Welcome to Music Friday when we celebrate chart-topping songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Aussie sensation Sia teams up with Jamaican rapper Sean Paul to deliver the international mega-hit “Cheap Thrills.” Viewed more than 1.7 billion times on YouTube, the song features Paul’s reggae-spiced refrain, “You worth more dan diamonds, more dan gold.”



The song follows Sia as she prepares for an exciting weekend with her partner at the dance club. She explains that she doesn’t need dollars bills to have fun tonight, because embracing the music and letting loose on the dance floor is worth so much more.

Sia and Paul alternate lines as they sing, “But I don’t need no money / (You worth more dan diamonds, more dan gold) / As long as I can feel the beat.”

Penned by Sia and Greg Kurstin, “Cheap Thrills” was the second single released from Sia's seventh studio album, This Is Acting (2016). The song has been described by critics as a “bouncy party anthem,” a "sunny jam" and “another superior slab of on-trend ear candy.” It has the distinction of being the most Shazamed song of 2016.

The “Cheap Thrills” lyrics video, which mimics the 1960s vibe of American Bandstand and features faceless dancers (Minn Vo and Stefanie Klausmann) wearing signature Sia wigs, is well on its way to 2 billion views.

A second video highlighting the then-13-year-old Dance Moms star Maddie Ziegler has accumulated 860 million views. Ziegler also appeared in Sia’s videos for “Chandelier,” “Elastic Heart” and “Big Girls Cry.”

"Cheap Thrills" ascended to #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and sold more than 11 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Sia fans may remember that she wrote “Diamonds” for Rihanna in 2012. That song was also an international hit, with worldwide sales of more than 9 million.

In an interesting twist, Sia and Kurstin wrote “Cheap Thrills” for Rihanna, but the artist passed on it. As reported in Rolling Stone, Rihanna’s manager was seeking out another “Diamonds,” a song with soul and feeling.

“I realized just as soon as I was cutting it that it sounded a little bit too Brit-pop for her,” Sia told Rolling Stone. “We did actually send it to her, but they passed on it, and then I just couldn’t stop listening to it in the car.”

Sia decided to perform it herself, and the rest is hit-making history.

Please check out the “Cheap Thrills” video at the end of this post. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Cheap Thrills”
Written by Greg Kurstin and Sia Furler. Performed by Sia, featuring Sean Paul.

Up with it girl
Rock with it girl
Show dem it girl (Bada bang bang)
Bounce with it girl
Dance with it girl
Get with it girl (Bada bang bang)

Come on, come on, turn the radio on
It’s Friday night and I won’t be long
Gotta do my hair, I put my make up on
It’s Friday night and I won’t be long

Til I hit the dance floor (Bada bang)
Hit the dance floor (Bada bang)
I got all I need (Sia)
No I ain’t got cash
No I ain’t got cash
But I got you baby
(Just you and me)

Baby I don’t need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
Baby I don’t need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
But I don’t need no money
You worth more dan diamonds, more dan gold
As long as I can feel the beat
Mek di beat jus tek control
I don’t need no money
You worth more dan diamonds, more dan gold
As long as I keep dancing
Free up yourself, get outa control

Come on, come on, turn the radio on
It’s Saturday and I won’t be long
Gotta paint my nails, put my high heels on
It’s Saturday and I won’t be long

Til I hit the dance floor (Bada bang)
Hit the dance floor (Bada bang)
I got all I need (Sia)
No I ain’t got cash
No I ain’t got cash
But I got you baby
(Just you and me)

Baby I don’t need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
Baby I don’t need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
But I don’t need no money
You worth more dan diamonds, more dan gold
As long as I can feel the beat
Mek di beat jus tek control
I don’t need no money
You worth more dan diamonds, more dan gold
As long as I keep dancing
Free up yourself, get outa control

Me and you girl, you and me
Drop it to di floor an mek mi see your energy because
Mi nah play na hide an seek
Wah fi see di ting you have weg mek me feel weak girl
Cause anytime you wine and kotch it
Di selector pull it up an pull it pon repeat girl
I’m nah touch a dollar in my pocket
Cause nuttin in this world ain’t more dan what you worth

