A sparkling diamond ring and a romantic Cincinnati skyline set the stage for one of baseball’s sweetest off-field moments this month as the Reds' All-Star pitcher Andrew Abbott proposed to former WLWT-TV anchor Lindsay Stone during an elegant rooftop celebration at Lytle Park Hotel, Autograph Collection.



The couple shared the happy news in a joint Instagram post last Friday, featuring a series of dreamy photos overlooking downtown Cincinnati and nearby Great American Ball Park. One especially memorable image captured Abbott down on one knee in front of marquee letters spelling out “Marry Me.”



Jewelry lovers immediately zeroed in on Stone’s stunning engagement ring, which appears to feature an elongated cushion-cut diamond weighing more than five carats. The sizable center stone is secured with four prongs atop a sleek yellow gold band — a timeless setting that allows the diamond to take center stage.



Cushion-cut diamonds have become increasingly popular with modern brides because they combine vintage romance with eye-catching brilliance. Known for their softly rounded corners and pillow-like shape, cushion cuts offer a gentler, more romantic appearance than sharper-edged cuts such as emerald or princess styles. Their larger facets also help create remarkable sparkle, especially in elongated versions that can make the finger appear longer and more slender.



The elegant simplicity of Stone’s ring reflects a growing trend among celebrities and athletes who are favoring oversized center stones paired with understated bands. The clean yellow gold setting gives the ring a warm, classic look while beautifully complementing the diamond’s brilliance.

For Abbott, the proposal marked another major milestone during an already impressive career. The 26-year-old left-hander became an All-Star last season after posting a dominant first half for the Cincinnati Reds. He was also named the club’s Opening Day starter this year, cementing his place as one of the franchise’s rising stars.

Stone has enjoyed an equally successful career in broadcasting. A Cincinnati-area native, she spent the past three years as a weekend co-anchor and reporter at WLWT-TV after previous stops in South Bend and Indianapolis. Earlier this month, she announced she would be leaving the station following the expiration of her contract.

According to interviews following the engagement, the couple first met years ago while crossing paths at Reds-related charity events and Opening Day festivities. Their relationship continued to grow despite demanding schedules, with Abbott joking that late-night Waffle House runs often became their version of date nights.

Credits: Images via Instagram / andrewabbott16 and _lindsaystone.

When British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter first revealed the funerary mask of Tutankhamun on October 28, 1925, he was stunned by its astonishing condition. After more than 3,000 years sealed inside a tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, the youthful pharaoh’s golden visage appeared almost untouched by time.



Carter described the mask as “placid and beautiful,” marveling at its intricate craftsmanship and pristine glow. Today, the iconic artifact — displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza — still looks remarkably radiant. And now, thanks to new research from Tulane University, scientists finally understand in far greater detail why gold can remain untarnished seemingly forever.



In a study published in the academic journal Physical Review Letters, Tulane researchers discovered that gold’s resistance to tarnishing involves more than simply being a chemically stable “noble metal.” The secret lies in what happens at the atomic level on gold’s surface.

According to the researchers, atoms on gold surfaces naturally rearrange themselves into tightly packed protective patterns. These microscopic structures dramatically suppress reactions with oxygen — by a factor of a billion to a trillion. In essence, gold creates its own ultra-thin atomic shield that prevents oxidation before it can even begin.

“People have generally thought gold doesn’t tarnish simply because it doesn’t interact strongly with oxygen,” explained Matthew Montemore, associate professor of chemical engineering at Tulane. “What we show is that for two of the most common gold surface types, the surface atoms actually rearrange themselves in a way that makes the gold much more resistant to oxidation.”

Using sophisticated computer simulations, Montemore and postdoctoral researcher Santu Biswas studied how oxygen molecules behave when they encounter gold surfaces. Without the atomic rearrangement, oxygen could more easily break apart and bond with the metal. But the tightly organized surface geometry leaves oxygen with almost nowhere to react.

That helps explain why King Tut’s mask — crafted around 1323 BCE from 23-karat gold alloyed with a small amount of copper — has retained its spectacular glow. Gold’s natural resistance to corrosion was aided by the tomb’s dry, sealed environment, but the newly discovered atomic “self-defense system” reveals why the metal itself remained virtually unchanged.

