Ever looked up into the sky on a clear night, see a shooting star and think to yourself it resembled a trail of falling diamonds? Well you might not bee too far off, because apparently there are diamonds up there and some of them are falling to earth.

Space diamond, by: morningcupojoe.com

Only a few weeks ago we were told that scientists can now prove that there are diamond glaciers floating around on the oceans of Neptune and Uranus, and today we learned that two very special diamonds were found hiding inside the Havero meteorite that crashed to Earth in 1971.

But the meteorite diamonds are unlike the diamonds found on Earth. Which, I guess, makes sense, since if you're going to come crashing down through the atmosphere, you aught to be packing a little extra punch. And these “alien diamond,” according to the scientists researching them do. They are ultra-hard – much harder than their earthbound kin. 

Could be nice to get some luxury gems over the city, don't you think?

According to the researchers, the super-hard diamond duo, which in fact are two small carbon crystals, were created when the graphite in the meteorite experienced the intense heat and pressure of entering the Earth’s atmosphere and the impact of crashing into the ground.

Nevertheless, and much like in the case of nearly any big guy nicknamed “tiny,” finding out exactly how tough the meteorite diamonds are is impossible at this point; since they're too small to test for precise hardness.

So how can the scientists be so sure that these diamonds really are that hard? Apparently, the researchers found them by using a diamond paste to polish a slice of the meteorite. The crystals were raised more than 10µm above the polished surface, which meant they were harder than the diamonds in the polishing paste. In fact, the little-big guys were unaffected when polished in every direction.

The scientists then applied an array of mineralogical instruments to the diamonds, including microscopy, spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-rays among others, which allowed them to identify them as representing two new carbon polymorphs or diamond polytypes.

Photo Credit: FilanFilan

The 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon, Japan's prestigious annual motor show, had an extra sparkly surprise for the 403 car manufacturer and slew of other participants visiting the expo – a Swarovski crystal-studded car.

But not just a car. A Benz. Yes, as if the Mercedes-Benz SL600 isn't luxurious enough already, the Japan show features a 300,000 Swarovski crystal-studded Benz – for the driver in need of just a little more glam.

The traffic stopper was customized by car accessory company Garson/D.A.D.

Now we go on to our celebrity news update. Meanwhile, trouble seem to follow the late Anna Nicole Smith in death, as they did in life: the former Playboy playmate's life came to a tragic end in 2007, after she died of a drug overdose just six months after the death of her teenage son, Daniel.

Smith, certainly tried to make the most out of life, mostly by marrying billionaire husband, J. Howard Marshall; but the robust blond was too much for him, and after his death in 1995, his family dragged her into an ugly legal battle over her part in his estate. Smith, whose life story would undoubtedly make for a successful indie film, ended up filing for bankruptcy in 1996, the records of which were sealed. Until now.

The details of Smith's financial estates have only recently been made public, and according to various media reports the former playmate and B-movies actress' estate losses include $2.7 million in jewelry.

Among the jewelry lost were several diamond rings, including one weighing 8.45 carats, and a platinum necklace with 226 diamonds, totaling nearly 74 carats – the two pieces alone were worth nearly half a million dollars – and a 500-carat sapphire necklace.

The jewels, along with several other pieces amounting to about $1 million, were apparently kept in a safety deposit box at a New York bank, but their whereabouts are currently unknown.

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This Valentine’s Day may be extra special for us – rumor has it that Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio is planning to propose to Israeli model/girlfriend Bar Refaeli – and on the most romantic day of the year too.

The British media reported that DiCaprio was prompted to pop the question by his mother, who apparently never quite got over her son's faux pas with catwalk queen Gisele Bundchen. Just to make the proposal even harder to refuse, DiCaprio is said to be planning on presenting Refaeli with a are canary yellow diamond ring. We're keeping the month of June clear, just in case.

In the spirit of sharing the joy, this would be a good time to look back on several other sparkling stunners adorned by various celebrities in ways of engagement rings.

Hip Hop princess Beyonce's beau Jay-Z made her an offer she couldn't refuse when her presented her with an emerald-cut, 18-carat, flawless diamond set in platinum. The Lorraine Schwartz design set him back a cool $5 million.

English rose Elizabeth Hurley's finger is the stage for a 15.09-carat Asscher-cut diamond set in a white gold band adorned with pave diamonds, which is an exclusive Haute Joallerie collection piece.

Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria couldn't possibly be that desperate when you consider NBA star Tony Parker decided to go for a slam dunk when he proposed, and gave her a custom-made Jean Dousset ring featuring a  5-carats, emerald-cut diamond set in a white gold ring circled with a total of 248 smaller diamonds.

Spicing it up on our list is Victoria Beckham, who sports sparkles from Boodle and Dunthorne in the shape of a 3-carat, marquise-cut diamond. Husband David Beckham scored himself the matching diamond engagement band set with 96 diamonds.

Naturally, to such list would be complete without a touch of royalty, this time with a nostalgic twist: when Prince Rainier of Monaco asked Hollywood star Grace Kelly for her hand, he slipped a 12-carat emerald cut diamond engagement ring on her finger. The eye-popper was even featured in Kelly's last movie, “High Society”: During a close up in the 1956 film, co-star Bing Crosby teases – "some stone, did you mine it yourself?"

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Photo Credit:az29c Pacco Arambu, MIRIAM GODET, Fuuu, MedicOne, Kai_Breeze<3