But I don’t need no money
You worth more dan diamonds, more dan gold
As long as I can feel the beat
Mek di beat jus tek control
I don’t need no money
You worth more dan diamonds, more dan gold
As long as I keep dancing
Free up yourself, get outa control
Oh, oh

Baby I don’t need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
Baby I don’t need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills)
But I don’t need no money
You worth more dan diamonds, more dan gold
As long as I can feel the beat
Mek di beat jus tek control
I don’t need no money
You worth more dan diamonds, more dan gold
As long as I keep dancing
Free up yourself, get outa control

La, la, la, la, la, la
(I love cheap thrills)
La, la, la, la, la, la
(I love cheap thrills)
La, la, la, la, la, la
(I love cheap thrills)
La, la, la, la, la
(I love cheap thrills)



Credits: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

"Srinika" — a head-turning timepiece sparkling with 17,524 diamonds and 113 blue sapphires set in 14-karat gold — recently captured a Guinness World Record for the "Most Diamonds Set on a Watch." The cuff-style, luxury accessory weighs 373.30 grams (13.1 ounces) and is completely wearable, according to Harshit Bansal, founder and CEO of Renani Jewels, Meerut, India.



The timepiece's impressive diamond count surpassed the previous record holder by 1,666. A watch designed by Aaron Shum Jewelry Ltd., Hong Kong, had held the title since December 2018.

Renani Jewels explained on its website that "Srinika" is not just a watch, it is an emotion.

The piece was inspired by ancient Indian mythology. "Srinika," means "flower," which is in the heart of Lord Vishnu. It also signifies Goddess Lakshmi, the Supreme goddess of good fortune.

The watch contains 17,512 natural diamonds with a total weight of 53.98 carats in E-F color and VVS-VS clarity, 12 treated black diamonds totaling 0.03 carats, plus a 0.72-carat natural diamond solitaire of D color and VVS clarity. International Gemological Institute (IGI) was tasked with certifying the authenticity of every gemstone.



Guinness World Records posted an item about "Srinika" on its Twitter account and challenged its readers to spot the 12 black diamonds in the design? In the photo, above, we've zoomed into the face of the watch so you can see how the black diamonds were used as hour markers. The large solitaire is set just beyond the watch bezel in the 3 o'clock position.

"We and the whole team have worked really hard for months, and this watch was created with so much passion and greatness," Bansal said. "One should always seek for new challenges in life. I look forward to new technologies that we can merge with traditional methods of jewelry making. I believe that this technology will make the impossible, possible."

Bansal told Guinness World Records that the main challenge faced by his company in designing the piece was procuring a vast number of diamonds with the same color, size, shape and clarity.

The company was also required to provide documentation to Guinness World Records that all the diamonds in “Srinika” were sourced from producers certified by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), which prevents so-called "conflict" diamonds from entering the mainstream market.

Renani Jewels is no stranger to Guinness World Record accolades. Back in December 2020, the company introduced us to “The Marigold – The Ring of Prosperity,” which earned a record for the “Most Diamonds in a Single Ring.” The eight-layer ring featured 12,638 natural diamonds.

Credits: Images courtesy of Renani Jewels.

Jay Glazer has finally found true love. The 53-year-old reporter, who is best known as the NFL Insider for FOX Sports' award-winning NFL pregame show, FOX NFL Sunday, popped the question to ex-model and clothing designer Rosie Tenison last week in Santa Monica, CA, with a dazzling emerald-cut diamond accented by two rows of round diamonds on a shared-prong band.



The center stone is secured with white-metal claw-style prongs (likely platinum), and the round accent diamonds appear to completely encircle the band.



Having battled depression for years, Glazer explained in a candid engagement message on Instagram how Tenison was able to rescue him from the "gray" and deliver him to the "blue."

On Sunday, he posted three photos to his Instagram page and wrote, "Sooooo this happened! It only took me 53 years to find true love. For everyone out there… it’s never too late… Because of my gray, I’ve felt unlovable for 53 years! As a result, I’ve sabotaged and pushed others away - that’s what the gray gets you to do.”

