Tord Boontje is a Dutch-born, London-based product designer + he blends advanced technologies with artisanal techniques to create exquisite glassware, lighting and furniture + I think, experimentation + speed = new ideas!
Beautiful designs!
Useful link:
www.tordboontje.com
Monday, March 24, 2008
The Polar Star
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
The historic Polar Star diamond was so named because of the double star-like arrangement of its interlocking culet faces, which can be clearly seen through its large table facet. Although fairly small, it has been one of the world’s most famous diamonds since it was acquired by Joseph Bonaparte in about 1806. It belonged to the Russian ducal family of Youssoupoff for more than a hundred years before passing to Henry Deterging and his Russian-born wife, Lydia. It made world headlines in 1980, when it was auctioned and sold at a record price per carat to a buyer from Sri Lanka.
The fame of The Polar Star is due to three factors: its unsurpassed brilliance, the precision of its cut (it can be balanced on its tiny culet) and its limpidity. According to the late Hans Nadelhoffer of Christie’s in Geneva, who auctioned the stone, the rough was found in the bed of the Krishna river, India, at the end of the eighteenth century. Nadelhoffer also suggests that it was fashioned in Amsterdam, but since London was at that time the world center for precision cutting it seems more likely that it was there that it was given its exquisite faceting.
The Gubelin Laboratory in Switzerland has given a very detailed report on this diamond. It weighs 41.28 ct (41.285), which is considerably less than a Brilliant of this size with classic 45° proportions would normally weigh. In fact, it is equal in size to a classic well-made Brilliant of 52.5 ct. The reason for this surprising lightness is the flatness of the crown with its large table. The clarity of the gem has suffered over the years from careless handling. The girdle is slightly abraded and there are other small scratches, but the loss of weight that would be involved in restoring it to its original flawless condition would be negligible. Its color is of the second highest grade, E (River), with a trace of pink. A distinct blue fluorescence was noticed under ultraviolet light (UV 365), and spectrophotometry revealed that the diamond was of extremely rare type known as IIa. It is virtually impossible to assess how far the exceptionally attractive light effects are due to the trace element boron in type Iia diamonds, and how far they are due to the unusual faceting of the pavilion.
Measured dimensions and approximate median proportions:
Diameter: 21.77 – 20.63mm – 100%
Table: 14.5 – 14.2mm – 67%
Crown: >12.2mm – 29.3° - 40.8° - 12.5% - 37°
Pavilion: > 12.2mm – 41.2° - 48° - 45% - 45°
Culet: 2.20 – 2mm – 10%
The historic Polar Star diamond was so named because of the double star-like arrangement of its interlocking culet faces, which can be clearly seen through its large table facet. Although fairly small, it has been one of the world’s most famous diamonds since it was acquired by Joseph Bonaparte in about 1806. It belonged to the Russian ducal family of Youssoupoff for more than a hundred years before passing to Henry Deterging and his Russian-born wife, Lydia. It made world headlines in 1980, when it was auctioned and sold at a record price per carat to a buyer from Sri Lanka.
The fame of The Polar Star is due to three factors: its unsurpassed brilliance, the precision of its cut (it can be balanced on its tiny culet) and its limpidity. According to the late Hans Nadelhoffer of Christie’s in Geneva, who auctioned the stone, the rough was found in the bed of the Krishna river, India, at the end of the eighteenth century. Nadelhoffer also suggests that it was fashioned in Amsterdam, but since London was at that time the world center for precision cutting it seems more likely that it was there that it was given its exquisite faceting.
The Gubelin Laboratory in Switzerland has given a very detailed report on this diamond. It weighs 41.28 ct (41.285), which is considerably less than a Brilliant of this size with classic 45° proportions would normally weigh. In fact, it is equal in size to a classic well-made Brilliant of 52.5 ct. The reason for this surprising lightness is the flatness of the crown with its large table. The clarity of the gem has suffered over the years from careless handling. The girdle is slightly abraded and there are other small scratches, but the loss of weight that would be involved in restoring it to its original flawless condition would be negligible. Its color is of the second highest grade, E (River), with a trace of pink. A distinct blue fluorescence was noticed under ultraviolet light (UV 365), and spectrophotometry revealed that the diamond was of extremely rare type known as IIa. It is virtually impossible to assess how far the exceptionally attractive light effects are due to the trace element boron in type Iia diamonds, and how far they are due to the unusual faceting of the pavilion.
Measured dimensions and approximate median proportions:
Diameter: 21.77 – 20.63mm – 100%
Table: 14.5 – 14.2mm – 67%
Crown: >12.2mm – 29.3° - 40.8° - 12.5% - 37°
Pavilion: > 12.2mm – 41.2° - 48° - 45% - 45°
Culet: 2.20 – 2mm – 10%
The Modern Dutch School
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
The Art of Joseph Israels, Roelofs, Mauve, Mesdag, Blommers, And the Brothers Maris
1
For more than a hundred years after the deaths of Hobbema and Willem van de Velde, Holland produced no painter of European importance. The Dutch School, which during the seventeenth century had risen, as we have seen, to the highest eminence, sank during the eighteenth century into trivial virtuosity. Pictures became conjuring feats rather than true works of art, for they evoked neither tender sentiments nor noble thoughts, but only excited wonder by their manual dexterity. In craftsmanship many of these paintings were remarkable in their meticulous detail, and while some painters—like Wellem van Mieris (1662-1747), whose ‘Fish and Poultry Shop’ is in the National Gallery—carried on the traditions left by Jan Steen and Gerard Dou, still more made a reputation among their contemporaries by their minute renderings of fruit and flowers. These they painted with the patient skill of miniaturist, and they delighted in introducing into their pictures flies and other small insects whose tiny, but marvelously realistic forms, had to be discerned with the aid of a magnifying-glass. Among the artist who excelled in this style of painting may be mentioned the woman-painter of Amsterdam, Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750), and her contemporary, Jan van Huysum (1682-1749), both of whom are represented in the National Gallery. Here we may see how skillfully they both painted flowers, how cunningly the one introduces a butterfly, the other a snail; but we soon weary of this pettifogging cleverness, which may amuse our eyes for a few moments, but can never touch our hearts.
It was not till towards the middle of the nineteenth century that any great revival of painting showed itself in Holland. One who helped to prepare the ground for the new generation was Johannes Bosboom (1817-91), who painted impressive pictures in oils and water-colors of the interiors of Dutch Churches and cathedrals. He was influenced by the seventeenth-century painter Emanuel de Witte (1607-92), who had also painted these subjects not only with great accuracy of linear perspective but with broad effects of light-and-shade; Bosboom painted these interiors still more broadly and invested them with a dim atmosphere of grave grandeur and solemnity.
Bosboom always gives us a more or less generalized vision, and contrasted with the particularity of the painters who immediately preceded him, he may be said to have given a new direction to Dutch painting.
Another pioneer and forerunner of the modern movement was Willem Roelofs, who was born at Amsterdam in 1822, and went to France, where he made the acquaintance of Corot and other members of the Barbizon School. For some time Roelofs lived with these artists in the now famous village, and painted the forest of Fontainebleau in their company; then he returned to the Netherlands, taking with him new ideals of landscape painting. Though he lived chiefly in Brussels, Roelofs had a considerable influence on Dutch painting. He was never an imitator of Corot, Daubigny, or Troyon, though he learnt something from all of them, as we may see in his picture ‘A Summer’s Day, and it was through him that a knowledge and appreciation of their paitings first spread through Belgium and Holland. Roelofs helped to found at Brussels in 1868 the Société Libre des Beaux Arts (Free Society of Fine Arts), of which Corot, Daubigny, and Millet became honorary members, and to this exhibition both Dutch and Belgian artists contributed. It became the rallying-point of the younger generation and of those painters who were beginning to be affected by the Barbizon pictures which so many of them had seen in Paris. After living in Brussels for forty years Roelofs moved to The Hague, where he died in 1897.
The Modern Dutch School (continued)
The Art of Joseph Israels, Roelofs, Mauve, Mesdag, Blommers, And the Brothers Maris
1
For more than a hundred years after the deaths of Hobbema and Willem van de Velde, Holland produced no painter of European importance. The Dutch School, which during the seventeenth century had risen, as we have seen, to the highest eminence, sank during the eighteenth century into trivial virtuosity. Pictures became conjuring feats rather than true works of art, for they evoked neither tender sentiments nor noble thoughts, but only excited wonder by their manual dexterity. In craftsmanship many of these paintings were remarkable in their meticulous detail, and while some painters—like Wellem van Mieris (1662-1747), whose ‘Fish and Poultry Shop’ is in the National Gallery—carried on the traditions left by Jan Steen and Gerard Dou, still more made a reputation among their contemporaries by their minute renderings of fruit and flowers. These they painted with the patient skill of miniaturist, and they delighted in introducing into their pictures flies and other small insects whose tiny, but marvelously realistic forms, had to be discerned with the aid of a magnifying-glass. Among the artist who excelled in this style of painting may be mentioned the woman-painter of Amsterdam, Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750), and her contemporary, Jan van Huysum (1682-1749), both of whom are represented in the National Gallery. Here we may see how skillfully they both painted flowers, how cunningly the one introduces a butterfly, the other a snail; but we soon weary of this pettifogging cleverness, which may amuse our eyes for a few moments, but can never touch our hearts.
It was not till towards the middle of the nineteenth century that any great revival of painting showed itself in Holland. One who helped to prepare the ground for the new generation was Johannes Bosboom (1817-91), who painted impressive pictures in oils and water-colors of the interiors of Dutch Churches and cathedrals. He was influenced by the seventeenth-century painter Emanuel de Witte (1607-92), who had also painted these subjects not only with great accuracy of linear perspective but with broad effects of light-and-shade; Bosboom painted these interiors still more broadly and invested them with a dim atmosphere of grave grandeur and solemnity.
Bosboom always gives us a more or less generalized vision, and contrasted with the particularity of the painters who immediately preceded him, he may be said to have given a new direction to Dutch painting.
Another pioneer and forerunner of the modern movement was Willem Roelofs, who was born at Amsterdam in 1822, and went to France, where he made the acquaintance of Corot and other members of the Barbizon School. For some time Roelofs lived with these artists in the now famous village, and painted the forest of Fontainebleau in their company; then he returned to the Netherlands, taking with him new ideals of landscape painting. Though he lived chiefly in Brussels, Roelofs had a considerable influence on Dutch painting. He was never an imitator of Corot, Daubigny, or Troyon, though he learnt something from all of them, as we may see in his picture ‘A Summer’s Day, and it was through him that a knowledge and appreciation of their paitings first spread through Belgium and Holland. Roelofs helped to found at Brussels in 1868 the Société Libre des Beaux Arts (Free Society of Fine Arts), of which Corot, Daubigny, and Millet became honorary members, and to this exhibition both Dutch and Belgian artists contributed. It became the rallying-point of the younger generation and of those painters who were beginning to be affected by the Barbizon pictures which so many of them had seen in Paris. After living in Brussels for forty years Roelofs moved to The Hague, where he died in 1897.
The Modern Dutch School (continued)
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Richard Dadd's Paintings
I found the Economist article Blood On The Tracks @ http://www.economist.com/daily/columns/artview/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10904659 interesting + in my view Richard Dadd's paintings show customary care with details, creating a powerful picture with natural looks that connect the dots.
Useful links:
http://www.noumenal.com/marc/dadd
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dadd
Useful links:
http://www.noumenal.com/marc/dadd
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dadd
Toxic Elements In Jewelry
The California Department of Toxic Substance Control is enforcing a new state law that regulates lead in jewelry, especially piercing jewelry, effective March 1, 2008.
I hope other countries will do the same. If in doubt always consult a reputed gem and jewelry testing laboratory.
Useful links:
www.dtsc.ca.gov
www.epa.gov
I hope other countries will do the same. If in doubt always consult a reputed gem and jewelry testing laboratory.
Useful links:
www.dtsc.ca.gov
www.epa.gov
Ivory Coast
According to Global Witness, Ivory Coast's northern rebels are still operating a war economy of illegal taxes on cocoa and diamonds which is hindering peace plan + affecting regional stability and economy.
I think the vested interests have a genuine reason to keep the region unstable for obvious reasons + as long as diamonds and cocoa are available it's show time for the rebels.
Useful link:
www.globalwitness.org
I think the vested interests have a genuine reason to keep the region unstable for obvious reasons + as long as diamonds and cocoa are available it's show time for the rebels.
Useful link:
www.globalwitness.org
Jewelry Update
With gold prices going yo-yo, we are seeing a new trend: people are selling gold jewelry they no longer wear opposed to buying. Signs of the time!
