Futer Bros. Blog

As the Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada's Northwest Territories enters the final stretch of its operational life, it continues to surprise with dazzling discoveries—none more unexpected than a vivid purple diamond recovered just weeks ago. Weighing 0.45 carats, the rare gem stands out for its striking hue, a dramatic departure from the white and occasional yellow stones Diavik is known for.



Rio Tinto, the mine’s operator, revealed the find in a social media post in late May, describing it as a “unique discovery” and “pleasant surprise.” Scientifically significant and symbolically poignant, the purple diamond serves as a brilliant reminder that nature still has secrets to share — even from a mine that has delivered more than 140 million carats since opening in 2003.

Colored diamonds make up less than 1% of Diavik’s total output. Among those, purple is the rarest hue of all.

Experts attribute the purple hue to trace hydrogen elements or distortions in the diamond’s crystal lattice— a formation anomaly caused by immense pressure and heat deep within the Earth’s mantle. These same lattice defects give purple diamonds their distinctive and elusive coloration.

Rio Tinto classified the rough purple diamond as “makeable,” indicating it has the right proportions and clarity to be cut into a single polished gem. While Rio Tinto has yet to announce the stone’s future — be it auction, private sale or museum display — the discovery has already captivated collectors and scientists alike.

This isn't the first time Diavik has delivered a showstopper in its twilight years. In April of this year, the mine revealed a massive 158.20-carat yellow diamond — one of the largest ever unearthed in Canada. That find echoed Diavik’s legendary 2018 discovery of a 552.74-carat yellow diamond, which was later cut into the 204-carat “Dancing Sun” and sold at Christie’s for nearly $5 million.

With commercial production at Diavik slated to end in early 2026, these final discoveries feel like nature’s encore — unexpected treasures from a remote sub-Arctic mine that continues to defy expectations. Harsh terrain, extreme temperatures and two decades of mining have not dulled Diavik’s capacity to astonish.

Credit: Purple diamond image via Facebook / Diavik Diamond Mine.

Welcome to Music Friday, when we spotlight songs that sparkle with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals. Today, we rewind to 1970 and revisit a classic Jackson 5 hit that features a very young Michael Jackson grappling with young love — and a not-so-loyal sweetheart — in “The Love You Save.”



Twelve-year-old Michael sings about giving a promise ring to a girl who just can’t stop chasing other boys, even as they grow up. The lyric: “When we grew up you traded / Your promise for my ring / Now just like back in grade school / You’re doin’ the same old thing.”

Released in May 1970, “The Love You Save” became the third of four consecutive No. 1 hits for The Jackson 5 that year, joining “I Want You Back,” “ABC” and “I’ll Be There.” These songs remain staples in Jackson 5 medleys and greatest-hits collections.

The song opens with a bold “Stop!” — widely believed to be a nod to “Stop! In the Name of Love” by The Supremes. That 1965 hit was also released by Motown, the label that launched The Jackson 5. Supremes frontwoman Diana Ross famously helped introduce the group to a national audience.

Interestingly, the original lyrics for “The Love You Save” were about traffic safety. Songwriters Berry Gordy Jr., Deke Richards, Freddie Perren, and Alphonso Mizell — known as The Corporation — reworked the theme into a playful warning about reckless romance. Only the title and the clever line, “Darling, look both ways before you cross me,” survived from the original.

The Jackson 5 lineup — Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael — would go on to sell more than 100 million records, with their infectious energy and family harmonies captivating audiences around the world.

And here’s a fun lyrical twist: Midway through the song, Michael names four of his rivals — Isaac, Benjii, Alexander and Christopher. But look closer: he’s referencing Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell and Christopher Columbus. Smart and catchy.

Enjoy this vintage performance of “The Love You Save” from The Ed Sullivan Show. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along!

“The Love You Save”
Written by Berry Gordy Jr., Deke Richards, Freddie Perren and Alphonso Mizell. Performed by The Jackson Five.