He continued, "But it takes a special spirit to stand there with me, help me grow, and feel worthy of feeling loved. That’s who this woman is!! This amazing, incredible soul Rosie Tenison saw my pain but more so saw my heart and said ‘This man takes care of so many people but who takes care of him? I want to be the one to take care of him!'"



Glazer had previously broken up with Tenison, 54, even though he cared for her dearly and called her "the love of his life." But the journalist needed to embark on a mental health journey before being able to accept her love. He documented his challenges and triumphs in a book titled Unbreakable: How I Turned My Depression and Anxiety into Motivation and You Can Too.

“I wouldn’t have been able to receive this love had I not gone on this mental health journey with all of you,” Glazer wrote on Instagram. “Took me 53 years to do the work on myself to see I am worth it, I can beat the gray… I can live in the blue. Thank you Rosie for what’s going to be a lifetime of blue and love.”

Tenison, who has an identical twin sister (also a former model), is now a clothing designer and operates a Los Angeles boutique called Varga.

When he's not breaking news stories for FOX Sports, Glazer can be found in his Unbreakable Performance Center gym in West Hollywood, where he trains NFL players and military veterans in mixed martial arts.

Glazer's post spawned comments from sports and Hollywood celebs, including tight end Rob Gronkowski, actor Sylvester Stallone, fellow broadcaster Bonnie Bernstein and Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson.

Credits: Photos via Instagram / jayglazer.

Australia-based Burgundy Diamond Mines has agreed to pay $136 million to acquire Arctic Canadian Diamond Company Ltd. and its prized Ekati Diamond Mine in Canada's Northwest Territories.



Ekati's new owner was very familiar with the Canadian mining operation. For the past two years, Burgundy has been purchasing top-quality rough diamonds — including extremely rare fancy yellows — from the Ekati mine for cutting and polishing at its facility in Perth, Australia.

Burgundy's purchase of Ekati will guarantee a steady flow of premium material from a tier-one asset in a tier-one country, according to Burgundy CEO Kim Trutter, and put a bow on the company's strategy of becoming truly vertically integrated across the diamond value chain.

"Having been involved with Burgundy since 2017, this exciting acquisition completes Burgundy's vertically integrated business model: bringing the world's most beautiful diamonds to market from discovery through to design," Burgundy Diamond Mines executive chair Michael O'Keefe told miningnewsnorth.com.

"Source of origin of diamonds is becoming very, very important," Rory Moore, president and CEO of Arctic Canadian Diamond Company, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "Canadian diamonds are highly sought after because they come with a guarantee of ethical mining practices, both in terms of treatment of people as well as the environment."

The recapitalization of Arctic Canadian is also great news for the 1,100 workers at Ekati, and bodes well for the extended lifespan of the mine, which has been operating for nearly 25 years.



Ekati’s famous Misery Pipe has been the source of many of the world’s finest precious yellow diamonds. Ekati, which derives its name from the Tlicho word meaning “fat lake,” is Canada’s first surface and underground diamond mine. It is located approximately 300 km northwest of Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Accessible seasonally via ice roads, the frigid operation is just 200 km south of the Arctic Circle.

In 2022, Ekati generated $494 million in revenue and recovered 4.1 million carats of rough diamonds.

Miningnewsnorth.com estimated Ekati's diamond reserves at approximately 26.1 million carats, a number that does not include diamonds that might be salvaged via an innovative underwater remote mining system developed by Arctic Canadian and expected to be deployed by Burgundy.

That system would employ a submersible mining crawler and floating platform that would collect and process diamond-bearing kimberlite from the bottom of previously mined open pits that have since filled with water.

Burgundy will also implement applied machine learning technology (artificial intelligence) to identify and explore new kimberlite pipes on the Ekati property, which spans 113,485 hectares.

Credits: Images courtesy of Arctic Canadian Diamond Company.

A fabulous ruby-and-diamond bracelet designed for screen siren Marlene Dietrich and most recently owned by socialite Anne Eisenhower, the granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, could fetch $4.5 million when it hits the auction block at Christie's New York on June 7.