The findings not only deepen our understanding of ancient treasures, but could also influence modern technology. Gold already plays a key role in electronics and industrial catalysts used in chemical manufacturing and pollution control. Scientists now believe that manipulating gold’s surface structure could make it even more useful in energy and environmental applications.

Credits: Tutankhamen's funerary mask photo (cropped and full image) by Tarekheikal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Welcome to Music Friday, when we spotlight songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, we revisit Martha and the Vandellas and their 1967 ditty, “Third Finger, Left Hand,” a joyful ode to the timeless symbolism of the wedding band.



Released as the B-side to the group’s smash hit “Jimmy Mack,” the song captures the excitement of a bride on her wedding day as she proudly recounts the moment her groom slipped a ring onto the “third finger, left hand.” The upbeat Motown tune transforms a simple jewelry tradition into a celebration of romance, commitment and dreams fulfilled.

Penned by Motown’s legendary songwriting powerhouse — Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Eddie Holland — the song carried the unmistakable sound that helped define an era. The Holland-Dozier-Holland team was responsible for countless Motown classics recorded by The Supremes, Four Tops and many others.

In “Third Finger, Left Hand,” lead singer Martha Reeves delivers a heartfelt performance filled with optimism and excitement. Against the Vandellas’ signature harmonies, she describes the magical walk down the aisle and the life-changing moment when she says, “I do.”

She sings, “At last my dreams come true / Today he said “I do” / Friends said it couldn’t be done / But all his love I know I’ve won / ‘Cause third finger, left hand / That’s where he placed the wedding band.”

Though “Jimmy Mack” became the chart-topping sensation — reaching #1 on the Billboard R&B chart and #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 — “Third Finger, Left Hand” developed a devoted following of its own. Reeves later recalled in interviews that the B-side likely received nearly as much turntable play as the hit itself during the heyday of vinyl 45s, when listeners often discovered hidden treasures on the flip side of their favorite singles.

The jewelry imagery in the song centers on the wedding band, one of history’s most enduring symbols of eternal love. Traditionally worn on the ring finger of the left hand, the placement traces back to the ancient belief that a “vena amoris,” or vein of love, ran directly from that finger to the heart.

Now 84 years old, Reeves continues to charm audiences with appearances throughout the US. Earlier this month, she appeared at the New Orleans Jazz Market for “Come & Get These Memories: An Intimate Conversation with a Motown Legend,” proving her connection with fans remains as strong as ever.

Fun trivia: “Third Finger, Left Hand” was also the title of a popular 1940 romantic comedy starring Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas. The film follows a successful female magazine editor who invents a fictional husband to fend off suitors in the workplace.

Please check out the audio track of Martha and the Vandellas singing “Third Finger, Left Hand.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Third Finger, Left Hand”
Written by Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland. Performed by Martha and the Vandellas.

At last my dreams come true
Today he said “I do”
Friends said it couldn’t be done
But all his love I know I’ve won
‘Cause third finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band

He walked right up to me
And pledged his love for me
I longed to hear him say
The sweet words he spoke that day
Made me feel so good inside
The tears came to my eyes
I love him above the rest
‘Cause in my book he’s the best

‘Cause he did something that no one else did
Friends said it couldn’t be done
But all his love I know I’ve won
‘Cause third finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band

His words were precious few
But all along my heart knew
That no other boys in line
Could ever change my mind
Other boys, I sent away
I locked my heart till our wedding day
I love him above the rest
‘Cause in my book he’s the best

‘Cause he did something that no one else did
Friends said it couldn’t be done
But all his love I know I’ve won
‘Cause third finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band
Third finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band
Third finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band
Third finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band
Third finger, left hand
That’s where he placed the wedding band



Credit: Image (cropped) by Aug856, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

One of the most famous gold nuggets ever discovered is heading back to the auction block for the first time in nearly two decades — and experts believe it could bring as much as $7 million.



Known as the "Boot of Cortez," the spectacular gold specimen will headline a June 12 sale at EJ’s Auction & Appraisal in Glendale, AZ. The nugget is being billed as the largest surviving natural gold nugget found in the Western Hemisphere — intact with a metal detector.