Stop, you better save it
Stop, stop, stop, you better save it, woo
Do do do do do …

When we played tag in grade school
You wanted to be it
But chasin’ boys was just a fad,
You crossed your heart, you’d quit

When we grew up you traded
Your promise for my ring
Now just like back in grade school
You’re doin’ the same old thing

Stop, the love you save may be your own
Darlin’ take it slow
Or some day you’ll be all alone
You better stop
The love you save may be your own
Darlin’ look both ways before you cross me
You’re heading for a danger zone

I’m the one who loves you
I’m the one you need
Those other guys will put you down
as soon as they succeed

They’ll ruin your reputation
They’ll label you a flirt
The way they talk about you
They’ll turn your name to dirt, oh.

Isaac said he kissed you, beneath the apple tree
When Benji held your hand he felt electricity
When Alexander called you, he said he rang your chimes
Christopher discovered you’re way ahead of your time

Stop, the love you save may be your own
Darlin’ take it slow or some day you’ll be all alone
You better stop
The love you save may be your own
Darlin’ look both ways before you cross me
You’re headed for a danger zone

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on…

“S” is for save it
“T” is for take it slow
“O” is for oh, no
“P” is for please, please don’t go

The love you save may be your own
Some day you may be all alone
Stop it
Save it girl
Baby, ooh
You’d better stop
The love you save may be your own
Please, please or some day, some day baby
You’ll be heading for a danger zone
(All alone)

I’m the one who loves you
I’m the one you need
Those other guys will put you down
As soon as they succeed

Ooh, stop, the love you save may be your own oh baby
You better stop it, stop it, stop it girl or someday you’ll be all alone

The way they talk about you
They’ll turn your name, turn your name
Stop, the love you save may be your own
Don’t you know, don’t you know
Some day baby you’ll be heading for a danger zone



Credit: CBS Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

For some, the dreaded Friday the 13th is a day to forgo big decisions and stay safely at home. For April Schmitt, the date now carries an unforgettable twist — one marked by heartbreak, hope and a restored faith in humanity.



After a grueling 17-day work stint in Los Angeles, Schmitt finally returned to Pittsburgh on Friday, June 13. Her journey home had already been riddled with delays and missed connections, but the real trouble began at baggage carousel B at Pittsburgh International Airport.



“As I went to retrieve my bag from the carousel, my hand got stuck between the suitcase and the edge of the carousel,” she told CBS News Pittsburgh. “It pinched my hand, so I pulled it back quickly.”

She walked away in a daze, but halfway home, a sickening realization hit: her engagement ring’s 1.25-carat center diamond — a stone she's cherished for 33 years — was gone.

“I looked down and my ring was without a diamond. It was devastating,” said Schmitt. “I literally felt sick to my stomach.”



She raced back to the airport and began scanning the floor in desperation. Soon, four members of the airport’s maintenance crew joined the search. Electrician Steve Turkaly and stationary engineer Tom Riordan led the charge, navigating what Riordan called “a labyrinth of steel.” For 90 minutes, they crawled over, under, and even inside the carousel, but the diamond remained hidden.

Schmitt went home empty-handed — again.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Despite the day’s hectic flight schedule, the maintenance team refused to give up. After four more hours of meticulous searching — including scraping under the conveyor with two paint sticks taped together — they hit paydirt. Literally.

They found the diamond.

Schmitt was stunned. “My jaw dropped. I was ecstatic. I couldn’t get to the airport quickly enough,” she told CBS News Pittsburgh.

The ring not only carries profound sentimental weight, it's also remarkably tied to the date that so many fear. Her husband proposed on Friday, March 13, 1992, and they wed later that year, on Friday, November 13, 1992. Losing the stone on another Friday the 13th seemed cruel. Finding it? Nothing short of miraculous.

“It restored my faith in humanity,” she said. “These men didn’t know anything about me, but they were committed to doing the right thing.”

See CBS Pittsburgh's three-minute report here…

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.com / CBS Pittsburgh.

A 647-carat rough diamond, recently unearthed from the Douradinho riverbed in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state, has been confirmed as the second-largest diamond ever found in the country — and the 25th largest globally. Valued at approximately $3 million, the brown-hued stone has captivated the gem world and reignited interest in the mineral-rich region of Coromandel. (Conceptual graphic is not the actual diamond.)