The bracelet was Dietrich's favorite piece of jewelry and she famously wore it in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1950 thriller, Stage Fright. In the film's trailer, Dietrich clasps the cuff while chatting with co-star Richard Todd in a pivotal scene. Hitchcock shot the film in black and white, so the intense color of the rubies had to be left to viewers' imagination. She also wore the bracelet to the Academy Awards in 1951.



It's difficult to classify the piece because it has a totally unique design.

Speaking with The New York Times in 1992 (the year Dietrich passed away at the age of 90 and Eisenhower anonymously won the piece at auction), Dietrich’s grandson Peter Riva revealed that author Erich Maria Remarque convinced his lover to "take all her bits of jewelry and make them into one fabulous piece."

In 1937, jeweler to the stars Louis Arpels conceived Dietrich's "Jarretière" bracelet from diamond earrings, a diamond necklace, a ruby bracelet and earring set, a couple of pins and more. The cushion-cut Burmese rubies are accented by round, rectangular and baguette-cut diamonds, all set in platinum.

The New York Times has described Dietrich’s Jarretière piece as a “modernist platinum cuff” featuring “an exaggerated, asymmetrical loop covered in cushion-cut rubies set atop twin buckle-like bands of… diamonds.”

If you were wondering, "Jarretière" means "garter" in French.

“This bracelet is legendary in a lot of ways,” Claibourne Poindexter, vice president and jewelry specialist at Christie’s, told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s bold. It’s very large in scale and has a wonderful curvature. She wore it so beautifully in Stage Fright and you get this appreciation for how sculptural the design is. It doesn’t really fit into any period. It’s not art deco jewelry. It’s not retro jewelry. It’s just sort of high glamour. It really is its own work of art.”

The first time it came to auction in 1992, Eisenhower purchased it for $990,000 — an amount that far exceeded its presale estimate of $300,000 to $400,000.

Eisenhower subsequently enlisted Van Cleef & Arpels to design a complementary necklace and earrings — both of which will appear at the upcoming auction.

Now, 31 years later, the Jarretière bracelet is expected to sell in the range of $2.5 million to $4.5 million, although it could sell for more due to a provenance that ties it to one of the most famous movie stars and a member of a pre-eminent American family.

Eisenhower, who passed away last year at the age of 73, was a New York-based interior designer, collector and philanthropist.

The Jarretière bracelet is the top lot from Christie’s upcoming June 7 sale in New York, titled “The Magnificent Jewels of Anne Eisenhower.”

“From Marlene Dietrich to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Anne Eisenhower collection traces the history of the last century through a single collector’s brilliant passion for fine jewels,” said Marc Porter, chairman of Christie’s Americas. ”Anne Eisenhower had a keen eye for the finest examples of the jeweler’s art, and her collection tells fascinating and interwoven stories of patrons and collectors.”

The collection will be on tour, starting in Los Angeles on March 23 and ending in New York City on June 6. Other stops on the tour will include Shanghai, Paris, Taipei, Geneva and Hong Kong.

Credits: Ruby bracelet photo courtesy of Christie's. Screen capture from "Stage Fright" trailer via YouTube.com.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you excellent tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, the husband-and-wife duo known as Johnnyswim performs "Diamonds," an inspirational song about enduring personal tragedy and coming out stronger on the other side.



Amanda Sudano-Ramirez and Abner Ramirez employ diamonds in the lyrics to symbolize the triumph of the human spirit.

They sing, "In the wake of every heartache / In the depth of every fear / There were diamonds, diamonds / Waiting to break out of here."

“‘Diamonds’ is a song about the realization that even the hardest times can somehow make life more beautiful,” Sudano-Ramirez told Entertainment Weekly, “just like the years of pressure that turn coal into a diamond.”

The catchy chorus repeats, "We're the diamonds, diamonds / We're the diamonds, diamonds / Rising up out the dust."

The 2014 release draws on the real-life experiences of the couple. They both suffered heartbreaking losses in 2012. Abner's mom passed away, as did Amanda's grandmother and famous mom — five-time Grammy winner and 1970s "Queen of Disco" Donna Summer.

