, I guess."



When pressed about whether she would be wearing her diamond engagement ring during the grueling 26.2-mile race, the Royal Grande, Calif., native first said, “I don’t know,” but then changed her assessment to “probably,” and then went all in with, “I don’t think I’ll ever take it off.”



The Boston Marathon is making its triumphant return after last year’s tragic bombing that took three lives and injured 264. With the world watching and under intense security, more than 36,000 runners, the second largest field in the race’s 118-year history, will be setting their sights on the finish line on Boylston Street in Downtown Boston.



ABC reported that 4,000 police officers and perhaps one million spectators would be lining the marathon course.



This is Taylor’s first Boston Marathon, and with the bonus of a marriage proposal and beautiful engagement ring, it’s a holiday weekend she will never forget. "Easter is a time for new beginnings and that's what it is for us," Goodell told NECN.

Commenting on the romantic pre-marathon surprise, fellow runner and friend Kathy Agler, noted, "It just really adds to what it's all about here in Boston this year — all the emotion of last year… [the proposal] is adding to the history and [it] is just really, really a cool feeling to be here."

Marathon photo credit: Peter Farlow/Wikimedia Commons

With the help of a neutron scanner, scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory confirmed that a remarkable 217.78-gram specimen was, in fact, an enormous single crystal of gold— the largest ever discovered.



So rare is a single gold crystal of this size and weight that, although the precious metal is worth about $10,000, the specimen’s value is estimated to be $1.5 million.

The difference between a gold nugget and a gold crystal is that a nugget is formed from numerous crystals. The largest gold nugget ever found weighed 173 pounds.

A typical gold crystal is about 250 micrometers in size, or about 1/100^th of an inch. The gold crystal specimen tested at Los Alamos National Laboratory was about the size of a golf ball, or 150 times the size of a normal crystal. It weighed slightly less than ½ pound.

The record-holding gold crystal, which looks like an origami flower, is owned by an individual from North Carolina, who collected this and other similar specimens over a 30-year period in the jungles of Venezuela. Seeking to verify whether four of his specimens originated from single crystals, he called in an expert in gold crystallography, geologist John Rakovan.

“The structure or atomic arrangement of gold crystals of this size has never been studied before, and we have a unique opportunity to do so,” said Rakovan, a professor at the University of Miami.



Typically, X-ray analysis would be used to determine the crystal structure of an element, but gold is so dense that X-rays can’t penetrate deep enough. The geologist had to turn to neutron imaging technology instead.



The experts at the National Laboratory confirmed that three of the four specimens were single crystals. The trapezohedral specimen was determined to exhibit a more common multiple-crystal structure.

Photos courtesy of Los Alamos National Laboratory

After narrowly escaping a devastating house fire with only the shirts on their backs, a Connecticut couple took the recovery of their engagement ring from the smoldering ashes as a sign they should put their wedding plans on the fast track.

Only five days later, they got married on their charred front lawn, symbolically dressed in the same sooty sweatpants, shorts and t-shirts they wore on the day or their life-altering fiery encounter.



Brian Osborne had purchased the diamond engagement ring for Megan Hunley months earlier and had hidden it in an upstairs bedroom while deciding on the perfect time to propose.



But, after the fire destroyed the entire house and most of the couple’s belongings, Osborne assumed the ring was gone forever. Still, he asked a firefighter to look for it — just in case.

"I told him where it should be,” Osborne told ABC News, “and when he walked back out, it was in his hand. The top of the box was all melted, but the ring was perfect inside.

“I didn't even know what to say," he added. "I was just speechless."

With the ring recovered from the fire, Osborne didn't waste another moment and proposed right away. “It was just an amazing moment because you think, why, of everything, why did this [ring] make it?” said Hunley.



The couple interpreted the recovery of the ring as a sign that they should forgo the small stuff and move full steam ahead with their bridal plans. On Sunday, April 19, with 40 guests on hand and in the shadow of their scorched home, Osborne and Hunley exchanged vows on their front lawn.

"We decided what's the point of even waiting?" Osborne said. "You don't need to have the pretty dress or a nice tuxedo."



"For our situation, it made us realize all that stuff doesn't matter,” Osborne said. “It's what's in your heart that matters."

A fire like that makes you think about life in a totally different perspective," Osborne told GoodMorningAmerica.com.

When asked how she felt about her hastily assembled, no-frills wedding, Hunley said, "I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Among the wedding guests were the couple’s two children, who also escaped the blaze unharmed, as well as the brave members of the Gales Ferry Volunteer Fire Company.

“The Blue,” the world’s largest flawless fancy vivid blue diamond at 13.22 carats, is expected to fetch a whopping $25 million when it hits the auction block during Christie’s Magnificent Jewels event in Geneva next month.



"The stone is internally and externally bereft of any imperfections,” said Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry for Christie's Americas & Switzerland. “In simple terms, it's the best blue diamond in the world."



Kadakia added, “To have a stone [of this color and clarity] that weighs 13 carats is near impossible.”