Its nickname comes from its uncanny resemblance to the boot worn by Spanish conquistadors. But beyond its striking shape, the nugget’s sheer size and purity have made it legendary among collectors and mineral enthusiasts.



The Boot of Cortez weighs an astonishing 383.10 troy ounces — or 26.2 pounds (11.9 kilograms) — and measures 10¾ inches tall by 7¼ inches wide. Recent third-party X-ray fluorescence (XRF) testing confirmed the nugget is approximately 98% pure gold, an exceptionally high level of purity for a natural specimen of this magnitude.

At today’s gold price of roughly $4,542 per troy ounce, the nugget carries an intrinsic melt value of about $1.7 million. But collectors are expected to pay far more for its rarity, provenance and museum-quality appeal. The opening bid has been set at $1 million, while the estimated hammer price ranges from $3 million to $7 million.

The nugget was discovered in 1989 near Caborca, Mexico, in the Sonoran Desert roughly 70 miles south of the Arizona border and about 60 miles east of the Sea of Cortez. According to accounts of the discovery, an amateur prospector armed with a modest Radio Shack metal detector spent days methodically searching the desert when he heard a distinctive signal unlike the scrap-metal tones he had encountered earlier. As he dug deeper, more and more of the unusual-shaped nugget became revealed.

Since then, the Boot of Cortez has achieved near-mythic status in the mineral world. It has appeared at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show and been exhibited at institutions including the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the American Museum of Natural History.

The nugget last crossed the auction block in January 2008, when it sold for more than $1.3 million — roughly four times the melt value based on the gold spot price at the time. With gold values soaring dramatically since then, collectors are eager to see how high bidding will climb this June.

There is also poetic symmetry in the upcoming sale. Glendale sits only a few hundred miles north of where the nugget was originally unearthed, effectively returning the Boot of Cortez to the Sonoran Desert region after nearly 20 years in a private collection.

Gold nugget enthusiasts may point out that the “Pepita Canaã,” a massive specimen discovered in Brazil in 1983, outweighs the Boot of Cortez by a wide margin. The Brazilian nugget tips the scales at 134.1 pounds (60.8 kilograms) and is permanently displayed at the Museu de Valores do Banco Central. However, Erik Hoyer, owner and CEO of EJ’s Auction & Appraisal, told The Jeweler Blog via email that the Pepita Canaã was neither discovered with a metal detector nor recovered intact from the ground. Instead, it is a fragment of a much larger cluster that broke apart during excavation at Brazil’s Serra Pelada open-pit gold mine. The Brazilian specimen is also about 86% pure gold, compared to the Boot of Cortez at an impressive 98% purity.

The "Welcome Stranger," which was unearthed at Moliagul, Victoria, Australia, in 1869 by John Deason and Richard Oates, owns the distinction of being the largest nugget ever found. It had a gross weight of more than 2,520 troy ounces (173 pounds). Legend states that the Welcome Stranger was so large that it had to be broken into three pieces on an anvil before it could fit on a bank scale.

Credits: Courtesy images by Jeff Noble/jeffnoblepictures.com. Garrett Hoyer and his father, Erik Hoyer, of EJ's Auction & Appraisal pose with the Boot of Cortez.

A remarkable Victorian-era jewel with royal Irish roots and a museum-worthy emerald has resurfaced at Hancocks London, offering collectors a rare glimpse into the artistry, ingenuity and grandeur of 19th-century jewelry design.



Known as the Inchiquin Emerald, the historic piece centers on a richly saturated 5.67-carat Colombian emerald long associated with the O’Brien dynasty, the Barons of Inchiquin — a noble Irish family whose lineage traces directly back to Brian Boru, the legendary 11th-century High King of Ireland.



What makes the jewel especially captivating is not only the exceptional emerald itself, but also the clever Victorian engineering that allows the piece to transform from a pendant into a bangle. During the Victorian era, jewelers prized versatility and innovation, often creating multi-purpose treasures that could be adapted for daytime wear, formal evening events or changing fashions. Hidden clasps, detachable fittings and ingenious mechanisms became hallmarks of elite jewelry workshops of the late 1800s.