The discovery, made in late May by artisanal miners working alongside formal mining operations, has caused a wave of excitement in Coromandel, a rural town of 28,000 with a deep-rooted mining heritage.

“Everyone was euphoric,” said a municipal spokesperson. “It’s been a long time since a diamond of this size was discovered. Our land is very rich.”

Brazil, once the world’s top diamond producer from the 18th through mid-19th centuries, now accounts for less than 1% of global diamond output. Most of its production comes from alluvial sources like the Douradinho riverbed. While the country has faded from its historical prominence, major finds such as this offer tantalizing reminders of its latent geological wealth.

This 647-carat diamond ranks second to Brazil's famed 726.6-carat President Vargas diamond, discovered in the same region in 1938.

On a global list, Brazil's new find ranks 25th, just behind the 650-carat "Jubilee" from South Africa and just ahead of the 620-carat "Sefadu" from Sierra Leone.

The find has sparked renewed interest among geologists and industry insiders in the Alto Paranaíba region, particularly Coromandel and neighboring towns like Romaria and Estrela do Sul. Experts believe the area may still harbor untapped deposits capable of producing world-class stones.

According to local news outlet Click Petróleo e Gás, the newly found stone already has been sold to an undisclosed buyer.

For Brazil’s mining community, this discovery isn’t just a financial boon — it’s a symbol of potential yet to be fully realized, buried beneath the riverbeds and hills of one of the country's most storied gemstone regions.

Credit: AI-generated conceptual image of the 647-carat diamond by The Jeweler Blog using ChatGPT and DALL-E 3.

A dazzling artifact of royal history steps into the spotlight today at Christie’s New York, where the Magnificent Jewels sale will feature the extraordinary Marie-Thérèse Pink Diamond — a 10.38-carat fancy purple-pink kite-shaped diamond believed to have once belonged to Marie Antoinette’s daughter, Duchess Marie-Thérèse of Angoulême.



Estimated to fetch between $3 million and $5 million, the stone is set in a remarkable ring designed by legendary jeweler Joel Arthur Rosenthal, known professionally as JAR.



The diamond’s journey is as glittering as its appearance. According to historical accounts and Christie’s own provenance records, Queen Marie Antoinette carefully wrapped her most treasured jewels and entrusted them to her coiffeur, Léonard Autié, on the eve of her ill-fated 1791 flight from Paris during the French Revolution. These heirlooms — including rubies, pearls and diamonds —were quietly shipped to Vienna for safekeeping, though the queen and King Louis XVI never escaped.

Among the jewels believed to have reached Austria was this magnificent pink diamond, which was later passed down to Marie Antoinette’s only surviving child, Duchess Marie-Thérèse, and eventually to her niece, Duchess Marie-Thérèse de Chambord. A will from Queen Marie Theresa of Bavaria later referred to the diamond as “a pink solitaire diamond from Aunt Chambord,” confirming its long-held royal provenance.

In 1996, the diamond resurfaced at auction in Geneva, offered by a member of a European royal family. Then set in a hair ornament presented in a velvet case bearing the Austrian Imperial Warrant, the gem disappeared from public view for nearly 30 years — until now.



Today, it reemerges transformed. Commissioned by the current owner, JAR has masterfully reimagined the diamond into a ring that blends heritage with haute design. The centerpiece stone rests beneath a fleur-de-lis crafted from 17 diamonds, a subtle nod to its French royal roots. It sits atop a double pavé diamond band rendered in blackened platinum — signature touches from the elusive Parisian jeweler known for his exclusivity and artistry.

“This is more than a jewel,” says Rahul Kadakia, International Head of Jewelry at Christie’s. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of European history, brought forward into modern elegance by one of the greatest jewelry designers of our time.”

Graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) as a natural Fancy Purple-Pink with SI1 clarity, the stone was likely unearthed in India’s fabled Golconda region, the source of some of the world’s most legendary diamonds.