Other notable fancy vivid blue diamonds have been larger, but none have attained the lofty clarity grade of “flawless.” The 27.64-carat, heart-shaped “Heart of Eternity” and 20.17-carat, emerald-cut “Sam Abram Blue Diamond,” for example, rated only a VS2 on the clarity scale — four grades below “flawless.”



Believed to be of South African origin, “The Blue” will be one of the 250 lots of statement diamonds, natural pearl necklaces, private collections and signed jewels offered for sale at the May 14 Magnificent Jewels event.

Christie’s did not reveal the owner of “The Blue,” but did note that the seller was motivated by the record prices recently achieved by colored diamonds on the auction circuit.

“The Blue” is currently set in a ring, where it’s flanked by flawless 1-carat pear-shaped diamonds.



Also headlining the Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction is the largest fancy vivid blue-green diamond in the world. Called “The Ocean Dream,” the trillion-cut stone weighs 5.5 carats and is expected to fetch between $7.5 million and $9 million at auction.

“The combination of its size, natural origin, hue, and saturated color makes it an extremely unusual occurrence,” said a Christie’s spokesperson.

Some experts believe “The Ocean Dream” has a good chance of exceeding Christie’s high estimate for this stone, because diamonds of this color are in high demand and rarely come up for auction.

“The Ocean Dream” is owned by the Cora Diamond Corporation and was previously loaned to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, where it was on exhibit in 2003 as part of the “Splendor of Diamonds” exhibition.

Gem Photos: Christie's; Jewelry Photos: YouTube.

India.Arie delivers a message of inspiration and empowerment in her 2007 Grammy-nominated “Beautiful Flower.” In the song, she tells young women struggling with their identities that they are beautiful, brilliant, powerful, resilient and “more valuable than a diamond.”


Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics.

Written to support Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, “Beautiful Flower” delivers the motivational message that young South African girls have the talent, intelligence and drive to become a new generation of leaders.

India.Arie sings, “There is nothing in the world that you cannot do
/ When you believe in you.”

Born India Arie Simpson, India.Arie (punctuation intended) is a talented singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. She's also an activist for global health and human dignity. India.Aire was named an Ambassador for UNICEF and traveled to Africa extensively to address the AIDS crisis.

Oprah Winfrey became an avid fan of India.Arie's music and invited her to appear on her TV show to discuss her music and activism. In 2007, she appeared in Winfrey’s documentary, “Building a Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy.” The documentary chronicled Winfrey’s five-year mission to create an academy for disadvantaged girls in South Africa.

“Putting spiritual and empowerment ideals into music concepts… that’s always been the core message of my music—and it seemed I was talking to others…” India.Arie told an online publication. “But the truth is that it was my message to myself because I was yearning to know the peace of a self-defined life.”

The daughter of a Motown songstress and a former NBA basketball player, India.Aria has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, and has sold more than 10 million records worldwide.

"I'm happy that the people who inspired me like my music," she said. "When Elton John said I was one of his favorite artists — now, that was success."

Please check out the video of India.Arie’s enchanting live performance of “Beautiful Flower.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Beautiful Flower”
Written by India Arie Simpson and Joyce Anne Simpson. Performed by India.Arie.

This is a song for every girl who's
Ever been through something she thought she couldn't make it through
I sing these words because

I was that girl too
Wanting something better than this
But who do I turn to

Now we're moving from the darkness into the light
This is the defining moment of our lives

'Cause you're beautiful like a flower
More valuable than a diamond
You are powerful like a fire
You will heal the world with your mind, and

There is nothing in the world that you cannot do
When you believe in you, who are beautiful
Yeah, you, who are brilliant
Yeah, you, who are powerful
Yeah, you, who are resilient

This is a song for every girl who
Who’s ever been through something she thought she couldn’t make it through
Girl, you can make it through
I sing these words because I know you’re the one who
Knows there’s something better than this
And you’re gonna define it, yeah

Now we're moving from the darkness into the light
This is the defining moment of our lives

'Cause you're beautiful like a flower
More valuable than a diamond
You are powerful like a fire
You will heal the world with your mind, and

There is nothing in the world that you cannot do
When you believe in you, who are beautiful
Yeah, you, who are brilliant
Yeah, you, who are powerful
Yeah, you, who are resilient

Yeah, you, who are beautiful
Yeah, you, who are brilliant
Yeah, you, who are powerful
Yeah, you, who are resilient

Yeah, you, yeah, you
Hey, yeah, you
Yeah, you, yeah, you
Yeah, you, yeah, you
Yeah, you, yeah, you

Billed as the first car to have diamonds in its headlights, the $3.4 million Lykan Hypersport is the third-most-expensive car of all time, behind the Lamborghini Veneno ($4.5M) and the Mayback Exelero ($8M). The blinged-out headlights are made from titanium LED blades adorned with 420 diamonds weighing 15 carats.





Discerning buyers also get to customize the car's interior design with their choice of rubies, diamonds, yellow diamonds, emeralds or sapphires.



In addition to the gemstone finery, the limited-edition supercar packs some punch. It has a top speed of 240 mph and can accelerate from zero to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds. The two-year-old, Lebanon-based W Motors claims only seven will be made.