Dating to circa 1890, the Inchiquin Emerald exemplifies that tradition beautifully. The octagonal step-cut emerald is secured in yellow gold claws and surrounded by a glittering arrangement of 12 old mine-cut diamonds. A second border of eight larger old European-cut diamonds, accented with delicate diamond points, adds even more brilliance. In total, the jewel carries approximately 10.50 carats of antique diamonds mounted in silver and gold.



The reverse features a fixed loop that allows the centerpiece to be worn as a pendant, while a specially crafted bangle fitting made of three parallel gold wires converts the piece into an elegant bracelet complete with box clasp and safety chain.

Its provenance is equally impressive. The jewel was presented in 1896 to Lady Ethel Jane Foster upon her marriage to Lucius William O’Brien, who later became the 15th Baron Inchiquin. The emerald remained in the family for generations and was specifically referenced in Lady Inchiquin’s 1939 will as her “large emerald and diamond bracelet.”

Now, more than a century later, the piece has emerged once again — and gemologists are just as captivated as historians.

The Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) awarded the emerald a coveted appendix letter describing it as an “Exceptional Emerald,” a distinction reserved for only the rarest and finest gemstones. According to the SSEF report, the Colombian emerald displays an outstanding combination of size, vivid green color and fine clarity. Even more remarkable, the stone shows no indications of clarity enhancement.

Guy Burton, managing director of Hancocks London, described the piece as belonging to “an exceptionally small group of named heritage jewels available today.”

Credits: Images courtesy of Hancocks London.

Imagine gazing into the night sky of a distant world where shimmering ruby and sapphire crystals swirl through hurricane-force winds.



That’s the tantalizing vision astronomers continue to associate with HAT-P-7b, a giant exoplanet located about 1,000 light-years from Earth. Nearly a decade after scientists first proposed that the planet’s atmosphere could contain clouds rich in the same mineral that forms rubies and sapphires, the remarkable world remains one of the most fascinating “jewel planets” ever identified.

Originally studied using NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, HAT-P-7b made headlines in 2016 when astronomers from the University of Warwick in the UK observed dramatic weather shifts in the planet’s atmosphere. Researchers concluded that powerful winds were likely pushing mineral-rich cloud systems around the planet at incredible speeds.

The key ingredient is aluminum oxide — also known as corundum — the mineral foundation for both rubies and sapphires. On Earth, trace elements determine whether corundum becomes a deep red ruby or a brilliant blue sapphire.

HAT-P-7b, however, is no ordinary exoplanet.

The massive gas giant — often referred to as a “hot Jupiter” because of its similarity in size to Jupiter — orbits extraordinarily close to its parent star. One side of the planet permanently faces the star, creating inferno-like daytime temperatures exceeding 4,900 degrees Fahrenheit. The opposite side is dramatically cooler, though still scorching by earthly standards.

Scientists believe the intense heat on the dayside vaporizes metallic minerals, including aluminum oxide. Then, as violent jet streams whip the vapor toward the cooler nightside, the minerals condense into crystalline particles that may resemble ruby and sapphire formations suspended in the atmosphere.

Some researchers even theorize that these gemstone particles could fall as exotic “gem rain” before vaporizing again when atmospheric currents return them to the superheated side of the planet.

Of course, anyone dreaming of mining gemstones on HAT-P-7b may want to reconsider. The planet’s crushing atmospheric conditions, blistering temperatures and staggering distance from Earth make it one of the least production-friendly destinations imaginable.

Still, the concept of a world filled with ruby-and-sapphire clouds continues to capture imaginations far beyond the scientific community.

Although NASA officially retired the Kepler Space Telescope in 2018 after revolutionizing the search for exoplanets, newer observatories are continuing the mission. NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is identifying additional distant worlds, while the powerful James Webb Space Telescope is analyzing alien atmospheres in unprecedented detail.

To date, astronomers have confirmed more than 6,400 exoplanets outside our solar system, but few are as visually dazzling as HAT-P-7b.

While scientists continue debating whether the gemstone crystals truly “rain” through the atmosphere or simply circulate endlessly as vapor and clouds, one thing is certain: HAT-P-7b remains one of the universe’s most colorful, glittering mysteries.

Credit: Fanciful conceptual image by The Jeweler Blog using aichatapp.ai.

A mesmerizing diamond once described as a “unicorn” of the gem world has just made auction history.