As the hammer falls later today at Rockefeller Center, collectors and connoisseurs alike will be watching closely. The Marie-Thérèse Pink is not only a rare gem by nature — but also a glittering bridge between the grandeur of the French court and the artistry of contemporary haute joaillerie.

Credits: Jewelry images courtesy of Christie's. Illustration of Marie Antoinette by The Jeweler Blog using Microsoft’s AI image generator.

After months of sparkling speculation spawned by carefully framed Instagram posts, Dua Lipa has officially confirmed her engagement to British actor Callum Turner. The 29-year-old Grammy-winning pop icon shared the news in a recent British Vogue cover story, where she not only expressed her excitement about this new chapter, but also revealed the heartwarming story behind her unconventional, now-famous engagement ring.



“Yes, we’re engaged,” she told British Vogue. “It’s very exciting.”

Turner, 35, reportedly designed the custom ring with thoughtful input from Lipa’s inner circle, including her sister Rina and a handful of her closest friends.

“I’m obsessed with it,” Lipa said. “It’s so me. It’s nice to know the person that you’re going to spend the rest of your life with knows you very well.”



Fans first spotted the ring in a December 2024 Instagram post captioned “january things,” where Lipa casually flaunted the diamond-studded band in an in-car selfie. Since then, the bold design has made regular appearances — whether on tour, at the Met Gala or in her glam-filled photo dumps.

The ring itself is a striking departure from traditional celebrity sparklers. Industry insiders describe it as featuring a round brilliant or old European-cut diamond, likely between 3 and 4 carats, set low in a semi- or full-bezel mount on a thick, yellow gold cigar band.



The design has been praised for both its originality and its durability — perfect for someone constantly on the move. Estimated valuations range widely, from $65,000 on the low end to over $250,000, depending on diamond quality.

Lipa, long known for her bold and fashion-forward aesthetic, is no stranger to unconventional choices, and her ring is no exception. Described by some as Etruscan- or gypsy-inspired, the chunky gold band reflects her “gold girl” persona — often seen layering vintage pieces with high-fashion favorites.

The couple met in 2023 and were first seen publicly together in early 2024. They became Instagram-official by the time Lipa headlined Glastonbury in July 2024. According to Lipa, their relationship grew organically after a chance meeting at London’s River Café, followed by another serendipitous run-in in Los Angeles.

“We were reading the same book,” she recalled, calling the moment “a sign.”

As for wedding plans? Not yet. Lipa is currently on her "Radical Optimism" world tour while Turner is filming new projects.

“I’ve never been someone who’s really thought about a wedding, or dreamt about what kind of bride I would be,” she told Vogue. “All of a sudden I’m like, ‘Oh, what would I wear?’”

Until then, Lipa’s stunning gold ring will do all the talking — an elegant symbol of love, intention and personal style.

Credits: Images via Instagram / dualipa.

Welcome to Music Friday, where we spotlight songs that celebrate jewelry, gemstones, or precious metals. Today, we shine a light on Duawne Starling’s heartfelt ballad, “With This Ring,” a moving wedding anthem in which the acclaimed gospel artist pens and performs his own vows.



Released in 2001 as the title track of the compilation album With This Ring, Starling’s song captures the essence of marital commitment. With lyrics that elevate the symbolism of a wedding band beyond its physical form, Starling describes the ring as a “circle of trust” — a token of faith, love and enduring devotion.

He sings, “With this ring / With this circle of trust / I confess that I must be in love / With this vow / I can promise you now / to be more than you’ve ever dreamed of.”

Starling’s soaring tenor and honest lyrics resonated deeply with couples seeking a spiritual and personal soundtrack for their wedding day. The success of With This Ring inspired a sequel album in 2002, With This Ring… Forever I Do, featuring more inspirational love songs by various Christian artists.

Starling’s journey into music was deeply personal. Born in Petersburg, VA, in 1970, he turned to music for solace after his father passed away from cancer when Starling was just seven years old.

“Music became my sanctum, my escape,” he later said.