The Loire Valley
(via Wiki) The Loire Valley wine region includes the French wine regions situated along the Loire River from the Muscadet region near the city of Nantes on the Atlantic coast to the region of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé just southeast of the city of Orléans in north central France. In between are the regions of Anjou, Saumur, Bourgueil, Chinon, and Vouvray. The Loire Valley itself follows the river through the Loire province to the river's origins in the Cévennes but the majority of the wine production takes place in the regions noted above. The area includes 87 appellations under the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), Vin Délimité de Qualité Superieure (VDQS) and Vin de pays systems. While the majority of production is white wine from the Chenin blanc, Sauvignon blanc and Melon de Bourgogne grapes, there are red wines made (especially around the Chinon region) from Cabernet franc. In addition to still wines, rosé, sparkling and dessert wines are also produced. With Crémant production throughout the Loire, it is the second largest sparkling wine producer in France after Champagne. Among these different wine styles, Loire wines tend to exhibit characteristic fruitiness with fresh, crisp flavors-especially in their youth. The Loire Valley has a long history of winemaking dating back to the 1st century. In the High Middle Ages, the wines of the Loire Valley were the most esteemed wines in England and France, even more prized than those from Bordeaux.
They are delicious! Don't miss it!
Useful link:
www.loirevalleywine.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loire_Valley_%28wine%29
They are delicious! Don't miss it!
Useful link:
www.loirevalleywine.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loire_Valley_%28wine%29
Daniel Day-Lewis
I think Daniel Day-Lewis is a superb actor + his chilling performance as Daniel Plainview, a ruthless silver-miner-turned-oil man in the movie There Will Be Blood was so vivid and natural, it was great, a real American masterpiece + the milkshake analogy was memorable, the best revenge scene in a long time:
Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I'm so sorry. Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, [He holds up his index finger] that's a straw, you see? [He turns and walks away from Eli and turns around] You watching? And my straw reaches acrooooooossssss [walking back toward Eli] the room, and starts to drink your milkshake: I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThZI-p8SKe0
Brilliant!
Useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Day-Lewis
www.imdb.com/name/nm0000358
www.dd-l.net
www.therewillbeblood.com
Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I'm so sorry. Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, [He holds up his index finger] that's a straw, you see? [He turns and walks away from Eli and turns around] You watching? And my straw reaches acrooooooossssss [walking back toward Eli] the room, and starts to drink your milkshake: I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThZI-p8SKe0
Brilliant!
Useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Day-Lewis
www.imdb.com/name/nm0000358
www.dd-l.net
www.therewillbeblood.com
Gregorian Music
Heiligenkreuz Abbey is a Cistercian monastery on the territory of the town of Heiligenkreuz in the southern part of the Wienerwald, eight miles north-west of Baden bei Wien in Lower Austria + now the brothers from the Monastery of the Holy Cross have wowed the Universal Music group with their magical and evocative sound, and later this year their first (Gregorian chant) album will be released for the international market + I believe the sudden popularity has to do with the soundtrack to the best-selling computer game Halo.
Useful links:
www.stift-heiligenkreuz.org
www.music.princeton.edu/chant_html
www.enigma.de
www.enigmamusic.com
Useful links:
www.stift-heiligenkreuz.org
www.music.princeton.edu/chant_html
www.enigma.de
www.enigmamusic.com
Double Stellar Cuts
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
The French Blue has already been dealt with in great detail. It is included here primarily on the basis of its being a Double Stellar Cut diamond. It was fashioned by Louis XIV’s diamond cutter Pitau in 1673 from a next to rough diamond purchased by the king from the French traveler Tavernier in 1669. Eventually, it was refashioned into an oval Brilliant, the Hope diamond, now in Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
The Bazu diamond, the second largest diamond on the Golden Fleece of King Louis XV of France, was delivered to the king of Bazu, a lapidarian and dealer, in 1669. It has disappeared and any information about it is inconsistent.
The French Blue has already been dealt with in great detail. It is included here primarily on the basis of its being a Double Stellar Cut diamond. It was fashioned by Louis XIV’s diamond cutter Pitau in 1673 from a next to rough diamond purchased by the king from the French traveler Tavernier in 1669. Eventually, it was refashioned into an oval Brilliant, the Hope diamond, now in Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
The Bazu diamond, the second largest diamond on the Golden Fleece of King Louis XV of France, was delivered to the king of Bazu, a lapidarian and dealer, in 1669. It has disappeared and any information about it is inconsistent.
The Romantic Movement In France
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
It was not till the Great Exhibition at Paris in 1867 that Millet came into his own, and his opportunity came then because his friend Théodore Rousseau was President of the Jury. In this exhibition Millet was represented by ‘The Angelus’ ‘The Gleaners’, and seven other important paintings. He was awarded a first class medal for the collection, and in the following year was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. He was now at the height of his fame, but the honors and fortune which followed came too late to be enjoyed. The artist was deeply smitten by the death of Rousseau in December 1867, and his own health began to fail in 1870. During the disasterous Franco-Prussian war he retired to Cherbourg, where his work was interrupted by frequent illnesses. When he returned to Paris, the new Republican Government gave Millet a commission in 1874 to paint a set of decorative panels of ‘The Four Seasons’ for the Panthéon, but though he at once began charcoal sketches for these subjects he was never able to execute the paintings. Throughout the autumn his health declined, and surrounded by his devoted family he died on the 20th January 1875.
Closely associated with Millet, whom he accompanied to Barbizon, was Charles Jacque (1813-94), who, though less poweful than Troyon, was one of the best animal painters of his time. He excelled in painting flocks of sheep in the open or on the edge of a forest. The painting of peasant life, inaugurated by Millet, was continued by Bastien Lepage (1848-84) and the still more popular Jules Breton (1827-1906), who, though weaker in drawing and less rich in color, reaped where Millet had sown. Associated with Diaz, and still more fantastic than this painter in the exotic pictures of his earlier years, was Adolphe Monticelli (1824-86). Born at Marseilles, Monticelli brought the warmth of Southern coloring and imagination to Barbizon: he was the most romantic of the romantic landscape painters, and his canvases loaded with rich pigment, from which radiant fairy-like figures emerge and seem to quiver with life, are magical masterpieces of jewel-like color.
Belonging to a slightly later generation, but encouraged in his youth by Corot, Daubigny, and Millet, the exquisite sea painter Eugene Boudin (1825-98) is a link between the Barbizon School and the Impressionists. Boudin was born at Honfleur, where his father was a sea-captain, and during his early years he assisted Troyon by painting the skies in some of his pictures. This was a department of painting in which Boudin excelled, and his rendering of the clouds and the blue vault of heaven excited the keen admiration of Corot, who hailed his young contemporary as ‘the monarch of the sky.’ Boudin spent the greater part of his life in the neighborhood of his birthplace, and never tired of painting the shipping, shores, and harbor scenes of this part of the Normandy coast. His paintings are pitched in a slightly higher key of color than those of Corot and Daubigny, and the prevalence of luminous pearly greys in his work have caused his paintings—together with similar paintings of similar subjects of his slightly older contemporary, the Dutchman Bartholde Jongkind—to be known as la peinture gris, i.e the ‘grey’ school of painting. ‘The Harbor of Trouville’ in the National Gallery is a beautiful example of Boudin’s delicate realism and of his sensitive feeling for the wind in the sky and the light on the water.
It was not till the Great Exhibition at Paris in 1867 that Millet came into his own, and his opportunity came then because his friend Théodore Rousseau was President of the Jury. In this exhibition Millet was represented by ‘The Angelus’ ‘The Gleaners’, and seven other important paintings. He was awarded a first class medal for the collection, and in the following year was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. He was now at the height of his fame, but the honors and fortune which followed came too late to be enjoyed. The artist was deeply smitten by the death of Rousseau in December 1867, and his own health began to fail in 1870. During the disasterous Franco-Prussian war he retired to Cherbourg, where his work was interrupted by frequent illnesses. When he returned to Paris, the new Republican Government gave Millet a commission in 1874 to paint a set of decorative panels of ‘The Four Seasons’ for the Panthéon, but though he at once began charcoal sketches for these subjects he was never able to execute the paintings. Throughout the autumn his health declined, and surrounded by his devoted family he died on the 20th January 1875.
Closely associated with Millet, whom he accompanied to Barbizon, was Charles Jacque (1813-94), who, though less poweful than Troyon, was one of the best animal painters of his time. He excelled in painting flocks of sheep in the open or on the edge of a forest. The painting of peasant life, inaugurated by Millet, was continued by Bastien Lepage (1848-84) and the still more popular Jules Breton (1827-1906), who, though weaker in drawing and less rich in color, reaped where Millet had sown. Associated with Diaz, and still more fantastic than this painter in the exotic pictures of his earlier years, was Adolphe Monticelli (1824-86). Born at Marseilles, Monticelli brought the warmth of Southern coloring and imagination to Barbizon: he was the most romantic of the romantic landscape painters, and his canvases loaded with rich pigment, from which radiant fairy-like figures emerge and seem to quiver with life, are magical masterpieces of jewel-like color.
Belonging to a slightly later generation, but encouraged in his youth by Corot, Daubigny, and Millet, the exquisite sea painter Eugene Boudin (1825-98) is a link between the Barbizon School and the Impressionists. Boudin was born at Honfleur, where his father was a sea-captain, and during his early years he assisted Troyon by painting the skies in some of his pictures. This was a department of painting in which Boudin excelled, and his rendering of the clouds and the blue vault of heaven excited the keen admiration of Corot, who hailed his young contemporary as ‘the monarch of the sky.’ Boudin spent the greater part of his life in the neighborhood of his birthplace, and never tired of painting the shipping, shores, and harbor scenes of this part of the Normandy coast. His paintings are pitched in a slightly higher key of color than those of Corot and Daubigny, and the prevalence of luminous pearly greys in his work have caused his paintings—together with similar paintings of similar subjects of his slightly older contemporary, the Dutchman Bartholde Jongkind—to be known as la peinture gris, i.e the ‘grey’ school of painting. ‘The Harbor of Trouville’ in the National Gallery is a beautiful example of Boudin’s delicate realism and of his sensitive feeling for the wind in the sky and the light on the water.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Internet Jewelers
I found the article A Boy's Best Friend via Economist (March 21, 2008) http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10881758 interesting + insightful + I think it's the signs of the time that traditional jewelers will be squeezed, one way or another by the internet jewelers + expect to see more modified business models via internet selling jewelry worldwide.
Useful link:
www.bluenile.com
Useful link:
www.bluenile.com
School Of Design Innovation
I think James Dyson's design school in Bath, U.K will be a unique concept + inspire the next generation of inventors and engineers + with leading industrial giants like Rolls-Royce, Airbus and Williams Formula One as partners in the project, I believe the work experience and mentoring to students by the experts will be priceless.
Useful link:
www.dysonschool.com
Useful link:
www.dysonschool.com
Howard Hodgkin
Howard Hodgkin is a British painter + printmaker + his style is spontaneous with bright colors and bold forms, sort of semi-abstract, emotional + natural!
Useful link:
www.howardhodgkin.org.uk
Useful link:
www.howardhodgkin.org.uk
Becoming Self Aware
I found Mark Goulston's How to Deal With Anxious People extremely useful + I liked it.
Useful link:
http://conversationstarter.hbsp.com
Useful link:
http://conversationstarter.hbsp.com
Certifigate: Rallying Support For Closure
Total internal reflections of Chaim Even Zohar on Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) complex Certifigate scandal + the ongoing and evolving story + diamond industry concerns + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp
The Pasha Of Egypt
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
The Stellar Cut Brilliant, octagonal in outline and with eightfold symmetry, is reported to have weighed 40 ct (about 41 metric ct). In 1848 it was acquired by Ibrahim Pasha, the great Egyptian general and Viceroy of Egypt to the Turkish Sultan.
The Stellar Cut Brilliant, octagonal in outline and with eightfold symmetry, is reported to have weighed 40 ct (about 41 metric ct). In 1848 it was acquired by Ibrahim Pasha, the great Egyptian general and Viceroy of Egypt to the Turkish Sultan.
The Romantic Movement In France
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
3
The great struggle for liberty and truth in art, begun by the Romantics and landscape painters already mentioned, was carried a stage further by Jean Francois Millet (1814-75), who was the first to paint the peasant, not as a sort of ‘stage property’ in a landscape, but as he truly lived and moved. Millet came of peasant stock, and during his boyhood worked hard in the fields with his father, whose home was in the hamlet of Gruchy, near Cherbourg. When he was eighteen, his father, recognizing the lad’s talent, allowed him to study art in Cherbourg, but as the eldest son he returned to manage the farm on his father’s death in 1835. His heart, however, was still in his art, and seeing this his mother and grandmother heroically determined not to allow him to sacrifice himself, but soon persuaded him to return to Cherbourg. There his talent was recognized by the Municipality, who gave him a grant of forty pounds, and with this he went to Paris in 1836 and entered the studio of historical painter Paul Delaroche (1797-1856). During the next twelve years, spent partly in Paris and partly in Normandy, Millet experienced nothing but trouble, he married in 1841, and his wife died in 1844; at the end of 1845 he married again, and found a devoted and courageous helpmate in his second wife.