The couple channeled their sadness into a passionate, upbeat anthem that earned critical acclaim that resonated with their growing fan base. "Diamonds" became the title track of Johnnyswim's first full-length album.

The Nashville-based duo met at a church service in 2001 and formed Johnnyswim in 2005 after reconnecting at a songwriting class that Abner was teaching. Their professional relationship evolved into a romantic one and the couple married shortly thereafter.

Please check out the video of Johnnyswim performing "Diamonds" in a live session for Dallas radio station KXT in 2014. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…

"Diamonds"
Written by Abner Pedro Ramirez, Amanda Sudano Ramirez and Britten Newbill. Performed by Johnnyswim.

In the wake of every heartache
In the depth of every fear
There were diamonds, diamonds
Waiting to break out of here.

Don't you think I hear the whispers
Those subtle lies, those angry pleas
They're just demons, demons
Wishing they were free like me.

We're the fire, from the sun
We're the light when the day is done
We are the brave, the chosen ones
We're the diamonds, diamonds
Rising up out the dust.

Oh oh. Rising up out the dust
Oh oh. Rising up out the dust
Oh oh. Rising up out the dust
Oh oh. Rising up out the dust

All your curses will surrender
Every damning word will kneel
They're just mountains, mountains
About to turn into fields.

We're the fire, from the sun
We're the light when the day is done
We are the brave, we're the chosen ones
We're the diamonds, diamonds
Rising up out the dust.

Oh oh. Rising up out the dust
Oh oh. Rising up out the dust
Oh oh. Rising up out the dust
Oh oh. Rising, rising, rising, rising…

You've taken down
So many others
Oh but you'll know my name when you see
And in these ashes I'm stronger still
You'll learn to fear my pain, yeah you will.

You've taken down
So many others
Oh but you'll know my name when you see
And in these ashes I'm stronger still
You'll learn to fear my pain, yeah you will.
You'll learn to fear my pain, yeah you will, yeah you will, yeah you will.

We're the fire, from the sun
We're the light when the day is done
We are the brave, we are the chosen ones
We're the diamonds, diamonds
We're the diamonds, diamonds

We're the diamonds, diamonds
We're the diamonds, diamonds
Rising up out the dust.

Oh oh. Rising out the dust
Oh oh. Rising up out the dust
Oh oh. Rising out the dust
Oh oh…

Oh oh. Rising out the dust
Oh oh. Rising up out the dust
Oh oh. Rising out the dust
Oh oh…



Credits: Screen capture via YouTube.com / kxtradio.

David Anderson, a super-successful amateur diamond hunter and frequent visitor to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AR, recently scored a 3.29-carat brown sparkler — the biggest find of 2023.



Over the past 16 years, Anderson has amassed more than 400 diamonds, including 15 weighing more than 1 carat. His other top finds include a 3.83-carat yellow diamond found in December 2011 and a 6.19-carat white gem discovered in April 2014.

Anderson said a story about the park on the Travel Channel gave him the inspiration to try his luck at the only diamond site in the world that’s open to the general public.

“My first trip here was in 2007," Anderson said. "After I found my first diamond, a 1.5-carat white, I was hooked!”



About the size of an English pea, with a light brown color and octahedron shape, Anderson's newest treasure was found on March 4 near the West Drain of the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area.

The Murfreesboro resident said he was wet-sifting soil when an unusual stone caught his eye.

“At first I thought it was quartz but wondered why it was so shiny,” said Anderson. “Once I picked it up, I realized it was a diamond!”



Successful diamond hunters often choose to name their gems. In this case, Anderson affectionately called his diamond "B.U.D." — short for Big Ugly Diamond.

Of course, when it comes to diamonds, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and some people may see the brown diamond with a pitted surface and mottled brown color as something uniquely beautiful.

Park Interpreter Tayler Markham said the stone exhibits a "metallic shine typical of all diamonds found at the park, with a partially resorbed surface and lots of inclusions.”

Markham explained that all diamonds found at Crater of Diamonds State Park have gone through partial resorption during the eruption that brought them to the surface.

