Janel Russell Designs Inc.

On Sunday, after 21 days and 2,500 grueling miles, British road racing cyclist Chris Froome got to hold aloft the coveted Tour de France trophy — but Frenchman Cyril Gautier got the girl. See his mid-race marriage proposal at our daily blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

A Wisconsin woman and her four-year-old daughter narrowly escaped an apartment blaze, but in their rush to get to safety had to leave a cherished family heirloom behind. Weeks later, her grandma's diamond ring was recovered from the ashes. Heartwarming story continues at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Music Friday: Coldplay introduces us to the curious phrase “diamonds ate the radio” with the July 14 release of “Aliens.” We'll take our best shot at explaining what it means at our daily blog. It's also important to note that all proceeds from the song will go to an organization that rescues migrants at sea. http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

In a video that's become an instant sensation on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, choreographer and dancer Phil Wright proposed to his shocked girlfriend, Ashley Liai, in the middle of an elaborate dance routine. Sweet story and great video at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

When the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona failed to meet its reserve price at Sotheby's London in June of 2016, the disappointing result was the first signal that the massive diamond was just too big to sell. Now, 13 months later, diamond-industry insiders are buzzing about the likelihood that Canada-based Lucara Diamond Corp. will have to carve up the world's largest rough diamond in order to attain its maximum value. Full story at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

A Russian luxury brand famous for its blinged-out, over-the-top iPhones has just introduced a solid gold version of the world's most popular toy — the fidget spinner. Well-heeled fidgeters will be able to purchase Caviar's newest release for 999,000 rubles (about $16,840). More on the fidget spinner phenomenon at our daily blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

When astronaut Edward H. White II became the first American to step outside his spacecraft and let go, the visor of his helmet was plated with an ultra-thin layer of gold to protect him from the unfiltered rays of the sun. It was gold’s amazing properties that earned it a trip with NASA to The Final Frontier. We review why gold is so special at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Music Friday: Five-time Grammy nominee Brandon Heath seeks divine intervention in "Diamond," his 2012 song about a young coal miner who is hardly living up to his potential. He wants to be a better man, but needs God's help to find the "diamond" buried deep inside. Song and backstory at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

"Gone with the Wind" fans will get a fascinating glimpse at “the real, and unexpected, Vivien Leigh” when Sotheby’s London brings to auction 250 of the illustrious leading lady’s personal items on September 26. Among the items up for bid is this mid-19th-century diamond bow brooch/pendant. Get the full story at our daily blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

It's a material that conveys opulence, elegance, and its warm glow complements any skin tone. The summer sensation that's grabbing all the headlines is rose gold. If you were wondering how rose gold gets its blush, we've got the answer at our daily blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Since 2004, visitors to the National Gem and Mineral Collection at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., have marveled at the Carmen Lúcia Ruby, one of the world's largest and finest examples of July's official birthstone. Click the link to learn the identity of the billionaire who donated the ring in a loving tribute to his late wife. http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Manitoba native Courtney Johnson is harnessing the power of Facebook to find the rightful owner of a three-stone diamond ring her boyfriend found in West Hawk Lake last Tuesday. As of this morning, her Facebook plea had been shared 12,000+ times. Find out more about this Good Samaritan at our daily blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Music Friday: A blinged-out, treasure-hoarding coconut crab named Tamatoa boasts that he’s the brightest thing that glitters in “Shiny” from Disney’s 2016 animated blockbuster, "Moana." The song was co-written by Lin-Manuel Miranda of "Hamilton" fame. Get the full story and see the video at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Babe Ruth’s 1927 World Series ring marking his record-breaking season playing for what is universally considered the best baseball team in history fetched $2.1 million at online auction site Lelands on Saturday. The auction house had described the ring, which was put up for bid by actor Charlie Sheen, as “baseball’s true holy grail.” Full story here... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

A Denver tattoo artist tricked his girlfriend into applying her first-ever tattoo — on him — and during the nerve-racking process revealed a hidden tattoo that doubled as a surprise marriage proposal. The video starring Vinny Capaldo-Smith and now-fiancée Brooke Wodark has gone viral on Facebook with more than 12 million views. Full story at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Music Friday: The brainy British performer who blinded us with science in 1982, returns with “Cruel,” a deeply personal song about a one-sided love affair. Thomas Dolby, in a haunting duet with honey-voiced Eddi Reader, uses jewelry imagery to tell the story of an unrepentant boyfriend who refuses to change his ways. Check out the song and backstory at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Despite their obsession with technology, millennials prefer to shop in physical stores, according to a new survey released by CouponFollow. The study reveals that while millennials love their mobile devices and are likely to use them to research items online, when it comes to closing the deal, most of them will end up buying the products in a traditional store. See the full story at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