At this period of his life Millet chiefly painted portraits and small pictures of classical or mythological subjects, and already his color—in which he was considerably influenced by Correggio—began to attract attention and the admiration of other artists. He became friendly with Diaz, and through Diaz got to know Rousseau and others. In 1847 his picture ‘Œdipus taken from the Tree’ was favorably noticed in the Salon by Théophile Gautier, who prophesied that the painter would become famous, and in the following year Millet’s picture of a peasant woman was given a place of honor in the best room at the Salon. It looked as if the painter was on the point of achieving a popular success, for he had also been finding a ready sale for small pictures of nude figures, which he painted with great skill. But about this time he accidentally overheard somebody speaking of him as ‘Millet, who paints nothing but naked women,’ and this chance remark so upset him that he then and there determined never again to paint the nude. Already town life and town manners were distasteful to him; he longed for country air to breathe and the peasant people whom he knew and loved to paint.
In 1849 he decided to change his manner of life, and with his wife and babies he removed to Barbizon, where Rousseau and Diaz were already settled. In this peaceful village Millet made his home, and found his true vocation in chronicling in a series of noble paintings the dignity of peasant labor. To the Salon of 1850 he sent his unforgettable picture of ‘The Sower’, a work of epic grandeur which seems to symbolize the Present preparing the Future in the guise of an agricultural labourer fulfilling his common task. During the next ten years Millet painted some of his greatest pictures, ‘The Gleaners’ in 1857, ‘The Angelus’ in 1859, but all this time Millet was harassed by money difficulties, and with a growing and increasing family he had a hard struggle for mere existence. His new pictures were not popular; not only did they fail to find purchasers, but they were often attacked because many of them were thought to be ‘socialistic’ and ‘The Gleaners’ was particularly abused on its first appearance as a work expressing subversive political principles. Millet and his family might have starved at this time, but for the good deeds stealthily done by his more fortunate comrades. In 1855 Rousseau secretly bought one of his pictures for £160, and Troyon also bought several of Millet’s works, pretending that he was acting for an American collector who had no real existence. By this tactful generoisity Millet was prevented from ever knowing how much he owed to the devotion of his friends.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
3
The great struggle for liberty and truth in art, begun by the Romantics and landscape painters already mentioned, was carried a stage further by Jean Francois Millet (1814-75), who was the first to paint the peasant, not as a sort of ‘stage property’ in a landscape, but as he truly lived and moved. Millet came of peasant stock, and during his boyhood worked hard in the fields with his father, whose home was in the hamlet of Gruchy, near Cherbourg. When he was eighteen, his father, recognizing the lad’s talent, allowed him to study art in Cherbourg, but as the eldest son he returned to manage the farm on his father’s death in 1835. His heart, however, was still in his art, and seeing this his mother and grandmother heroically determined not to allow him to sacrifice himself, but soon persuaded him to return to Cherbourg. There his talent was recognized by the Municipality, who gave him a grant of forty pounds, and with this he went to Paris in 1836 and entered the studio of historical painter Paul Delaroche (1797-1856). During the next twelve years, spent partly in Paris and partly in Normandy, Millet experienced nothing but trouble, he married in 1841, and his wife died in 1844; at the end of 1845 he married again, and found a devoted and courageous helpmate in his second wife.
At this period of his life Millet chiefly painted portraits and small pictures of classical or mythological subjects, and already his color—in which he was considerably influenced by Correggio—began to attract attention and the admiration of other artists. He became friendly with Diaz, and through Diaz got to know Rousseau and others. In 1847 his picture ‘Œdipus taken from the Tree’ was favorably noticed in the Salon by Théophile Gautier, who prophesied that the painter would become famous, and in the following year Millet’s picture of a peasant woman was given a place of honor in the best room at the Salon. It looked as if the painter was on the point of achieving a popular success, for he had also been finding a ready sale for small pictures of nude figures, which he painted with great skill. But about this time he accidentally overheard somebody speaking of him as ‘Millet, who paints nothing but naked women,’ and this chance remark so upset him that he then and there determined never again to paint the nude. Already town life and town manners were distasteful to him; he longed for country air to breathe and the peasant people whom he knew and loved to paint.
In 1849 he decided to change his manner of life, and with his wife and babies he removed to Barbizon, where Rousseau and Diaz were already settled. In this peaceful village Millet made his home, and found his true vocation in chronicling in a series of noble paintings the dignity of peasant labor. To the Salon of 1850 he sent his unforgettable picture of ‘The Sower’, a work of epic grandeur which seems to symbolize the Present preparing the Future in the guise of an agricultural labourer fulfilling his common task. During the next ten years Millet painted some of his greatest pictures, ‘The Gleaners’ in 1857, ‘The Angelus’ in 1859, but all this time Millet was harassed by money difficulties, and with a growing and increasing family he had a hard struggle for mere existence. His new pictures were not popular; not only did they fail to find purchasers, but they were often attacked because many of them were thought to be ‘socialistic’ and ‘The Gleaners’ was particularly abused on its first appearance as a work expressing subversive political principles. Millet and his family might have starved at this time, but for the good deeds stealthily done by his more fortunate comrades. In 1855 Rousseau secretly bought one of his pictures for £160, and Troyon also bought several of Millet’s works, pretending that he was acting for an American collector who had no real existence. By this tactful generoisity Millet was prevented from ever knowing how much he owed to the devotion of his friends.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
New Business Models
I really liked the interactive map of new business start-ups from around the world + it was interesting and useful.
Diamond Market Reflections
It was interesting to note the peculiar contrast between stock markets (low consumer confidence + external factors) and jewelry auction houses (many items were sold for more than their pre-sale estimates because of strong interest + cash) + Is there a link between rise in prices of large size, high quality diamonds and sharp rises in oil prices? Experts believe the two are connected as petro-dollars seek alternative investment opportunities + What's intriguing this time was not the Sheiks from the Gulf region, but rich buyers from China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Argentina, Greece and Russia + My view is the scarcity of top quality diamonds (5+ carats +), both colorless and colored, is what driving the prices high + De Beers is not finding that many new top-quality stones + it's a new world with new players and a lot of cash!
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais is a triple Golden Globe + double Emmy + seven-time BAFTA award-winning English comedian/writer + I think he is one-of-a-kind-performing artist + The Office is still my favorite.
Useful link:
www.rickygervais.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Gervais
Useful link:
www.rickygervais.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Gervais
Friday, March 21, 2008
A Unique Diamond Phone
Here is what Case-mate has to say about the unique diamond phone:
The Case-mate Diamond Case is handcrafted with 42 stunning diamonds (3.5 carats) set in 18K gold. These gorgeous diamonds are embedded in a rare gold carbon fiber leather case. With VVS1 clarity and H color, these diamonds are superior in quality. Complete with an 18K gold emblem, the Case-mate Diamond BlackBerry Case is truly a one of a kind.
But that's not all. This Diamond BlackBerry Curve Case is crafted of luxurious Carbon Fiber leather, previously available only in high end aftermarket cars (Techart Porsche) and very high end cell phones (Vertu). Case-mate worked closely with its leather craftsmen to develop this rare gold leather for this very special BlackBerry Curve case.
It's brilliant + adamantine with metallic lustre!
Useful link:
www.case-mate.com
The Case-mate Diamond Case is handcrafted with 42 stunning diamonds (3.5 carats) set in 18K gold. These gorgeous diamonds are embedded in a rare gold carbon fiber leather case. With VVS1 clarity and H color, these diamonds are superior in quality. Complete with an 18K gold emblem, the Case-mate Diamond BlackBerry Case is truly a one of a kind.
But that's not all. This Diamond BlackBerry Curve Case is crafted of luxurious Carbon Fiber leather, previously available only in high end aftermarket cars (Techart Porsche) and very high end cell phones (Vertu). Case-mate worked closely with its leather craftsmen to develop this rare gold leather for this very special BlackBerry Curve case.
It's brilliant + adamantine with metallic lustre!
Useful link:
www.case-mate.com
Art Forgery Update
It has been reported that the Spanish police + the FBI have arrested the ring leaders which duped hundreds of customers into buying counterfeit prints of works believed to be by artists including Picasso, Warhol and Dalí.
Useful links:
www.artloss.com
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/arttheft/story/0,,2266679,00.html
Useful links:
www.artloss.com
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/arttheft/story/0,,2266679,00.html
Robert Burden
It was really fascinating to see Robert Burden's series of large paintings honoring the action figures he worshipped as a child + in my view they were beautiful + I liked it!
Useful links:
www.robertburden.net
www.roqlarue.com
Useful links:
www.robertburden.net
www.roqlarue.com
The Complete TurtleTrader
The Complete TurtleTrader: The Legend, the Lessons, the Results by Michael W. Covel is a fascinating and instructive book + it highlights the inner workings + the real world of trading.
Useful link:
www.michaelcovel.com
Useful link:
www.michaelcovel.com
The Koh-i-Nur
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
It is hard to understand today why the historic Mughal Cut Koh-i-Nur diamond was completely refashioned so soon after it was presented to Queen Victoria. The delivery to the queen took place on 3 July 1850 and the actual refashioning began on 17 July 1852; it took thirty-eight days. If V. Ball, in an appendix to his translation of Tavernier’s Travels in India, was correct in saying that when it arrived in London the gem ‘had been badly mutilated, after cutting, and that it cannot have been left in such an incomplete condition by the jeweler who cut it and polished it,’ this may explain why diamond cutters were consulted about possible ways of restoring the diamond. Ball also quotes James Tennant who, in a lecture entitled Gems and Precious Stones published in London in 1852, describes it as ‘exhibiting, when brought to England, two large cleavage planes, one of which had not even been polished, and had been distinctly produced by fracture.’ Tennant also mentions that it had a flaw near the summit. Quite clearly, the gem did not please the queen. Her advisers must have assured her that it could be refashioned into a splendid Brilliant ‘to develop to a wonderful degree its surpassing clearness, brilliancy and beauty’, to quote the Illustrated London News of 18 September 1852.
Augustus Hamling, writing in 1884, deeply regretted the recutting of the gem, which ‘injured its prestige, and reduced its value incomparably’. He adds: ‘in reality its appearance....was inferior to that of its glass models. It is spread...it is quite one third too large....it is now a badly shaped stone...not much better than common limpid quartz.’ Blakey, in The Diamond (1977) writes: ‘When they had finished, the Koh-i-Nur had been reduced (by 80ct) to a a 108.93 carat oval—and still lacked fire and brilliance. To what extent this was due to the inability of the Dutch cutter....is impossible to say, but no one was pleased with the result.’ Despite such criticisms, in 1853 it was mounted in a magnificent tiara for the queen and five years later she ordered a new regal circlet for the gem. In 1911 it was placed in the crown of Queen Mary. There it remained until 1937, when it was made the central ornament in a new coronation crown for Queen Elizabeth, consort of George VI.
In 1988 the stone was removed from its setting to ascertain its exact weight: 105.602 ct is the correct figure. Its measurements are 36 x 31.9mm. The total depth figure is only 13.04mm—i.e 40.87 per cent of the narrower width. It was further found that there are thirty two crown facets round the table plus eight correction facets, parts of which are on the girdle. There are twenty four pavilion facets plus eight stellar facets and the culet and a further nine correction facets.
The Koh-i-Nur is another plain Stellar Cut Brilliant, the culet facets having been applied in a misguided attempt to improve its light effects. Unfortunately, other aspects of its recutting from the original Mughal Cut were also bungled. It became too flat, and retained merely vitreous luster, a few extra carats of weight having been saved at the expense of its beauty. But even if more competent cutters than those provided by Coster’s had been able to transform this historic gem into an attractive modern cut, the world would still have lost one of the few surviving gems with an original Indian design.