The legendary Ocean Dream — a 5.50-carat Fancy Vivid blue-green diamond — sold for a staggering $17.3 million at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva on May 13, crushing its pre-sale estimate of $8.9 million to $12.7 million and setting a new world record price-per-carat for a diamond of its extraordinary color profile.



According to Christie’s, the triangular-cut gem sparked a dramatic 20-minute bidding battle among three international collectors before ultimately selling to a private client.

The final hammer price translates to roughly $3.1 million per carat, underscoring the extraordinary demand for ultra-rare colored diamonds among elite collectors.

This wasn’t the diamond’s first trip to the auction block. Christie’s previously sold The Ocean Dream in Geneva in 2014 for approximately $8.6 million. Its remarkable appreciation over the past 12 years highlights the growing global appetite for ultra-rare fancy-color diamonds, particularly stones with niche and highly coveted color combinations.

The Ocean Dream is recognized by the Gemological Institute of America as the largest Fancy Vivid blue-green diamond it has ever examined. Diamonds displaying both vivid blue and green coloration are exceedingly uncommon, and gems larger than five carats in this hue are virtually unheard of.

Part of the stone’s mystique comes from the unusual natural forces that created it deep within the Earth over millions of years. Blue diamonds derive their color from trace amounts of boron, while green coloration forms when a diamond is exposed to natural radiation underground. Achieving a vivid and stable blend of both hues is exceptionally difficult in nature, making blue-green diamonds one of the rarest categories in all of gemology.

The Ocean Dream began as an 11.70-carat rough diamond discovered in Central Africa during the 1990s. Experts carefully fashioned it into a modified triangular brilliant cut designed to preserve as much of the delicate color as possible. Gem specialists have noted that excessive heat during cutting can permanently damage a blue-green diamond’s coloration, making the polishing process extraordinarily risky. At auction, the diamond was presented in a contemporary ring setting that featured a geometric constellation of Asscher-cut white diamonds.

The diamond also carries an impressive museum pedigree. In 2003, The Ocean Dream was featured in the Smithsonian Institution’s landmark “Splendor of Diamonds” exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. The exhibition showcased some of the world’s rarest diamonds, including the Moussaieff Red, the Steinmetz Pink and the De Beers Millennium Star.

Today, The Ocean Dream stands in even more exclusive company. With its record-breaking performance in Geneva, the legendary blue-green gem has officially cemented its status as one of the most important colored diamonds ever offered at auction.

Credits: The Ocean Dream photos courtesy of Christie’s.

Welcome to Music Friday, when we feature songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Taylor Swift draws dazzling parallels between herself and one of Hollywood’s most glamorous legends in her 2026 hit “Elizabeth Taylor.”



Released as the third single from The Life of a Showgirl, “Elizabeth Taylor” climbed to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 while captivating fans with its references to fame, romance and, of course, diamonds.

At the heart of the song is one especially glittering lyric: “All my white diamonds and lovers are forever.”

The line works on multiple levels. First, it reflects the shared love of diamonds that linked both Swift and the iconic actress. Elizabeth Taylor famously amassed one of the world’s most celebrated private jewelry collections, while Swift has built a modern image closely associated with vintage-inspired diamond glamour.

But the phrase “white diamonds” is also a clever nod to Taylor’s wildly successful 1991 fragrance, "White Diamonds," which became one of the best-selling celebrity perfumes of all time and generated more than $1.5 billion in sales. More than three decades after its debut, the fragrance remains available worldwide, making it one of the most enduring celebrity luxury brands ever created.

In the song, Swift uses diamonds as symbols of permanence, beauty and public fascination. The lyric suggests that both love affairs and glittering treasures can become part of a celebrity’s lasting legacy — even when those relationships unfold under intense media scrutiny.

Few stars embodied diamond glamour more completely than Elizabeth Taylor. Her legendary collection included the 69.42-carat pear-shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond, gifted by actor Richard Burton, as well as the famed 33.19-carat Krupp Diamond, which she wore almost daily. Taylor’s passion for extraordinary gems became so renowned that she authored the 2002 book Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry, detailing the stories behind many of her most treasured pieces.