"Magma in the volcanic pipe melted the diamonds’ outer surfaces and gave them smooth, rounded edges," Markham added. "Larger diamonds like Mr. Anderson’s may have rough areas on the surface, but you can still find signs of resorption on the corners and edges.”

According to the Gemological Association of America (GIA), the kimberlite magma that brings diamonds to the surface from deep in the Earth can effect the external surface and internal features of a diamond. The diamond crystal can be dissolved to form secondary shapes by the partial removal of crystalline diamond in a geological process known as dissolution or resorption.

Writes the GIA, "Left alone without dissolution, diamond will form a perfect octahedron or a cube. But with dissolution, diamond can change from an octahedron to other forms, such as dodecahedron (12 faces) or tetrahexahedron (24 faces), and even form “irregular” diamonds with no discernible shape.

As of this publication, 124 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park this year. Since the park opened in 1972, visitors have registered 35,250 diamonds.

Amazingly, even though the park has welcomed more than 4.6 million guests over that time, Anderson alone has accounted for more than 1% of that total.

According to the park's press release, Anderson typically sells his diamonds locally and plans to sell "B.U.D." as well.

Credits: Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.

An adorable six-year-old is now a celebrity at Dogwood Elementary in Germantown, TN, after finding a lost engagement ring during a treasure hunt on the school grounds.



The treasure hunt was initiated by kindergarten teacher Ann Wallace in an effort to support her friend, first-grade teacher Sabrina Mink, who lost her engagement ring and wedding band at the school two days earlier.



On Saturday, March 4, Mink, her husband and her daughter prepared for a late afternoon outing at the playground of the school where Mink teaches. In the parking lot of the school, Mink took off her diamond engagement ring and wedding band before putting sunscreen on her daughter. She deposited the ring in her husband's T-shirt pocket for safekeeping.

A little after 7 p.m., Mink and her family were back at home when she remembered that her rings were still in her husband's pocket. When she went to retrieve them, she and her husband were terrified to see a giant hole in the bottom of the pocket and no sign of the rings.

“We panicked,” Mink told the Dogwood Elementary School website. “There were five of us that went back to the park that night with flashlights.”

They quickly found the wedding band in the parking lot, but the engagement ring remained elusive. They searched the parking lot and the playground and came up empty. A return to the scene during daylight hours on Sunday proved fruitless.

Mink posted a lost-ring message on the Facebook Germantown Bulletin Board and emailed the Dogwood Elementary School staff.



On Monday, Mink's fellow teachers searched the grounds as they walked to class. One first-grade teacher scanned the area with a metal detector.

Cleverly, kindergarten teacher Wallace told her class that they would be going on a treasure hunt during recess. Then young Scarlett Arnold asked her teacher what they were looking for.

“When Ms. Wallace said we were looking for a ring, I knew where it was,” the youngster told the Dogwood Elementary School website.

You see, Arnold had been at the playground on Saturday, as well.



“I saw it shining in the rocks, so I buried it like treasure,” she said.

“I didn’t believe her at first,” Wallace said, “but she brought it back. I was ecstatic for my friend.”

Arnold's mom told local TV station WREG that her daughter has a new nickname.

“I think when she’s walking down the hall, everyone’s saying, ‘Oh, the ring finder,’” the mom reported.

Mink was thankful that her colleague came up with the idea of a recess treasure hunt and mentioned the lost ring. It was serendipitous that the child who buried the treasure was in that very class.

“It was so sweet that everyone was trying to help,” Mink said. “The events that led me to lose [the rings] were so silly, and the events that led to finding it… you can’t make them up.”

The Dogwood Elementary School website reports that young Arnold was rewarded for her responsible thinking with a supply of Skittles.

Credits: Teacher and student photo via Dogwood Elementary School website (des.gmsdk12.org). Screen captures via wreg.com.

On Sunday night, as you watched the cast and crew of Everything Everywhere All at Once scoop up seven Oscars at the 95th Academy Awards — including best picture and best actress — were you wondering if the gleaming statuettes were made of pure gold?



Well, the short answer is "yes and no."