It is hard to understand today why the historic Mughal Cut Koh-i-Nur diamond was completely refashioned so soon after it was presented to Queen Victoria. The delivery to the queen took place on 3 July 1850 and the actual refashioning began on 17 July 1852; it took thirty-eight days. If V. Ball, in an appendix to his translation of Tavernier’s Travels in India, was correct in saying that when it arrived in London the gem ‘had been badly mutilated, after cutting, and that it cannot have been left in such an incomplete condition by the jeweler who cut it and polished it,’ this may explain why diamond cutters were consulted about possible ways of restoring the diamond. Ball also quotes James Tennant who, in a lecture entitled Gems and Precious Stones published in London in 1852, describes it as ‘exhibiting, when brought to England, two large cleavage planes, one of which had not even been polished, and had been distinctly produced by fracture.’ Tennant also mentions that it had a flaw near the summit. Quite clearly, the gem did not please the queen. Her advisers must have assured her that it could be refashioned into a splendid Brilliant ‘to develop to a wonderful degree its surpassing clearness, brilliancy and beauty’, to quote the Illustrated London News of 18 September 1852.
Augustus Hamling, writing in 1884, deeply regretted the recutting of the gem, which ‘injured its prestige, and reduced its value incomparably’. He adds: ‘in reality its appearance....was inferior to that of its glass models. It is spread...it is quite one third too large....it is now a badly shaped stone...not much better than common limpid quartz.’ Blakey, in The Diamond (1977) writes: ‘When they had finished, the Koh-i-Nur had been reduced (by 80ct) to a a 108.93 carat oval—and still lacked fire and brilliance. To what extent this was due to the inability of the Dutch cutter....is impossible to say, but no one was pleased with the result.’ Despite such criticisms, in 1853 it was mounted in a magnificent tiara for the queen and five years later she ordered a new regal circlet for the gem. In 1911 it was placed in the crown of Queen Mary. There it remained until 1937, when it was made the central ornament in a new coronation crown for Queen Elizabeth, consort of George VI.
In 1988 the stone was removed from its setting to ascertain its exact weight: 105.602 ct is the correct figure. Its measurements are 36 x 31.9mm. The total depth figure is only 13.04mm—i.e 40.87 per cent of the narrower width. It was further found that there are thirty two crown facets round the table plus eight correction facets, parts of which are on the girdle. There are twenty four pavilion facets plus eight stellar facets and the culet and a further nine correction facets.
The Koh-i-Nur is another plain Stellar Cut Brilliant, the culet facets having been applied in a misguided attempt to improve its light effects. Unfortunately, other aspects of its recutting from the original Mughal Cut were also bungled. It became too flat, and retained merely vitreous luster, a few extra carats of weight having been saved at the expense of its beauty. But even if more competent cutters than those provided by Coster’s had been able to transform this historic gem into an attractive modern cut, the world would still have lost one of the few surviving gems with an original Indian design.
The Romantic Movement In France
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
Though much influenced by Corot, who regarded him almost as a son, Charles Francois Daubigny (1817-78) evolved another distinct type of landscape and excelled in his poetic renderings of placid river scenes. His father was a journeyman painter of mediocre ability, and as a boy Daubigny painted decorations on clock-cases, glove-boxes, fans, and other articles of luxury. When he was seventeen he and a friend save up a little over fifty pounds with which they set out on foot for Italy, and there maintained themselves for nearly a year. Returning to Paris, Daubigny gave himself for a time to figure subjects, but about 1840 he turned definitely to landscape, which he discovered to be his true vocation. His favorite sketching-ground was near Valmondois on the Oise, where he had spent happy days in his childhood. Though his landscapes were exhibited regularly in the Salon from 1841 to 1847, Daubigny had a hard struggle during these years, but in 1848 he received a second medal for his five landscapes in the Salon, and thereafter the State began to buy his pictures for provincial museums and his sales generally improved.
‘On the Banks of the Oise’ is a beautiful and characteristic example of the art of Daubigny, and reveals that exquisite calm and repose which is a feature of many of his paintings, though occasionally he painted stormy scenes; for Daubigny was not limited in his subjects, but painted various aspects of Nature. He was one of the pioneers in the truer rendering of Nature’s own coloring, and his famous saying, ‘We never paint light enough,’ became a watchword to the younger generation of artists.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
Though much influenced by Corot, who regarded him almost as a son, Charles Francois Daubigny (1817-78) evolved another distinct type of landscape and excelled in his poetic renderings of placid river scenes. His father was a journeyman painter of mediocre ability, and as a boy Daubigny painted decorations on clock-cases, glove-boxes, fans, and other articles of luxury. When he was seventeen he and a friend save up a little over fifty pounds with which they set out on foot for Italy, and there maintained themselves for nearly a year. Returning to Paris, Daubigny gave himself for a time to figure subjects, but about 1840 he turned definitely to landscape, which he discovered to be his true vocation. His favorite sketching-ground was near Valmondois on the Oise, where he had spent happy days in his childhood. Though his landscapes were exhibited regularly in the Salon from 1841 to 1847, Daubigny had a hard struggle during these years, but in 1848 he received a second medal for his five landscapes in the Salon, and thereafter the State began to buy his pictures for provincial museums and his sales generally improved.
‘On the Banks of the Oise’ is a beautiful and characteristic example of the art of Daubigny, and reveals that exquisite calm and repose which is a feature of many of his paintings, though occasionally he painted stormy scenes; for Daubigny was not limited in his subjects, but painted various aspects of Nature. He was one of the pioneers in the truer rendering of Nature’s own coloring, and his famous saying, ‘We never paint light enough,’ became a watchword to the younger generation of artists.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
Random Thoughts
When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you rot. Are you green and growing or ripe and rotting?
- Ray Kroc
- Ray Kroc
Javier Bardem
Javier Bardem is an Academy Award winning Spanish actor + his performance as the antagonist Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, who will decide a victim’s fate on the flip of a coin was so vivid, it was brilliant + I think the Coen brothers did the right thing--Javier Bardem was the best choice to play the ruthless killer.
Useful links:
www.javier-bardem.net
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Bardem
Useful links:
www.javier-bardem.net
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Bardem
World Without Wires
I was intrigued by the innovative products designed by the beautiful minds @ Konarka Technologies + in my view they were brilliant + I hope someday the technology is modified and portable, becomes applicable in gem identification and treatment detection at an affordable cost.
Useful link:
www.konarka.com
Useful link:
www.konarka.com
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Diamond Divas
A spectacular exhibition opens at the Diamond Museum of the Province of Antwerp on April 11, 2008, called Diamond Divas, featuring a selection of stunning jewelry items worn by royals, stars of stage and screen and high society.
Don't miss it!
Useful links:
www.diamonddivas.be
www.antwerpen.be
www.antwerpdiamondbank.com
www.roularta.be
www.standaard.be
www.abnamro.com
Don't miss it!
Useful links:
www.diamonddivas.be
www.antwerpen.be
www.antwerpdiamondbank.com
www.roularta.be
www.standaard.be
www.abnamro.com
Scan And Solve Technology
According to Prof Vadim Shapiro, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, understanding structural properties of historical and cultural artefacts through computer simulations is often crucial to their preservation + the 'scan and solve' technology promises to transform the simulation into a simple and fully automated process that can be applied routinely + in the medical field, the technique could be used on scans of living bones in patients + using models of bones' response to stress, treatment regimens could be planned to minimise potential for fracture, especially in patients that do not fit the norm due to deformity or injury.
I wonder if this technology could be applicable in colored stone/diamond treatments + manufacturing of synthetic gemstones + if there are modified version at an affordable cost, I see what's coming!
Useful links:
www.nsf.gov
http://sal-cnc.me.wisc.edu
http://www.news.wisc.edu/14921
I wonder if this technology could be applicable in colored stone/diamond treatments + manufacturing of synthetic gemstones + if there are modified version at an affordable cost, I see what's coming!
Useful links:
www.nsf.gov
http://sal-cnc.me.wisc.edu
http://www.news.wisc.edu/14921
History Of Treatments And Creation Of Synthetic Diamonds
(via Antwerp Facets, Jan 2007) Landmark dates in the history of treatments and creation of synthetic diamonds.
- 1910: Coating, Irradiation
- 1950: Irradiation + Annealing
- 1950s: Synthetics (developmental)
- 1980: HPHT (high pressure high temperature) synthetics, Annealing (black)
- 1999: HPHT (high pressure high temperature) treatment
- 2001: CVD (chemical vapor deposition) synthetics
- 2004: HPHT (high pressure high temperature) + Irradiation + Annealing
Useful link:
www.wtocd.be
- 1910: Coating, Irradiation
- 1950: Irradiation + Annealing
- 1950s: Synthetics (developmental)
- 1980: HPHT (high pressure high temperature) synthetics, Annealing (black)
- 1999: HPHT (high pressure high temperature) treatment
- 2001: CVD (chemical vapor deposition) synthetics
- 2004: HPHT (high pressure high temperature) + Irradiation + Annealing
Useful link:
www.wtocd.be
Games In Economic Development
Games in economic development by Bruce Wydick writes on the origin of game theory + how unique patterns of human interactions could cause cyclical poverty/prosperity + it's an interesting book.
Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group
Here is what the AIDG web site describes what it is they do:
The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) works to provide rural villages in developing countries with affordable and environmentally sound technologies...Through a combination of business incubation, education, training, and outreach, the AIDG helps individuals and communities gain access to technology that will improve their lives. Our model provides a novel approach to sustainable development by empowering people with the physical tools and practical knowledge to solve infrastructure problems in their own communities.
I'm really impressed + what's important is they are designing technologies appropriate to local needs and conditions + I think the concept of grassroots design (s) does make sense.
Useful links:
www.aidg.org
http://apptechdesign.org
The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) works to provide rural villages in developing countries with affordable and environmentally sound technologies...Through a combination of business incubation, education, training, and outreach, the AIDG helps individuals and communities gain access to technology that will improve their lives. Our model provides a novel approach to sustainable development by empowering people with the physical tools and practical knowledge to solve infrastructure problems in their own communities.
I'm really impressed + what's important is they are designing technologies appropriate to local needs and conditions + I think the concept of grassroots design (s) does make sense.
Useful links:
www.aidg.org
http://apptechdesign.org
Plain Stellar Cuts
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
Originally the de Guise Brilliant was a Table Cut. In the 1740s it was refashioned into a Stellar Cut Brilliant identical to the so-called Brazilian Cut. This term was originally used in the trade to describe diamonds fashioned in the eighteenth century from Brazilian rough as opposed to the modern round cuts produced from South African rough. However, few, if any, of these diamonds had short, pentagonal culet facets of this sort. In the case of the de Guise, it was simply that, after the small facets had already been applied, the culet was enlarged for some reason and consequently the inner ends of the originally slim culet facets were removed. However, a Stellar Cut, no matter what the size of its culet, should no more be called Brazilian.
When, in 1888, the de Guise was put up for sale with the rest of the French Crown Jewels, its past history was ignored and the entry in the catalogue described it simply as ‘un gros brilliant carré étendu, 29 7/16 ct.’ Tiffany’s of New York acquired it for a mere 155,000 francs.
I have examined three Stellar Cut Brilliants in Dresden. It is almost circular in shape and extremely well made. It compares favorably, in fact, with the best London cuts of the early eighteenth century. With its slight but pleasing lack of rigid symmetry, one could describe it as an excellent Baroque Cut. The only rather interesting factor is that the stone was fashioned with present-day ideal proportions! The second Stellar Cut in the Treasury is unusual in that its eight culet faces, looked at through the table, appear to be doubled, thus possibly increasing the brilliance of the gem. The stone weighs 9 13/16 ct. The smallest of the three stones weighs 6¼ ct and is the only Stellar Cut I have ever come across with a pear-shaped outline. It is flat, but nevertheless very attractive.
Originally the de Guise Brilliant was a Table Cut. In the 1740s it was refashioned into a Stellar Cut Brilliant identical to the so-called Brazilian Cut. This term was originally used in the trade to describe diamonds fashioned in the eighteenth century from Brazilian rough as opposed to the modern round cuts produced from South African rough. However, few, if any, of these diamonds had short, pentagonal culet facets of this sort. In the case of the de Guise, it was simply that, after the small facets had already been applied, the culet was enlarged for some reason and consequently the inner ends of the originally slim culet facets were removed. However, a Stellar Cut, no matter what the size of its culet, should no more be called Brazilian.
When, in 1888, the de Guise was put up for sale with the rest of the French Crown Jewels, its past history was ignored and the entry in the catalogue described it simply as ‘un gros brilliant carré étendu, 29 7/16 ct.’ Tiffany’s of New York acquired it for a mere 155,000 francs.
I have examined three Stellar Cut Brilliants in Dresden. It is almost circular in shape and extremely well made. It compares favorably, in fact, with the best London cuts of the early eighteenth century. With its slight but pleasing lack of rigid symmetry, one could describe it as an excellent Baroque Cut. The only rather interesting factor is that the stone was fashioned with present-day ideal proportions! The second Stellar Cut in the Treasury is unusual in that its eight culet faces, looked at through the table, appear to be doubled, thus possibly increasing the brilliance of the gem. The stone weighs 9 13/16 ct. The smallest of the three stones weighs 6¼ ct and is the only Stellar Cut I have ever come across with a pear-shaped outline. It is flat, but nevertheless very attractive.