Before launching his solo career, Starling spent more than a decade touring and recording as a background vocalist with legends, such as Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Patti Austin, Kelly Price, and BeBe & CeCe Winans. But he waited until he felt spiritually ready before stepping forward as a soloist. That moment came in 2004, when he released his debut solo album, Inside Out, which firmly established him in the gospel and contemporary Christian music communities.

Beyond music, Starling has worn many hats: model, actor, television and radio host, ordained elder and mentor. In 2011, he was honored to perform “We Shall Overcome” at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC.

With a Master of Arts in Religious Studies from Howard University, Starling has said that his life’s purpose is empowering others through authenticity, compassion and faith.

“My gift is God’s tool,” he once said. “I always speak from the place of truth.”

Please take a moment to check out the audio track of Starling’s beautiful performance of “With This Ring.” It’s a testament to the power of love, faith and the enduring symbol of the wedding band. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“With This Ring”
Written and performed by Duawne Starling.

With this ring,
With this circle of trust,<

I confess that I must be in love.
With this vow,
I can promise you now,
to be more than you’ve ever dreamed of.
With my heart in your hand,
and faith in His plan,
and with patience to last a lifetime,
I offer you everything,
With this ring.

With my mind,
with each thought I’m inclined,
to cherish you more everyday,
With my soul,
I’m completely yours,
You’re the answer to all that I’ve prayed.
With my heart in your hand,
and my faith in His plan,
and with patience to last a lifetime,
I offer you everything,
With this ring.

If perfect is something that people can be,
and heaven is more than just a fantasy,
then I am in heaven and you’re perfect to me.

So with my heart in your hand,
and faith in His plan,
and with patience to last a lifetime,
I offer you everything,
With this ring.

With my heart in your hand,
and faith in His plan,
and with patience to last a lifetime,
I offer you everything,
Be mine for eternity, yeah,
please say you’ll stay with me,
With this ring.

With my ring, Will you stay.
I’ll love you forever,
and ever, and ever and ever.



Credits: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

Jewelry insiders at the JCK Luxury Show in Las Vegas this past weekend were treated to a rare and radiant experience: an in-person viewing of Jack Abraham’s "Royal Ruby Collection," a $10 million suite of five natural, unheated rubies, each sourced from a different exotic location. Representing over 40 years of passionate collecting, this one-of-a-kind ensemble is the masterwork of Abraham — known across the industry as the “Ruby Baron” of New York.



We had the honor of meeting with the octogenarian and witnessing the rubies firsthand — each glowing with a unique hue and story that reflects its country of origin: Burma (Myanmar), Tajikistan, Thailand, Mozambique and Madagascar.

Together, the five stones total 53.53 carats, with individual weights ranging from 7.11 to 17.88 carats. Each ruby has been carefully set in handcrafted platinum and 18-karat gold rings, selected to highlight the gem’s shape and personality.

Abraham’s favorite color is red and his ruby journey began in 1979 with the acquisition of a rare, 5.79-carat, no-heat Thai ruby — an increasingly scarce gem due to depleted mines in the region. Over the decades, he sought out equally extraordinary rubies from other famed origins, upgrading and curating the collection until it formed a perfectly balanced global quintet.

What distinguishes the Royal Ruby Collection is not only its beauty, but its rarity and geological significance. According to Abraham, each ruby in the collection has unique color traits, mineral content and origin-specific characteristics.

This exceptional suite debuted publicly in 2024 at the grand reopening of the Peabody Museum’s Gem and Mineral Hall at Yale University, where it took center stage among some of the world's most important natural treasures. The museum’s gem advisory board chairman, Cap Beesley, personally invited Abraham to exhibit the rubies, calling the collection “one of the most significant ever assembled.”

At JCK in Vegas, the rubies once again drew awe and admiration — not only for their vibrant reds and near-flawless clarity, but also for what they represent: decades of expertise, unrelenting pursuit and a love for rubies.

Though several interested ruby buyers approached Abraham at the show, he remains reluctant to break up the set. Ideally he'd prefer to see them kept together, perhaps in a museum exhibit to be enjoyed by the masses.