More than 2,500 Israeli schoolchildren helped unearth a trove of 900-year-old jewelry at the Givat Tittora excavation site in Modi’in, about 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Among the items found were bronze and silver rings, bracelets and earrings dating from the Crusader period. Full story and more pics at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Syd Pearson, a 68-year-old metal detector hobbyist from Down Under, dug up a 151.6-ounce nugget at a secret location near Bendigo, Australia, fulfilling a 37-year dream of finding “The Big One.” The golden treasure netted a $227,000 windfall for the pensioner. Check out the full story at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Grant Tribbett swept two ladies off their feet in late May when he popped the question to his girlfriend, Cassandra Reschar, and then, moments later, asked her five-year-old daughter, Adrianna, if he could be her daddy. Both ladies said, “Yes.” While Tribbett proposed to Reschar with a traditional diamond engagement ring, Adrianna received a heart necklace to symbolize the permanent piece of his heart that she will always have with her. Heartwarming story continues at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Music Friday: A love-struck Brad Paisley is about to propose to his girlfriend, but accidentally leaves the engagement ring at home in 2001’s “You Have That Effect On Me.” Fun song and backstory at our daily blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

A traveler’s despair turns to elation when the TSA at New York’s Albany International Airport pulls out all the stops to find a lost engagement diamond. Feel-good story continues at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

The 18.4-carat “Rockefeller Emerald” set a new world auction record for the highest per-carat price ever achieved for an emerald when it fetched $5.5 million yesterday at Christie’s New York, which is headquartered, quite fittingly, in Rockefeller Center. Find out more about the fascinating story behind the stone at our daily blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

The three-headed snake ring that notorious outlaw Clyde Barrow crafted in prison for the love of his life and partner in crime, Bonnie Parker, will be offered for sale at RR Auction in Boston later this month. Much more on the Bonnie and Clyde promise ring at our daily blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Outfitted with state-of-the-art sonar technology and drilling devices, the mv SS Nujoma is ready to start probing the ocean floor for valuable diamond deposits off the coast of Namibia. The African country's waters produced 1.2 million carats of diamonds in 2016, 95% of which were of gem-quality. The mv SS Nujoma promises to generate sampling results at double the speed of its predecessor. Much more at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Music Friday: Today, we shine the spotlight on one of the most requested wedding songs of the 1990s: “Beautiful in My Eyes” by Joshua Kadison. To emphasize the concept of a “perfect” love, Kadison introduces June’s official birthstone in the first verse: “You’re my peace of mind / In this crazy world / You’re everything I’ve tried to find / Your love is a pearl.” Backstory and video at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

The Perth Mint has just unveiled “The Australian Trilogy,” an exclusive, one-of-a-kind collection of one-kilo coins meticulously set with fancy-color diamonds sourced from Rio Tinto’s Argyle Diamond Mine. Learn more about the $1.36 million set at our daily blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Dream comes true: A Long Island woman is reunited with a class ring she lost in Peconic Bay 36 years ago. Check out the heartwarming story at our daily blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

This 26.27-carat gem-quality diamond was purchased for a tenner (10-pound note) at a car boot sale in London about 30 years ago. Last week, the gem fetched $849,637 at Sotheby's. For decades, the owner wore the diamond every day, thinking it was a piece of costume jewelry. Story continues at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

The New England Patriots commemorated their fifth championship and greatest comeback in Super Bowl history with monumental rings gleaming with 283 diamonds. The number of diamonds is a nod to the score of 28-3, the seemingly unsurmountable deficit the Patriots faced before going on to tally 31 unanswered points in their triumph over the Atlanta Falcons on February 5. We've got all the details at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Music Friday: Legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire uses pearls and gold to symbolize unspoiled perfection in their 1975 classic, “That’s the Way of the World.” They sing, “Plant your flower and you grow a pearl / Child is born with a heart of gold / Way of the world makes his heart so cold." Backstory and live performance video at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

This rose gold engagement ring earned an astonishing 103,900 pins on Pinterest, making it the most-talked-about ring on social media. We break down the rose gold trend at our daily blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Music Friday: Katy Perry sheds her tomboy image and shines the spotlight on June's birthstone in her 2008 release, "One of the Boys." She sings, “I just wanna be one of the girls, pretty in pearls. Not one of the boys.” Get the backstory and see Perry's live performance of the song at our daily blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

Let's celebrate June's official birthstone with a close-up look at one of the most extraordinary natural pearls in the world. It stands two inches tall, weighs 450 carats and is the sibling of the world's most famous blue diamond. Introducing the Hope Pearl. Learn about the Hope reunion that took place in 2005 and other cool facts... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/

A 70-year old retiree named Wendell Fox discovered a 2.78-carat diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park in almost the exact same spot that the 3.03-carat "Strawn-Wagner" diamond was found 27 years ago. That stone was eventually cut into a D-flawless diamond that remains the centerpiece of a special exhibit at the park. Much more about lucky amateur prospectors at our blog... http://janelrussell.thejewelerblog.com/