The Romantic Movement In France
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
Friendship and admiration for Rousseau had a great effect on the life of Virgilio Narcisse Diaz de la Pena (1808-76), commonly known as Diaz. This painter was born at Bordeaux, whither his father, a political refugee, had fled from Spain, and after his death, which occurred soon afterwards, Mme Diaz removed to Sèvres, where she supported her young family by giving lessons in Spanish and Italian. When he was fifteen years old he was apprenticed to learn china painting, but he soon tired of working at the factory, and spent all his spare time in painting romantic Eastern scenes from his imagination. About 1830, while still earning his living by painting on porcelain, Diaz met Rousseau in Paris, and this acquaintance ripened into a lifelong friendship. Taught by Rousseau how to use pure and brilliant colors so that his pictures glowed like jewels, the pictures of Diaz appealed to the public by their subjects and were soon sought after. At first Diaz painted nymphs and bathers, mythological subjects and oriental scenes, the last so brilliant in color that it is difficult to believe Diaz never saw the Orient and never traveled farther than a few hundred miles from Paris.
Though he had little to complain about on his own account, Diaz shared the fortunes of his friend Rousseau, and accompanied him to Barbizon in 1837. There he gave his mind almost entirely to landscape, and made a new reputation by his brilliant forest pictures with light glancing on the tree stems.
Like Diaz and Dupré, the famous cattle painter Troyton (1810-65) began as a painter on porcelain. His father, who had been employed at the Sèvres Porcelain Factory, died early, and while quite young boys Troyon and his brother earned a living by painting on china at the manufactory, and in their spare time sketched from Nature in the surrounding country. It was not till he was thirty-two that Constant Troyon was able to leave Sèvres and commence his studies in Paris, and for some years his progress was hampered by the somewhat niggling style of painting he had acquired from the habit of decorating porcelain, but devoting himself especially to the painting of animals he gradually acquired strength and breadth, though he was nearly forty before he gained the power that has since made him famous. When he did find himself, however, the success of Troyon was immediate. He was speedily recognized by his contemporaries as the greatest animal painter since Cuyp and Paul Potter, and the demand for his work was so great that Troyon sometimes employed other painters to put in backgrounds and accessories. Troyon excelled in showing living beasts in their natural surroundings, and the landscapes in his cattle pictures are not mere ‘back-cloths’ but genuine studies which interpret with sincerity the weather, the time of day, and the season of the year. His most famous masterpiece is his great painting ‘Oxen going to Work’ in the Louvre, in which the superb rendering of the animals is equalled by the splendor with which the artist has rendered the full glory of the early morning landscape.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
Friendship and admiration for Rousseau had a great effect on the life of Virgilio Narcisse Diaz de la Pena (1808-76), commonly known as Diaz. This painter was born at Bordeaux, whither his father, a political refugee, had fled from Spain, and after his death, which occurred soon afterwards, Mme Diaz removed to Sèvres, where she supported her young family by giving lessons in Spanish and Italian. When he was fifteen years old he was apprenticed to learn china painting, but he soon tired of working at the factory, and spent all his spare time in painting romantic Eastern scenes from his imagination. About 1830, while still earning his living by painting on porcelain, Diaz met Rousseau in Paris, and this acquaintance ripened into a lifelong friendship. Taught by Rousseau how to use pure and brilliant colors so that his pictures glowed like jewels, the pictures of Diaz appealed to the public by their subjects and were soon sought after. At first Diaz painted nymphs and bathers, mythological subjects and oriental scenes, the last so brilliant in color that it is difficult to believe Diaz never saw the Orient and never traveled farther than a few hundred miles from Paris.
Though he had little to complain about on his own account, Diaz shared the fortunes of his friend Rousseau, and accompanied him to Barbizon in 1837. There he gave his mind almost entirely to landscape, and made a new reputation by his brilliant forest pictures with light glancing on the tree stems.
Like Diaz and Dupré, the famous cattle painter Troyton (1810-65) began as a painter on porcelain. His father, who had been employed at the Sèvres Porcelain Factory, died early, and while quite young boys Troyon and his brother earned a living by painting on china at the manufactory, and in their spare time sketched from Nature in the surrounding country. It was not till he was thirty-two that Constant Troyon was able to leave Sèvres and commence his studies in Paris, and for some years his progress was hampered by the somewhat niggling style of painting he had acquired from the habit of decorating porcelain, but devoting himself especially to the painting of animals he gradually acquired strength and breadth, though he was nearly forty before he gained the power that has since made him famous. When he did find himself, however, the success of Troyon was immediate. He was speedily recognized by his contemporaries as the greatest animal painter since Cuyp and Paul Potter, and the demand for his work was so great that Troyon sometimes employed other painters to put in backgrounds and accessories. Troyon excelled in showing living beasts in their natural surroundings, and the landscapes in his cattle pictures are not mere ‘back-cloths’ but genuine studies which interpret with sincerity the weather, the time of day, and the season of the year. His most famous masterpiece is his great painting ‘Oxen going to Work’ in the Louvre, in which the superb rendering of the animals is equalled by the splendor with which the artist has rendered the full glory of the early morning landscape.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
The Brelli
I really liked the Brelli bio-degradable umbrella design + I think it's absolutely unique and beautiful!
Useful link:
www.thebrelli.com
Useful link:
www.thebrelli.com
A Wooden Buddha Sculpture
It has been reported that a newly discovered wooden Buddha, 26-inch sculpture of Dainichi Nyorai, the supreme Buddha, believed to be the work of Unkei, one of the great carvers of the early Kamakura period of the 1190s, has set a new world auction record for Japanese art when it was sold for $14,377,000 @ Christie's to Mitsukoshi Co Ltd.
Shocking price!
Useful links:
www.christies.com
www.mitsukoshi.co.jp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unkei
Shocking price!
Useful links:
www.christies.com
www.mitsukoshi.co.jp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unkei
Amber Fossils
I found the article on Amber fossils from Australia via http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2006/1796778.htm educational + insightful.
Useful links:
www.unsw.edu.au
www.rivsoc.org.au
www.austmus.gov.au
Useful links:
www.unsw.edu.au
www.rivsoc.org.au
www.austmus.gov.au
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
DTC Botswana
DTC Botswana, a joint venture (50:50) between the world's biggest mining company, De Beers + the government of Botswana, has opened the largest and most advanced rough diamond sorting facility in the world + I believe the venture will become a unique business model in building a sustainable downstream diamond industry in Botswana.
Useful links:
www.debswana.com
www.debeersgroup.com
Useful links:
www.debswana.com
www.debeersgroup.com
Louis Garrel
I think Louis Garrel is a great French actor of his generation + he is inventive and spontaneous.
Useful links:
www.louis-garrel.com
http://louisgarrel.net
Useful links:
www.louis-garrel.com
http://louisgarrel.net
David Hickey
Dave Hickey is one of the best known American art + cultural critics practising today + I think he is brilliant!
Useful link:
Interview with Dave Hickey in The Believer, November 2007, by Sheila Heti
Useful link:
Interview with Dave Hickey in The Believer, November 2007, by Sheila Heti
Arthur C Clark
Arthur C. Clarke, the visionary science fiction writer who won worldwide acclaim has died in his adopted home of Sri Lanka + he was 90.
I think he was a great man + inspiration + he will be missed.
Useful link:
www.clarkefoundation.org
I think he was a great man + inspiration + he will be missed.
Useful link:
www.clarkefoundation.org
The Informant: A True Story
The Informant: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald is a fascinating story + provides insights into corporate crime (s) + you have all the elements of a great novel + brilliant!
Useful link:
Ask a Reporter Q&A: Kurt Eichenwald
Useful link:
Ask a Reporter Q&A: Kurt Eichenwald
Stellar Cuts
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
The Stellar Cut Brilliant was no innovation. The culet facets were initially copied from octraheroid crystals with dissoluted corners and occasionally applied also on Table Cuts. A number of large and even some quite small Brilliants, dating from the middle of the seventeenth century, have a star-like arrangement of small facets round the culet. I call these ‘culet facets’ in line with the term ‘girdle facets’. To describe this type of cut as the Stellar Cuts avoids confusion with the established terms Star Cut and ‘star facets’, and eliminates cumbersome descriptions such as ‘with eight facets surrounding the culet’.
The Stellar Cut Brilliant was no innovation. The culet facets were initially copied from octraheroid crystals with dissoluted corners and occasionally applied also on Table Cuts. A number of large and even some quite small Brilliants, dating from the middle of the seventeenth century, have a star-like arrangement of small facets round the culet. I call these ‘culet facets’ in line with the term ‘girdle facets’. To describe this type of cut as the Stellar Cuts avoids confusion with the established terms Star Cut and ‘star facets’, and eliminates cumbersome descriptions such as ‘with eight facets surrounding the culet’.
The Romantic Movement In France
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
The one great compensation that Corot possessed during these years was the affection of a number of his brother artists, who both admired the artist and loved the man. Corot possessed a sunny, tender, tranquil nature that endeared him to all who came in contact with him. He was never embittered by his want of success, but lived the life of a peasant, happy in his art. “Le Père Corot’ became the beloved patriarch of a colony of artists who had settled in the little village of Barbizon in the forest of Fontainebleau, a spot attractive to artists by the richness and variety of its sylvan scenery and at the same time reasonably near to the exhibition center, Paris. In this district Corot painted the most famous pictures of his later days, e.g ‘The Pool’ and ‘Souvenir of Mortefontaine’. He particularly delighted in the poetic effects of early morning and approaching eve, ‘when all Nature sings in tune,’ and during the glare of the noonday sun he would retire indoors, for effects of brilliant sunshine did not make the same appeal to him. He preferred the minor to the major chords of Nature’s coloring, and was the supreme interpreter of her moods of wistfulness, mystery, and reverie.
Though the dreamy poetical beauty of Corot’s later landscapes, with their willowy trees and mysterious atmosphere, made an unprecedented appeal to American and British collectors towards the end of the nineteenth century, so that extravagant prices were paid for typical examples—in one year more so-called ‘Corots’ were said to have been imported into the United States than Corot himself could ever have painted—it is only in comparatively recent years that the supreme excellence of Corot’s early works and figure paintings have become recognized.
More immediately successful than Corot was his friend Jules Dupré (1812-89), whom Corot called ‘the Beethoven of Landscape.’ Duprè was the son of a porcelain manufacturer at Nantes and, like several other distinguished artists of the time, began his career by painting on china. He was one of the pioneers of ‘natural’ landscape in France, turning away from the medley of the classical painters to render with fresh obsevation and expressive detail the characteristic beauties of rural France, her pastures, forests, and villages.
One of the most vigorous and famous of the Barbizon School, Théodore Rousseau (1812-67) was born in the same year as Dupré and, like him, was an enthusiastic admirer of Constable. Rousseau was the son of a Paris tailor and, though town-born, he experienced the fascination of the forest in his early boyhood, when he stayed with an uncle who had sawmills near Besancon. This uncle persuaded his parents to allow Théodore to study art, and accordingly the young man was placed in a Paris studio. From his masters mediocre painters of classic landscape, Rousseau learnt less than from Nature, and a very early picture, painted in the open air at Montmartre—the almost country—showed a remarkable mastery in rendering air, light, and the details of Nature. In 1831 his first landscape was accepted and hung in the Salon; in 1833 he began his studies in the Forest of Fontainebleau, and again exhibited with credit; and in 1834 his picture of ‘A Cutting in the Forest of Compiègne’ was awarded a medal, and was bought by the young Duke of Orleans. This early success, far from bringing him fortune, proved disastrous, for the older landscape painters, jealous of his growing reputation and his power, cruelly determined henceforward to exclude his work from the Salon. Accordingly in 1836 his magnificent ‘Descente des Vaches’—a great picture of herds of cattle coming down in autumn from the high pastures of te Jura—was rejected by the Salon. The picture is now one of the chief treasures of the Mesdag Museum in The Hague.
For fourteen years the work of Rousseau was excluded from the Salons; as a result of this attack Rousseau in 1837 left Paris for Barbizon, where he was joined by other independent painters. After the revolution of 1848 the work of Rousseau began to be known and appreciated, but though his pictures now began to sell and he was awarded a first medal in 1849 and the Legion of Honor in 1852, he made no change in his life and continued at Barbizon till his death in 1867.