Swift, meanwhile, has developed her own affinity for statement diamonds. Her much-discussed engagement ring from NFL superstar Travis Kelce reportedly features a massive old mine-cut natural diamond set in yellow gold — a style celebrated for its antique romance and old-world craftsmanship.

The singer also frequently incorporates diamonds into her public image. She was decked out in diamonds for the cover art of The Life of a Showgirl and has become known for the opulent diamond earrings, necklaces and rings worn during major performances, award shows and red-carpet appearances.

In “Elizabeth Taylor,” those sparkling references become part of a larger story about two women navigating fame, romance and relentless public attention. Swift even alludes to Taylor’s famously violet eyes in another lyric, while weaving Cartier references and glamorous imagery throughout the song.

More than a half-century after Elizabeth Taylor defined Hollywood luxury, her diamonds — and the mystique surrounding them — continue to inspire a new generation of stars.v
Please check out the audio track of Swift performing "Elizabeth Taylor." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…

"Elizabeth Taylor"
Written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin and Shellback. Performed by Taylor Swift.

Elizabeth Taylor
Do you think it's forever?

That view of Portofino was on my mind when you called me at the Plaza Athénée
Ooh-ooh, oftentimes it doesn't feel so glamorous to be me
All the right guys promised they'd stay
Under bright lights, they withered away
But you bloom
Portofino was on my mind (And I think you know why)

And if your letters ever said, "Goodbye"
I'd cry my eyes violet, Elizabeth Taylor
Tell me for real, do you think it's forever?
Been number one, but I never had two
And I can't have fun if I can't have…

Be my NY whеn Hollywood hates me
You're only as hot as your last hit, baby
Been numbеr one, but I never had two
And I can't have fun if I can't have… you

Hey, what could you possibly get for the girl who has everything and nothing all at once?
Babe, I would trade the Cartier for someone to trust (Just kidding)
We hit the best booth at Musso and Frank's
They say I'm bad news, I just say, "Thanks"
And you look at me like you're hypnotized, and I think you know why

And if you ever leave me high and dry
I'd cry my eyes violet, Elizabeth Taylor
Tell me for real, do you think it's forever?
Been number one, but I never had two
And I can't have fun if I can't have
Be my NY when Hollywood hates me
You're only as hot as your last hit, baby
Been number one, but I never had two
And I can't have fun if I can't have… Uh - you

Elizabeth Taylor
Do you think it's forever?
If I can't have you…

All my white diamonds and lovers are forever
In the papers, on the screen, and in their minds
All my white diamonds and lovers are forever
Don't you ever end up anything but mine

I'd cry my eyes violet, Elizabeth Taylor
Tell me for real, do you think it's forever?
Been number one, but I never had two
And I can't have fun if I can't have…
Be my NY when Hollywood hates me
You're only as hot as your last hit, baby
Been number one, but I never had two
And I can't have fun if I can't have…

All my white diamonds and lovers are forever
Elizabeth Taylor
Do you think it's forever?
In the papers, on the screen, and in their minds
All my white diamonds and lovers are forever
Don't you ever end up anything but mine, oh



Credit: Photo by Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Hidden beneath the roots of a long-fallen tree in Norway’s Austrått district, a glittering piece of gold has emerged from the earth after 1,500 years, shedding new light on the powerful chieftains who once ruled the ancient center of Hove during the region's turbulent Migration Period.



The remarkable artifact was found in the Austrått district of Sandnes, near the hill Riaren, after a local resident noticed an old storm-toppled tree resting over a mound of earth. Curious about what might be hidden beneath the roots, he poked the soil with a stick and suddenly spotted something shimmering in the dirt.

“I am curious by nature, and like to explore and get to know the local area,” the hiker said in a statement released by the University of Stavanger.

What he had uncovered was extraordinary: a richly decorated gold fitting from a sword scabbard dating to the first half of the sixth century, during Norway’s Migration Period. Archaeologists believe it once adorned the scabbard of a ceremonial sword carried by an elite warrior ruler connected to nearby Hove, an important political and economic center of the era.

Today, Hove is best known as a scenic coastal recreation area on Tromøy island in southern Norway, but 1,500 years ago it was likely home to a powerful ruling elite.

Archaeologist Håkon Reiersen of the University of Stavanger’s Archaeological Museum described the find as exceptionally rare.