Credit: Image courtesy of Jack Abraham.

A groundbreaking study from researchers at Germany's University of Göttingen has uncovered tantalizing evidence that the Earth's molten metallic core — long thought to be geochemically sealed off — may, in fact, be slowly "leaking" gold and other precious metals into the rocky mantle and up to the planet’s surface via volcanic activity.



This surprising discovery opens up a fascinating new chapter in our understanding of Earth’s geology, and it may even help explain the origins of some of the precious metals we rely on in jewelry, electronics and clean energy technologies.

The key to the discovery lies in Hawaii’s volcanoes. Scientists analyzed volcanic rocks, including samples from the actively erupting Kilauea volcano, and found something astonishing: an unusually high concentration of a rare deep-Earth isotope of the platinum group metal ruthenium, known as 100Ru. This particular isotope acts like a chemical fingerprint, revealing that the ruthenium in these rocks must have originated not from the Earth’s mantle — as would be expected — but from the core itself, some 3,000 kilometers (about 1,900 miles) below the surface.

Detecting such a faint signal is no easy task. In fact, past attempts had failed to differentiate the tiny isotopic differences between mantle- and core-derived ruthenium. However, new ultra-precise analytical techniques developed by the Göttingen team finally cracked the code. The presence of core-derived 100Ru in Hawaiian lava flows is now taken as direct evidence that material from the Earth’s core is migrating upward through the mantle.

“This is the geochemical equivalent of striking gold,” said Dr. Nils Messling, lead author of the study, published in Nature. “It shows that the Earth’s core is not entirely isolated and that metals from the core, including gold, are being transported up toward the surface.”

While more than 99.999% of Earth’s gold remains locked deep within the core, unreachable by any mining technology, this study suggests that volcanic activity may deliver tiny, but measurable, amounts of these core metals to the surface.

Hawaii, for example, sits atop a deep mantle plume — a jet of superheated rock rising from the boundary between the core and the mantle. These plumes act as natural elevators, bringing up material enriched in precious metals.

Study co-author Matthias Willbold, a professor at the University of Göttingen, added, “This process isn’t just about gold. It’s about understanding the inner workings of our planet. The core and mantle are interacting in ways we never fully appreciated before.”

For jewelry lovers, this research provides a poetic reminder that the treasures we wear may, quite literally, come from the heart of the Earth.

Credit: Illustration by The Jeweler Blog using Microsoft's AI image generator.

A sapphire that made headlines 10 years ago has once again etched its name into the record books. Just last week, "The Regent Kashmir," a 35.09-carat antique cushion-shaped sapphire, achieved a staggering $9.5 million at Christie’s Hong Kong, setting a new world record for highest price per carat ever paid at auction for a sapphire — $271,515.



Revered for its unheated royal blue hue and Kashmir origin, The Regent Kashmir eclipsed the previous record of $243,703 per carat, held by the 27.6-carat "Jewel of Kashmir" sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in October 2015.

In May of that same year, The Regent Kashmir had commanded $7.4 million at Christie’s Geneva, with a then-record-setting price of $209,689 per carat. The sapphire’s triumphant return to the auction block in 2025 reaffirms its place among the most exceptional gems ever offered at auction.

Described by Christie’s as a “once-in-a-generation masterpiece,” The Regent Kashmir is set in a platinum ring and flanked by round brilliant diamonds. According to a report from the Swiss Gemmological Institute, the gem displays an “attractive and saturated blue color” and “outstanding clarity,” made even more vivid by its expert cutting. Its velvety “royal blue” hue, a hallmark of fine Kashmir sapphires, is attributed to subtle inclusions and trace elements unique to the storied mines of Kashmir in the Himalayas.

Kashmir sapphires, mined primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, are among the rarest and most sought-after gemstones in the world. Their unparalleled coloration and natural (untreated) state significantly enhance their desirability and value.

Although The Regent Kashmir broke the price-per-carat record for a sapphire and sold above its pre-sale low estimate of $8.3 million, it fell short of its $12.1 million high estimate.

Credit: Image courtesy of Christie’s.