Corot, with characteristic modesty, once said: ‘Rousseau is an eagle; as for me, I am only a lark who utters little cries among the grey clouds.’ There was indeed a great difference between the two men, for Rousseau did not look at Nature with the dreamy gaze of a poet, but with fiery glance of a scientist who would wrest all her secrets from her. He delighted in the infinite details of Nature, and while preserving her breadth and majesty, he delicately differentiated between plants and weeds, mosses and lichens, brushwood and shrubs. Nothing was too great for his soaring imagination, nothing was too great for his soaring imagination, nothing too small for his earnest attention. His vigorous rendering of form and his searching characterization of Nature may be seen in ‘The Oaks.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
The one great compensation that Corot possessed during these years was the affection of a number of his brother artists, who both admired the artist and loved the man. Corot possessed a sunny, tender, tranquil nature that endeared him to all who came in contact with him. He was never embittered by his want of success, but lived the life of a peasant, happy in his art. “Le Père Corot’ became the beloved patriarch of a colony of artists who had settled in the little village of Barbizon in the forest of Fontainebleau, a spot attractive to artists by the richness and variety of its sylvan scenery and at the same time reasonably near to the exhibition center, Paris. In this district Corot painted the most famous pictures of his later days, e.g ‘The Pool’ and ‘Souvenir of Mortefontaine’. He particularly delighted in the poetic effects of early morning and approaching eve, ‘when all Nature sings in tune,’ and during the glare of the noonday sun he would retire indoors, for effects of brilliant sunshine did not make the same appeal to him. He preferred the minor to the major chords of Nature’s coloring, and was the supreme interpreter of her moods of wistfulness, mystery, and reverie.
Though the dreamy poetical beauty of Corot’s later landscapes, with their willowy trees and mysterious atmosphere, made an unprecedented appeal to American and British collectors towards the end of the nineteenth century, so that extravagant prices were paid for typical examples—in one year more so-called ‘Corots’ were said to have been imported into the United States than Corot himself could ever have painted—it is only in comparatively recent years that the supreme excellence of Corot’s early works and figure paintings have become recognized.
More immediately successful than Corot was his friend Jules Dupré (1812-89), whom Corot called ‘the Beethoven of Landscape.’ Duprè was the son of a porcelain manufacturer at Nantes and, like several other distinguished artists of the time, began his career by painting on china. He was one of the pioneers of ‘natural’ landscape in France, turning away from the medley of the classical painters to render with fresh obsevation and expressive detail the characteristic beauties of rural France, her pastures, forests, and villages.
One of the most vigorous and famous of the Barbizon School, Théodore Rousseau (1812-67) was born in the same year as Dupré and, like him, was an enthusiastic admirer of Constable. Rousseau was the son of a Paris tailor and, though town-born, he experienced the fascination of the forest in his early boyhood, when he stayed with an uncle who had sawmills near Besancon. This uncle persuaded his parents to allow Théodore to study art, and accordingly the young man was placed in a Paris studio. From his masters mediocre painters of classic landscape, Rousseau learnt less than from Nature, and a very early picture, painted in the open air at Montmartre—the almost country—showed a remarkable mastery in rendering air, light, and the details of Nature. In 1831 his first landscape was accepted and hung in the Salon; in 1833 he began his studies in the Forest of Fontainebleau, and again exhibited with credit; and in 1834 his picture of ‘A Cutting in the Forest of Compiègne’ was awarded a medal, and was bought by the young Duke of Orleans. This early success, far from bringing him fortune, proved disastrous, for the older landscape painters, jealous of his growing reputation and his power, cruelly determined henceforward to exclude his work from the Salon. Accordingly in 1836 his magnificent ‘Descente des Vaches’—a great picture of herds of cattle coming down in autumn from the high pastures of te Jura—was rejected by the Salon. The picture is now one of the chief treasures of the Mesdag Museum in The Hague.
For fourteen years the work of Rousseau was excluded from the Salons; as a result of this attack Rousseau in 1837 left Paris for Barbizon, where he was joined by other independent painters. After the revolution of 1848 the work of Rousseau began to be known and appreciated, but though his pictures now began to sell and he was awarded a first medal in 1849 and the Legion of Honor in 1852, he made no change in his life and continued at Barbizon till his death in 1867.
Corot, with characteristic modesty, once said: ‘Rousseau is an eagle; as for me, I am only a lark who utters little cries among the grey clouds.’ There was indeed a great difference between the two men, for Rousseau did not look at Nature with the dreamy gaze of a poet, but with fiery glance of a scientist who would wrest all her secrets from her. He delighted in the infinite details of Nature, and while preserving her breadth and majesty, he delicately differentiated between plants and weeds, mosses and lichens, brushwood and shrubs. Nothing was too great for his soaring imagination, nothing was too great for his soaring imagination, nothing too small for his earnest attention. His vigorous rendering of form and his searching characterization of Nature may be seen in ‘The Oaks.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
Biography Of The Dollar
Biography of the Dollar: How the Mighty Buck Conquered the World and Why It's Under Siege by Craig Karmin is an entertaining book, full of lively stories + an eye-opener!
Useful link:
www.biographyofthedollar.com
Useful link:
www.biographyofthedollar.com
Chinese Art In Florence
China: At the Court of the Emperors -- paintings, sculptures and works of art of the Tang dynasty are on display @ Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Italy, from March 7 - June 8, 2008 + I think the exhibition is a useful medium to educate foreigners about the rich Chinese culture.
Useful link:
www.palazzostrozzi.org
Useful link:
www.palazzostrozzi.org
All About Jewelry
First impression is the best impression. Visit www.jewelry.com for information on jewelry + updates + trends +++++++
I liked it!
I liked it!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Heard On The Street
Gem trading is all about self management + keeping emotion to a minimum + removing ego + greed + fear + staying in the moment.
Marie-Antoinette
'Marie Antoinette' will be exhibited @ the Grand Palais, Paris from March 15 - June 30, 2008 + I think the totality of a royal life that began in grandeur and ended in tragedy should be a unique reminder/total internal reflection for this generation.
Useful links:
www.grandpalais.fr
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/17/arts/FMARIE1.php
Useful links:
www.grandpalais.fr
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/17/arts/FMARIE1.php
Handbook Of Business History
The Oxford Handbook of Business History by Geoffrey Jones + Jonathan Zeitlin is a great reference book for entrepreneurs + it also provides an overview of business history research worldwide.
Useful link:
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5849.html
Useful link:
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5849.html
The Idol’s Eye—Originally A Mughal Cut?
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
The Idol’s Eye diamond was found in the Elure group of Indian mines controlled by the kings of Golconda. Judging from its present shape, the crystal must have been either a fairly thick macle, a triangular whole crystal or a large triangular cleavage. Robert Shipley (1948) believed that the diamond had the shape of a ‘rudely faceted, lusterless, triangular mass.’ However, Shipley was a modern gemologist and not a diamond historian, and it is my belief that at a very early stage the rough stone was fashioned into a Mughal Cut not unlike the Nassak Diamond which was illustrated by John Mawe in 1823. Only thus could the gem have been such a highly esteemed symbol of wealth and power that the Sheik of Kashmir could offer it to the Sultan of Turkey as a bribe, to fend off a threatened invasion.
Krashes claims that the early history of the stone is recorded. I am somewhat suspicious of the claim, as I am for that of many other large diamonds. In fact, according to Ian Balfour, The Idol’s Eye was not known until 1865, when it was disposed of at a sale at Christie’s and had already acquired its name. It was ‘set around with eighteen smaller brilliants’. Consequently, I believe that the diamond had already been given its present cut. Most unfortunately it was not illustrated, no weight was quoted and the names of neither the seller nor the buyer were disclosed. The Idol’s Eye eventually reappeared in the possession of the collector, ‘Sergeant’ (as he liked to be called) S.I.Habib, ‘residing in Paris, rue Lafitte’. It was then documented for an auction held at L’Hôtel des Ventes on 24 June 1909, as a ‘curved, roundish triangular Brilliant’ and was listed in the catalogue with seven other rare and important diamonds. The diamonds listed in the sale catalogue of Habib’s collection are all illustrated in simple claw-settings with their exact weights mentioned. Apparently the mounts had been done away with.
According to both Louis Aucoc, the official expert for the auction, and H.D.Fromanger, one of the most knowledeable jewelers in France and author of Bijoux et Pierres Précieuses (1970), Señor Habib had acquired all but two of the gems in the sale from Constantinople. It is possible that Sultan Adb-ul-Hamid II may have sold them to him as a precautionary measure some time just before the Turkish Revolution of 1908. The stone certainly came from the Ottoman Treasury, so either Abd-ul-Hamid or his father Sultan Abdul-Medschid may have been the buyer of The Idol’s Eye in 1865. But whether the Sultan had acquired the diamond as a rough crystal, a Mughal Cut gem or in the shape of the present Brilliant Cut is not known.
The Idol’s Eye changed hands several times until it was acquired in 1979 by the London jeweler Lawrence Graff, who sold it to an anonymous buyer in 1983. According to an analysis made at the GIA Trade Laboratory, New York, in June 1979, its details are:
Type II B
Carat weight: 70.21 ct
Diameter: 26.1mm = 100 percent
Height: 13.43mm = 47.8 percent
Table size: 18.61mm = 66.2 percent
Culet size: c.3mm = 10.7 percent
The low height dimension indicates that the original rough must have been rather flat, which confirms my view of the shape of the rough and the original Mughal Cut. The clarity is registered as being exceptionally high: ‘potentially flawless’, or at least ‘potentially internally flawless’, which means that some minor ‘naturals’ and ‘extra facets’ as well as a small ‘feather’ and some ‘bruises’ could easily be removed with insignificant loss of weight. The color has been defined as ‘light blue, natural color’, though in the 1909 auction catalogue it was said to be capable of changing from pale blue to aquamarine depending on the light.
The Idol’s Eye diamond was found in the Elure group of Indian mines controlled by the kings of Golconda. Judging from its present shape, the crystal must have been either a fairly thick macle, a triangular whole crystal or a large triangular cleavage. Robert Shipley (1948) believed that the diamond had the shape of a ‘rudely faceted, lusterless, triangular mass.’ However, Shipley was a modern gemologist and not a diamond historian, and it is my belief that at a very early stage the rough stone was fashioned into a Mughal Cut not unlike the Nassak Diamond which was illustrated by John Mawe in 1823. Only thus could the gem have been such a highly esteemed symbol of wealth and power that the Sheik of Kashmir could offer it to the Sultan of Turkey as a bribe, to fend off a threatened invasion.
Krashes claims that the early history of the stone is recorded. I am somewhat suspicious of the claim, as I am for that of many other large diamonds. In fact, according to Ian Balfour, The Idol’s Eye was not known until 1865, when it was disposed of at a sale at Christie’s and had already acquired its name. It was ‘set around with eighteen smaller brilliants’. Consequently, I believe that the diamond had already been given its present cut. Most unfortunately it was not illustrated, no weight was quoted and the names of neither the seller nor the buyer were disclosed. The Idol’s Eye eventually reappeared in the possession of the collector, ‘Sergeant’ (as he liked to be called) S.I.Habib, ‘residing in Paris, rue Lafitte’. It was then documented for an auction held at L’Hôtel des Ventes on 24 June 1909, as a ‘curved, roundish triangular Brilliant’ and was listed in the catalogue with seven other rare and important diamonds. The diamonds listed in the sale catalogue of Habib’s collection are all illustrated in simple claw-settings with their exact weights mentioned. Apparently the mounts had been done away with.
According to both Louis Aucoc, the official expert for the auction, and H.D.Fromanger, one of the most knowledeable jewelers in France and author of Bijoux et Pierres Précieuses (1970), Señor Habib had acquired all but two of the gems in the sale from Constantinople. It is possible that Sultan Adb-ul-Hamid II may have sold them to him as a precautionary measure some time just before the Turkish Revolution of 1908. The stone certainly came from the Ottoman Treasury, so either Abd-ul-Hamid or his father Sultan Abdul-Medschid may have been the buyer of The Idol’s Eye in 1865. But whether the Sultan had acquired the diamond as a rough crystal, a Mughal Cut gem or in the shape of the present Brilliant Cut is not known.
The Idol’s Eye changed hands several times until it was acquired in 1979 by the London jeweler Lawrence Graff, who sold it to an anonymous buyer in 1983. According to an analysis made at the GIA Trade Laboratory, New York, in June 1979, its details are:
Type II B
Carat weight: 70.21 ct
Diameter: 26.1mm = 100 percent
Height: 13.43mm = 47.8 percent
Table size: 18.61mm = 66.2 percent
Culet size: c.3mm = 10.7 percent
The low height dimension indicates that the original rough must have been rather flat, which confirms my view of the shape of the rough and the original Mughal Cut. The clarity is registered as being exceptionally high: ‘potentially flawless’, or at least ‘potentially internally flawless’, which means that some minor ‘naturals’ and ‘extra facets’ as well as a small ‘feather’ and some ‘bruises’ could easily be removed with insignificant loss of weight. The color has been defined as ‘light blue, natural color’, though in the 1909 auction catalogue it was said to be capable of changing from pale blue to aquamarine depending on the light.