“You are completely taken aback when such discoveries come in,” Reiersen said. “The odds of finding something like this are minimal.”

Only 17 similar sword fittings have previously been found across Northern Europe, making this the first discovery of its kind in Norway’s Rogaland region.



Measuring about six centimeters (2.36 inches) wide and weighing 33 grams (1.16 ounces), the fitting is crafted from gold and decorated with intricate filigree work created from delicate beaded gold threads. Its surface features elaborate serpentine animal motifs arranged symmetrically — a hallmark of Scandinavian Migration Period artistry. Some scholars believe the figures may even blend human and animal characteristics, a symbolic artistic style common during the era.

Unlike many ceremonial sword ornaments that show little wear, this fitting bears visible signs of long-term use.

“Whoever wore the sword it was on was probably the leader in this area in the first half of the sixth century,” Reiersen explained. “It emphasized his position and power.”

Researchers believe the artifact was deliberately hidden in a rock crevice as an offering to the gods during a period of severe hardship. The sixth century brought widespread turmoil to Scandinavia, including climate disruption linked to volcanic eruptions, crop failures and famine.

“By sacrificing such magnificent objects to the gods, the leaders at Hove confirmed their status and power,” Reiersen noted.

Museum director Kristin Armstrong-Oma said the discovery adds an important new piece to the story of the region’s ancient elite.

“We just have to say a big thank you to a very attentive hiker,” she said. “This allows us to further research the find itself and the ornamentation and find new answers about the power elite that ruled here at this time.”

The gold fitting will soon go on public display at the Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger.

Credit: Image by Annette Græsli Øvrelid, Archaeological Museum, University of Stavanger.

For Pennsylvania resident Keshia Smith, a long-planned trip to Arkansas’ famed Crater of Diamonds State Park became something far more meaningful than a gemstone hunt. Just weeks after burying her father — and months after losing her son — Smith unearthed a shimmering 3.09-carat white diamond that she now sees as a symbol of hope during one of the most difficult periods of her life.



Smith made the late-April journey to Murfreesboro, AR, with her brother Kirim and her boyfriend Joey after spending more than a year researching the park and connecting online with experienced diamond hunters. The destination was special from the start: Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only public diamond-producing site in the world where visitors can search for diamonds and keep whatever they find.



But the trip took on deeper emotional significance after tragedy struck her family.

“I have felt so much pressure the last six months,” Smith told park officials. “In October I lost my son, and we just buried my dad a week ago. It has been a lot. I really needed this. I really prayed for this, and I just can’t believe it actually happened!”



Smith arrived at the park on April 21 and spent her first day meeting fellow prospectors and learning the lay of the land. The following morning, she returned to the park’s 37.5-acre search field near a historical marker commemorating John Huddleston’s 1906 discovery of the first diamonds in Arkansas.

Digging along the south end of the search area, Smith noticed the soil color change from brown to black — often a promising sign in the eroded volcanic crater. Moments later, she spotted a shiny crystal in her shovel.

She slipped the stone into her bag and continued digging before showing it to nearby visitors, who urged her to have it examined by park staff. Later that day, experts at the park’s Diamond Discovery Center confirmed that Smith had indeed found a genuine 3.09-carat white diamond — the second-largest diamond registered at the park so far in 2026.

The gem, roughly the size of a bead, features a smooth, flat appearance with a few distinctive inclusions around the edges. Smith said the stone reminded her of a heart.

“To me it looks like a heart,” she explained. “That’s the first thing I saw when I found it.”

Park Interpreter Sarah Bivens said Smith’s enthusiasm stood out immediately.

“Ms. Smith exuded joy from the moment she walked in the door,” Bivens noted. “Sometimes, I think diamond finds like this are just meant to be.”

Smith named her discovery the “Za’Novia Liberty Diamond,” combining the names of her two grandchildren with a tribute to America’s upcoming 250th anniversary.

Crater of Diamonds State Park has produced some legendary finds over the decades, including the 40.23-carat “Uncle Sam” diamond — still the largest diamond ever discovered in the US — and the celebrated 3.03-carat Strawn-Wagner diamond, later graded as a rare D-flawless gem.

Credits: Photos courtesy of Crater of Diamonds State Park.