Each buyer of the Lykan Hypersport will get a very special gift-with-purchase valued at $100,000. It’s a Cyrus Klepcys W Motors special-edition watch, which was designed by famous Swiss watchmaker Jean-Francois Mojo. The luxurious watch has the designer’s fingerprint melted into the gold medallion on the back.



Even the car’s key is luxurious. It’s fabricated from carbon fiber, titanium and precious stones.

The pre-production Lykan HyperSport turned heads two weeks ago at the 2014 Top Marques Monaco car show. Journalists were impressed by its chiseled design, interactive holographic display system and bejeweled headlights.

The car made its debut at the International Dubai Motor Show in 2013 and has since been previewed in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Belgium and Spain.

W Motors is the first Arabian brand of supercars. Despite the extraordinary credentials of the Lykan Hypersport, the company already announced an even more impressive, stepped-up model, the Lykan Supersport.

“It’s gorgeous,” said an ecstatic Angie Everhart about her new engagement ring from boyfriend Carl Ferro. “I don’t know any girl who wouldn't like this ring.” The platinum stunner features a cushion-cut center stone, framed by not one, but three, shimmering halos — 146 diamonds for a total weight of 4.5 carats.



"It blinds you when you see it," Ferro boasted to ABC News. "It's really pretty." The ring was designed by Los Angeles-based Benjamin Javaheri.



The redheaded actress couldn't contain her excitement and tweeted the news of Ferro’s marriage proposal at 3:34 a.m. on Wednesday of last week: "My man @CarlFerro1 proposed to me in the exact spot where we had our first kiss!" wrote Everhart. "I'm beyond happy!"


What Everhart didn’t mention in her tweet was that the “exact spot” of their first smooch was in the elevator of Redbury Hotel in Hollywood, where the couple enjoyed dinner at the trendy Cleo restaurant.

The couple had revisited the eatery to celebrate their second anniversary as a couple. When they entered the elevator, Ferro pulled out the engagement ring and surprised Everhart with a marriage proposal, according to TMZ.

Life is looking much brighter for the 44-year-old former model, who underwent surgery for thyroid cancer exactly a year ago.

The lucky groom-to-be is the president and co-founder of Sunfare, a company specializing in nutritional meals that are home delivered. When asked by TMZ whether he will be in charge of planning the nuptials, Ferro commented, “I got us this far. She can do the rest.”


This is the fifth engagement for Everhart. It will be her second marriage. Everhart’s former fiancés have included the likes of actors Sylvester Stallone and Joe Pesci, businessman Jimmy Taboulis and singer Ashley Hamilton. Her marriage to Hamilton lasted only four months.

Everhart and Ferro each have one child from a previous relationship.

Drop-shaped natural pearls once owned by Empress Eugenie of France crushed an auction record Monday when they sold at Doyle New York for $3.3 million. The ultra-rare, perfectly matched pair was purchased by an anonymous telephone bidder.



The extraordinary pearls boast a compelling history that stretches back to the French royal family of the late 19th century, as well as the industrialists of America’s Gilded Age.



The natural pearls measure approximately 13mm x 24mm and weigh approximately 6.5 grams apiece. They have a superior luster and a warm brownish-grey tone. They were originally mounted with antique silver and diamond caps. Later, they were set onto a circa-1920 platinum-and-diamond pendant.



Monday’s winning bid exceeded by more than $900,000 the $2.37 million paid at Sotheby’s Geneva in May 2013 for the previous record holder — a matched pair of natural pearl drop earrings from the collection of Italian starlet Gina Lollobrigida.



The price achieved for Lollobrigida’s earrings had topped the late Elizabeth Taylor’s natural pearl earrings, which were sold at a Christie’s auction in 2011 for $1.99 million.



On Thursday of this week, an incredibly rare 17.4mm round natural South Sea pearl is expected to sell for $400,000 or more when it goes under the hammer at Woolley and Wallis in Salisbury, England.

Doyle New York’s record-breaking natural pearls were once part of the French Crown Jewels. Following the fall of Napoleon III and his wife, Empress Eugenie, in 1887, the empress’ pearls were sold during an historic 12-day auction of the French Crown Jewels that took place in the Louvre.

The natural pearls then descended in the family of two prominent industrialists of America’s Gilded Age. They were first purchased by George Crocker (1856-1909), the son of Charles Crocker, who founded the Central Pacific Railroad.

The pearls were later owned by the descendants of Henry Huttleston Rogers (1840-1909), an American industrialist who made a fortune as a partner with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil and a founder of the Virginia Railroad.

The Swiss Gemmological Institute confirmed that the pearls were natural saltwater pearls with no indications of artificial color modification. The Institute remarked that “assembling a matching pair of natural pearls of this size and quality is very rare and exceptional, and thus this pair of pearls can be considered a very exceptional treasure of nature.”

Natural pearls are extremely rare because they form in mollusks without any human intervention. Typically, a microscopic intruder or parasite enters a mollusk, and settles inside the shell. The mollusk, being irritated by the intruder, secretes a crystalline substance called nacre to cover the irritant. This secretion process is repeated over and over, creating the iridescent visual effect seen in fine pearls.