The Romantic Movement In France
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
2
While Géricault, Delacroix, and other ‘Romantics’ were liberating the painting of history, poetry, and real life from the trammels of Classicism, another group of French painters was engaged in rescuing landscape painting from the deadness and artificiality which had overtaken it since the days of Poussin and Claude Lorrain.
Among the earliest of the French artists to paint Nature as she is, and not as the pedantic ‘classics’ thought she ought to be, was Jean Bapiste Camille Corot (1796-1875). Born in Paris, the son of a small linen-draper having a shop in the Rue de Bac, Corot was for eight years a commercial traveler in the cloth trade. It was not till he was twenty-six that he was reluctantly allowed by his family to abandon trade and devote himself to painting. His father made him an allowance of sixty pounds a year, and till he was nearing fifty this was practically all Corot had to live upon.
In 1822 he entered the studio of Victor Bertin (1775-1825), a painter of classical landscape so successful in his day that the French Government, attracted by his own work and that of his pupils, created a new Prix de Rome for Landscape Painting. This prize was usually carried off by Bertin’s pupils, who thus came to regard Rome as the finishing school of their artistic education. The turning-point in Corot’s life came in 1826, when he also went to Rome, and there he formed a friendship with another French painter, Aligny (1798-1871), who had some influence on his early efforts. Aligny, though a classical painter, had a much more honest feeling for Nature than most of his kind, and though his pictures are rigid in execution they show unusual carefulness in composition and detail. The early Roman paintings of Corot are distinguished by precise drawing, careful composition, and a deliberate soberness of detail, but they also have a lovely limpidity of color unequalled in the work of his contemporaries and a delicate feeling for light and air. Breaking away from the brown convention of his day, Corot painted southern landscape and architectural subjects in delicate tints of pale blues and greens, light biscuit-color and pearly greys.
For some seven or eight years Corot remained in Italy, gradually forming a style which was absolutely his own and in which, while remaining true to the actual facts of Nature, he expressed her most poetical aspects. Occasionally he also painted pictures with small figures, and these, with their precision and delicate color and subtle lighting, were nearer akin to the Dutch style of Vermeer and other seventeenth-century masters than to the accepted styles of Italian figure painting.
It is strange to think that the paintings of Corot—for which millionaires now eagerly offer thousands of pounds—were for long years utterly neglected by his contemporaries. He exhibited regularly in the Paris Salon from 1827, but his exhibits aroused neither censure nor admiration—they were simply ignored. For thirty years he never sold a picture. The first critic to notice his work was the poet Alfred de Musset, who praised his picture in the Salon of 1836, but with the exception of two favorable notices received in 1837 and 1847, he was generally as neglected by the press as by the public. It was not till he was sixty that Corot began to capture the attention of the critics and collectors.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
2
While Géricault, Delacroix, and other ‘Romantics’ were liberating the painting of history, poetry, and real life from the trammels of Classicism, another group of French painters was engaged in rescuing landscape painting from the deadness and artificiality which had overtaken it since the days of Poussin and Claude Lorrain.
Among the earliest of the French artists to paint Nature as she is, and not as the pedantic ‘classics’ thought she ought to be, was Jean Bapiste Camille Corot (1796-1875). Born in Paris, the son of a small linen-draper having a shop in the Rue de Bac, Corot was for eight years a commercial traveler in the cloth trade. It was not till he was twenty-six that he was reluctantly allowed by his family to abandon trade and devote himself to painting. His father made him an allowance of sixty pounds a year, and till he was nearing fifty this was practically all Corot had to live upon.
In 1822 he entered the studio of Victor Bertin (1775-1825), a painter of classical landscape so successful in his day that the French Government, attracted by his own work and that of his pupils, created a new Prix de Rome for Landscape Painting. This prize was usually carried off by Bertin’s pupils, who thus came to regard Rome as the finishing school of their artistic education. The turning-point in Corot’s life came in 1826, when he also went to Rome, and there he formed a friendship with another French painter, Aligny (1798-1871), who had some influence on his early efforts. Aligny, though a classical painter, had a much more honest feeling for Nature than most of his kind, and though his pictures are rigid in execution they show unusual carefulness in composition and detail. The early Roman paintings of Corot are distinguished by precise drawing, careful composition, and a deliberate soberness of detail, but they also have a lovely limpidity of color unequalled in the work of his contemporaries and a delicate feeling for light and air. Breaking away from the brown convention of his day, Corot painted southern landscape and architectural subjects in delicate tints of pale blues and greens, light biscuit-color and pearly greys.
For some seven or eight years Corot remained in Italy, gradually forming a style which was absolutely his own and in which, while remaining true to the actual facts of Nature, he expressed her most poetical aspects. Occasionally he also painted pictures with small figures, and these, with their precision and delicate color and subtle lighting, were nearer akin to the Dutch style of Vermeer and other seventeenth-century masters than to the accepted styles of Italian figure painting.
It is strange to think that the paintings of Corot—for which millionaires now eagerly offer thousands of pounds—were for long years utterly neglected by his contemporaries. He exhibited regularly in the Paris Salon from 1827, but his exhibits aroused neither censure nor admiration—they were simply ignored. For thirty years he never sold a picture. The first critic to notice his work was the poet Alfred de Musset, who praised his picture in the Salon of 1836, but with the exception of two favorable notices received in 1837 and 1847, he was generally as neglected by the press as by the public. It was not till he was sixty that Corot began to capture the attention of the critics and collectors.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
Natural vs. Synthetic Authenticity
The insightful article Synthetic Authenticity, by John Cloud was extremely useful + I think authentic words have natural meaning + in the gemstone industry there is a saying: 'Genuine people like genuine stones.'
Useful link:
www.strategichorizons.com
Useful link:
www.strategichorizons.com
Monday, March 17, 2008
Perfume Posse
I found a lot of interesting facts about perfumes via www.perfumeposse.com + the jargons used to define and describe the different qualities were intriguing because of the subjectivity + similarities with colored stone and diamond grading.
Useful links:
http://sniffapalooza.com
www.sniffapaloozamagazine.com
www.scent-systems.com
Useful links:
http://sniffapalooza.com
www.sniffapaloozamagazine.com
www.scent-systems.com
Copper Story
China is the world's biggest copper user, with consumption expected to reach 5 million tonnes in 2008 + according to industry sources Australians are paying a hefty price for China's pre-Olympic building boom with stopped trains + stolen phone lines + pilfered power cables because organized gangs are stealing copper cabling worth millions of dollars and selling it to China. Shocking!
Useful link:
www.resourceinvestor.com
Useful link:
www.resourceinvestor.com
Leatherheads
Leatherheads is a romantic comedy set in the world of 1920s professional football starring, written, produced and directed by George Clooney + starring John Krasinski and Renée Zellweger.
Useful links:
www.leatherheadsmovie.com
www.clooneystudio.com
Useful links:
www.leatherheadsmovie.com
www.clooneystudio.com
Natural Wine
I found the introduction to natural wine via www.morethanorganic.com educational + useful.
I think the colored gemstone + diamond industry may have a lot to learn from the natural wine industry.
I think the colored gemstone + diamond industry may have a lot to learn from the natural wine industry.
All Rise
All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity by Robert W Fuller is an interesting book that enlightens us with working models of dignity at workplace, personal relationships, to mention a few + it's a new way of thinking + it's direct and simple + read it.
Useful link:
http://breakingranks.net
Useful link:
http://breakingranks.net
Brilliants With Sixfold Symmetry
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
Occasionally Brilliants were fashioned with sixfold instead of the normal eightfold symmetry. In this case, the rough stones must have been dodecahedrons and were fashioned using one of the three-face points as the apex. Unlike diamonds derived from dodecahedrons, with four-face points, part of the top of a sixfold diamond could in theory easily be removed by cleaving. This section could then be used to make a Rose.
An Oval Brilliant with both sixfold and fourfold symmetry is in the Grϋnes Gewölbe, Dresden. This Brilliant, weighing over 10ct has no known pedigree. A close study reveals that it was at one time recut from a Pointed Star Cut with sixfold symmetry. It was given a different pavilion with fourfold symmetry, but the culet is still hexagonal. The refashioning was probably done at the end of the seventeenth century since the height proportions, as in most diamonds derived from dodecahedrons, are comparatively modern, with c.32° crown angles and c.43° pavilion angles.
Occasionally Brilliants were fashioned with sixfold instead of the normal eightfold symmetry. In this case, the rough stones must have been dodecahedrons and were fashioned using one of the three-face points as the apex. Unlike diamonds derived from dodecahedrons, with four-face points, part of the top of a sixfold diamond could in theory easily be removed by cleaving. This section could then be used to make a Rose.
An Oval Brilliant with both sixfold and fourfold symmetry is in the Grϋnes Gewölbe, Dresden. This Brilliant, weighing over 10ct has no known pedigree. A close study reveals that it was at one time recut from a Pointed Star Cut with sixfold symmetry. It was given a different pavilion with fourfold symmetry, but the culet is still hexagonal. The refashioning was probably done at the end of the seventeenth century since the height proportions, as in most diamonds derived from dodecahedrons, are comparatively modern, with c.32° crown angles and c.43° pavilion angles.
The Romantic Movement In France
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
In this picture, which was the real beginning of his lasting fame, Delacroix proved himself to be one of the world’s great colorists, and laid the foundations of the new handling of color which became the greatest pictorial triumph of the nineteenth century. Color in his hands was no dead thing, it became something alive, scintillating and vibrating; his results were obtained not only by the happy choice of invididual tints, but still more by the science with which he knew how to juxtapose one color against another so as to accentuate the brilliancy of each and secure a glowing harmony.
The art of Delacroix is distinguished by three things—its color, its poetry, and its decorative qualities. He turned naturally to Dante, Shakespeare, and Byron for subjects, not so much because they provided him with good themes to illustrate, as because in their poetry he found those passionate ideals and aspirations which animated his own mind. When actual events aroused a similar intensity of emotion, he painted them also. Though usually he eschewed political subjects, the Revolution of July 1830 moved him to paint his famous picture ‘The Barricade,’ now known as ‘Liberty Guiding the People, a picture which is at once a fragment of actuality and the emodiment of an ideal. For this is a true historical picture in so far as it does represent with fidelity a typical incident during the street fighting of the Revolution; and at the same time the heroine of the barricade, with her Phrygian cap, streaming tricolor, and musket, is an allegory of Libery, liberty for the people and liberty for art. Exhibited in the Salon of 1831 this picture perplexed the authorities, who could neither deny its excellence as a work of art nor altogether approve of its firebrand politics. The Director of Fine Arts temporarily solved the problem by purchasing the picture for the nation, and then turning its face to the wall! Today the picture is one of the chief treasures of the French School in the Louvre.
In the same year Delacroix made a journey to Morocco which had a considerable effect on his art, for he delighted alike in the brilliant colors and picturesque costumes of this sunny land, and on his return exhibited a number of pictures of Eastern subjects, which were enthusiastically received, and, inspiring other artists to do likewise, he gave birth to a school of artists known as the ‘Orientalists.’ Delacroix himself, however, was too big and varied a genius to confine himself to one subject, and having given a lead to the Orientalists he now devoted much of his time to decorative painting.
Though regarded by his great rival Ingres and by the classical painters as a revolutionary, Delacroix was full of respect for tradition, only whereas David and Ingres adhered to the tradition of Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci, Géricault and Delacroix upheld the tradition of Michael Angelo, Titian, Veronese, and Rubens. Though his own researches into color were perhaps his most valuable legacy to the art of France, the intention of Delacroix was not to break with the tradition but to bring back the color and methods of the old masters into modern painting. The romanticism of Delacroix was a half-way house between the old Classicism and the Realism that was coming, and as he in his youth had challenged the position of Ingres and the Classicists, so in his later years his own romanticism was challenged by Courbet the Realist.
Owing to this long battle between the classics and the romantics, the doors of the Academy were closed against Delacroix for five-and-thirty years, and it was not till he was sixty—and so barred by age from holding a professorship a the Ecole des Beaux Arts—the he was at last admitted as a member of the Institute. The artist did not long enjoy the distinction, for he died at Paris in 1863.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
In this picture, which was the real beginning of his lasting fame, Delacroix proved himself to be one of the world’s great colorists, and laid the foundations of the new handling of color which became the greatest pictorial triumph of the nineteenth century. Color in his hands was no dead thing, it became something alive, scintillating and vibrating; his results were obtained not only by the happy choice of invididual tints, but still more by the science with which he knew how to juxtapose one color against another so as to accentuate the brilliancy of each and secure a glowing harmony.