Depicting a knight holding a crusader's sword, the Oscar was designed in 1928 by MGM art director Cedric Gibbons and sculpted by Los Angeles artist George Stanley. It is composed of 24-karat gold-plated bronze.

The sleek award stands 13.5 inches tall and weighs a hefty 8.5 pounds. If cast in 24-karat gold, the award would weigh 22.7 pounds, a mass equivalent to a large watermelon or two-year-old child. Gold is 2.7 times as dense as bronze.

Another reason the statuettes are not cast in sold gold is because of the prohibitive cost. At yesterday's gold spot price of $1,902 per ounce, each statue would require $690,000 worth of precious metal — and the Academy requires 60 statues each year.

The reporters at CNN did a wonderful job recounting the origin and evolution of the Oscars with an illustrated story on CNN.com.

CNN explained how the original statue was made from gold-plated bronze, but then changed to painted plaster during World War II, due to a scarcity of resources. In 1982, the bronze core was substituted for a pewter-based alloy, but changed back to bronze in 2016.

In that year, the UAP (Urban Art Projects) workshop in Rock Tavern, NY, worked with the Academy to create a new version of Oscar that would incorporate the best elements from the original design and those of the more recent incarnations.

UAP uses a lost-wax method to cast the awards in bronze. In the finishing phase, the bronze castings are meticulously checked for minor flaws, polished and plated — first in copper and nickel and finally in 24-karat gold.

“By the time you get to the end," UAP general manager Jake Joyce told CNN.com, "the final Oscar is much smaller than the original because they’re always grinding and sanding and polishing and taking away metal.”

Trailblazing actor and filmmaker Douglas Fairbanks hosted the 1st Academy Awards in 1929 at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The award ceremony became must-see TV starting in 1953. Sunday's broadcast was seen in 200 territories worldwide and attracted 16 million viewers in the US alone.

Credit: Oscar statuettes by Amdrewcs81, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Actress Eva Amurri and new fiancé, chef Ian Hock, recently re-enacted their romantic Paris engagement in Westport, CT, so Amurri's kids could share the love.



Amurri, who co-parents her three children with ex Kyle Martino, explained on Instagram how excited the kids were when they learned that Hock was taking her to Paris.

"The two big kids kept on asking me if I thought Ian would propose in Paris," she wrote. "Marlowe, especially, has been asking us to get married for over a year, and she told me “I think it’s gonna happen in Paris, mom!!! You have to call me if he gives you the ring!!!”

And he did. In an Instagram Story, Amurri displayed her new emerald-cut diamond engagement ring in a series of photos from the City of Love.



The daughter of actress Susan Sarandon and director Franco Amurri told her fans that she was "absolutely dying" over the ring, and gave a shout out to her new fiancé and the ring's designer.

Amurri wrote, "Ian designed it with @cms_custom and OMG Christina you outdid yourself!!!!!"



The platinum and 14-karat gold ring features a large center stone accented by square baguette side stones and secured in a basket setting with an open gallery.

Amurri explained that after she and Hock were officially engaged, they called the kids to share the news.

"They were SO excited, and they wanted to know all the details," Amurri wrote on Instagram. "We told them we’d redo it for them when [we] came home."

In a video posted to Instagram, the couple shared the heartwarming scene, as the three kids — sons Mateo (2) and Major (6) and daughter Marlowe (8) — watch intently as their mom shows them photos and videos of the garden in Paris where the engagement took place.



Then, in the family's living room, Hock got down on one knee and proposed to Amurri. She said "Yes," and they kissed.



Then Hock pulled a ring box from his pocket and placed the ring on Amurri's finger. The kids cheered and Major was so excited, he jumped on Hock's back. Then each kid got to try on their mom's new ring.



The family capped the celebration with a toast. Their drink of choice was red, sparkly soda.

"This morning, we relived our engagement all over again, with our three favorite people, and it was so dreamy," Amurri wrote on Instagram. "This engagement isn’t just ours, but theirs as well. Feeling so grateful for this love."

Amurri is an actress, blogger and founder of the Happily Eva After lifestyle collection.

Credits: Photos and screen captures via Instagram / thehappilyeva.