The art of Delacroix is distinguished by three things—its color, its poetry, and its decorative qualities. He turned naturally to Dante, Shakespeare, and Byron for subjects, not so much because they provided him with good themes to illustrate, as because in their poetry he found those passionate ideals and aspirations which animated his own mind. When actual events aroused a similar intensity of emotion, he painted them also. Though usually he eschewed political subjects, the Revolution of July 1830 moved him to paint his famous picture ‘The Barricade,’ now known as ‘Liberty Guiding the People, a picture which is at once a fragment of actuality and the emodiment of an ideal. For this is a true historical picture in so far as it does represent with fidelity a typical incident during the street fighting of the Revolution; and at the same time the heroine of the barricade, with her Phrygian cap, streaming tricolor, and musket, is an allegory of Libery, liberty for the people and liberty for art. Exhibited in the Salon of 1831 this picture perplexed the authorities, who could neither deny its excellence as a work of art nor altogether approve of its firebrand politics. The Director of Fine Arts temporarily solved the problem by purchasing the picture for the nation, and then turning its face to the wall! Today the picture is one of the chief treasures of the French School in the Louvre.
In the same year Delacroix made a journey to Morocco which had a considerable effect on his art, for he delighted alike in the brilliant colors and picturesque costumes of this sunny land, and on his return exhibited a number of pictures of Eastern subjects, which were enthusiastically received, and, inspiring other artists to do likewise, he gave birth to a school of artists known as the ‘Orientalists.’ Delacroix himself, however, was too big and varied a genius to confine himself to one subject, and having given a lead to the Orientalists he now devoted much of his time to decorative painting.
Though regarded by his great rival Ingres and by the classical painters as a revolutionary, Delacroix was full of respect for tradition, only whereas David and Ingres adhered to the tradition of Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci, Géricault and Delacroix upheld the tradition of Michael Angelo, Titian, Veronese, and Rubens. Though his own researches into color were perhaps his most valuable legacy to the art of France, the intention of Delacroix was not to break with the tradition but to bring back the color and methods of the old masters into modern painting. The romanticism of Delacroix was a half-way house between the old Classicism and the Realism that was coming, and as he in his youth had challenged the position of Ingres and the Classicists, so in his later years his own romanticism was challenged by Courbet the Realist.
Owing to this long battle between the classics and the romantics, the doors of the Academy were closed against Delacroix for five-and-thirty years, and it was not till he was sixty—and so barred by age from holding a professorship a the Ecole des Beaux Arts—the he was at last admitted as a member of the Institute. The artist did not long enjoy the distinction, for he died at Paris in 1863.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Designed For Pleasure
Designed for Pleasure: The World of Edo Japan in Prints and Paintings, 1680-1860 is @ Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue, at 70th Street, New York, U.S.A, Part 1, through March 30, 2008; Part 2, April 4 to May 4, 2008.
Useful links:
www.asiasociety.org
www.takashimurakami.com
Useful links:
www.asiasociety.org
www.takashimurakami.com
Wood Chips Into Ethanol
I found the concept of turning wood chips (a type of bacteria that helps termites digest wood could be key to making ethanol cheaply from wood and grass) into fuel intriguing + the startup ZeaChem believes they have developed a unique biorefinery technology using combinations of biochemical and thermochemical processing to produce ethanol more efficiently.
Useful link:
www.zeachem.com
Useful link:
www.zeachem.com
R.E.M Update
R.E.M fans will now be able to get free access to download their latest album through the social-networking application iLike, starting on March 24, 2008.
Useful links:
www.remhq.com
www.ilike.com
Useful links:
www.remhq.com
www.ilike.com
Cassandra's Dream
Cassandra's Dream is a suspense film directed by Woody Allen, starring Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell + it's about two brothers with serious financial woes, in the end they lose everything in strange ways + I've been a Woody Allen fan for a long time, and his movies are always driven by characters, which I like.
Useful links:
www.cassandrasdreammovie.com
www.woodyallen.com
Useful links:
www.cassandrasdreammovie.com
www.woodyallen.com
Diamond Price Speculation
The world-record high prices on quality diamonds is rather interesting because this has happened before + the dealers tend to have short memories or they may be going through momentary autism, or they may never learn from past mistakes, or is it pump and dump, I really don't know, but I found the article @ http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL126151820080312 educational + insightful + now on the dangers of speculative pricing by dealers -- you be the judge!
Cultured Pearl Association Of America
Check out the videos of 5th Annual Tahitian Pearl Trophy Ceremony at New York City's Rockefeller Center Hotel Club Quarters @ Cultured Pearl Association of America
Useful link:
www.cpaa.org
Useful link:
www.cpaa.org
The Panic Of 1907
The book The Panic of 1907: Lessons Learned from the Market's Perfect Storm by Robert F. Bruner + Sean D. Carr is a great read and timely + it's a unique study in human behavior + it's easy-to-read and insightful + gem & jewelry & art dealers should read it.
Door-to-Door Sales: The Forgotten Channel
Door-to-Door Sales: The Forgotten Channel by Dylan Bolden and Tom Lutz suggest two ways to sell even more: squeezing salespeople more efficiently, by creating denser sales territories, closer to their homes; and putting more 'feet on the street', either by contracting out or by building a robust in-house recruitment, retention and training system.
Useful link:
www.bcg.com
I think it is vital to get the incentive structure right; who knows, the concept could be applicable in the gem & jewelry sector.
Useful link:
www.bcg.com
I think it is vital to get the incentive structure right; who knows, the concept could be applicable in the gem & jewelry sector.
The Gradual Recutting Of An Indian Table Cut
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
In the Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier there is an illustration of the fourth diamond that Tavernier sold to Louis XIV when he returned from his last voyage in 1669. At this point the stone weighed 51 9/16 ct. From Taverniers sketches it was impossible to produce a plausible side view of the gem with the recut Brilliant inscribed. But when I inverted the pictures, as Barbot (1858) and Kluge (1860) had done, the solution became immediately obvious. The first recutting (delivered by Alvarez in 1678) involved a loss of only about 9 ct—from 51 9/16 to 42 10/16 ct. At this stage the crown was only ‘brillianteered’—that is, the forty smallest facets were applied and polished—and the bulky pavilion was left untouched. The 1691 inventory described the stone as cut ‘à facettes, à la mode’, omitting the phrase ‘des deux côtés’.
The gem was finally transformed into a well-made Brilliant in 1786, when most of the old French Crown diamonds were refashioned in Antwerp. Now it weighed only 26¾ ct and was described as ‘un très grand diamant brilliant, forme carrée, coins émousses, de bonne eau, et net’.
In the Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier there is an illustration of the fourth diamond that Tavernier sold to Louis XIV when he returned from his last voyage in 1669. At this point the stone weighed 51 9/16 ct. From Taverniers sketches it was impossible to produce a plausible side view of the gem with the recut Brilliant inscribed. But when I inverted the pictures, as Barbot (1858) and Kluge (1860) had done, the solution became immediately obvious. The first recutting (delivered by Alvarez in 1678) involved a loss of only about 9 ct—from 51 9/16 to 42 10/16 ct. At this stage the crown was only ‘brillianteered’—that is, the forty smallest facets were applied and polished—and the bulky pavilion was left untouched. The 1691 inventory described the stone as cut ‘à facettes, à la mode’, omitting the phrase ‘des deux côtés’.
The gem was finally transformed into a well-made Brilliant in 1786, when most of the old French Crown diamonds were refashioned in Antwerp. Now it weighed only 26¾ ct and was described as ‘un très grand diamant brilliant, forme carrée, coins émousses, de bonne eau, et net’.
The Romantic Movement In France
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
These methods of painting—though afterwards employed by the Pre-Raphaelites—were then a complete innovation in painting, and the painting was so novel in conception, so contrary to the received ideas of the time, that when it was at length completed and shown in the Salon of 1819 it was at first greeted with nothing but abuse. Nevertheless, this picture marks a turning-point in the history of French painting; it brought strong feeling and pulsating life into the barren and frozen official art, and gave new ideals to the younger generation.
At the time the genius of Géricault was more highly appreciated in England than in France, and after the exhibition of his masterpiece the artist visited London, where his drawings and paintings of horses were intensely admired, and Géricault did signal service to the art of both countries by returning to Paris full of praise for the painting of Bonington and Constable, whose pictures he introduced to and made known in Paris. Unfortunately for the world this great genius was short-lived. Early in 1823 he was stricken down by a mortal illness, and after eleven months of terrible suffering, borne with fortitude and composure, he died in January 1824 at the early age of thirty-three. His place at the head of the Romantic School was taken by Delacroix, who had been his friend and fellow student in the studio of Guérin.
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was born at Charenton in 1798, but spent his early years at Marseilles, where he gained that love of vivid color and bright sunshine which afterwards distinguished his paiting. His father, an ex-foreign minister under the Directory and subsequently prefect of Marseilles and Bordeaux, did not take kindly to the idea of his son becoming a painter, but he died before his son came of age, and Eugène Delacroix then found shelter with a married sister in Paris, where he overcame family opposition and was allowed to study art.
His father, however, had left him penniless, and the young artist was so poor that in 1822, after painting his first great picture ‘The Barque of Dante,’ he could not afford to buy a frame, but sent the canvas to the Salon surrounded by four laths which he had colored with yellow powder. There it was seen by Baron Gros, who generously recognized the great talent of the poor artist, and not only persuaded the administration to give the picture a handsome new frame, but hung it in a place of honor in the Salon Carré.
‘The Barque of Dante’ made the painter famous at once, and did not offend the Classicists. Gross said the picture was ‘Rubens reformed,’ and paternally advised the artist. ‘Come to us; we will teach you how to draw.’ Delacroix was grateful to Gros for his kindness, but went his own way, and two years later he shocked the Classicists and delighted te Romantics by his picture ‘The Massacre of Scio.’
It will be remembered that Constable’s ‘Hay Wain’ was exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1824, and when Delacroix saw it he was so overwhelmed by its color that he obtained permission to retouch his own ‘Massacre of Scio’. In a fortnight he completely repainted this picture, using the purest and most vivid colors he could find, with the result that it now became as brilliant in color as it had already been in action and movement. The turbulent energy in this painting was too much for the Classicists, and Gros, playing on the title, said, ‘This is the massacre of painting.’ On the other hand, enthusiastic young critics lauded the picture with extravagant praise, one of them asserting that it showed up ‘all the horror of despotism’ in art as in life.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
These methods of painting—though afterwards employed by the Pre-Raphaelites—were then a complete innovation in painting, and the painting was so novel in conception, so contrary to the received ideas of the time, that when it was at length completed and shown in the Salon of 1819 it was at first greeted with nothing but abuse. Nevertheless, this picture marks a turning-point in the history of French painting; it brought strong feeling and pulsating life into the barren and frozen official art, and gave new ideals to the younger generation.
At the time the genius of Géricault was more highly appreciated in England than in France, and after the exhibition of his masterpiece the artist visited London, where his drawings and paintings of horses were intensely admired, and Géricault did signal service to the art of both countries by returning to Paris full of praise for the painting of Bonington and Constable, whose pictures he introduced to and made known in Paris. Unfortunately for the world this great genius was short-lived. Early in 1823 he was stricken down by a mortal illness, and after eleven months of terrible suffering, borne with fortitude and composure, he died in January 1824 at the early age of thirty-three. His place at the head of the Romantic School was taken by Delacroix, who had been his friend and fellow student in the studio of Guérin.
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was born at Charenton in 1798, but spent his early years at Marseilles, where he gained that love of vivid color and bright sunshine which afterwards distinguished his paiting. His father, an ex-foreign minister under the Directory and subsequently prefect of Marseilles and Bordeaux, did not take kindly to the idea of his son becoming a painter, but he died before his son came of age, and Eugène Delacroix then found shelter with a married sister in Paris, where he overcame family opposition and was allowed to study art.
His father, however, had left him penniless, and the young artist was so poor that in 1822, after painting his first great picture ‘The Barque of Dante,’ he could not afford to buy a frame, but sent the canvas to the Salon surrounded by four laths which he had colored with yellow powder. There it was seen by Baron Gros, who generously recognized the great talent of the poor artist, and not only persuaded the administration to give the picture a handsome new frame, but hung it in a place of honor in the Salon Carré.
‘The Barque of Dante’ made the painter famous at once, and did not offend the Classicists. Gross said the picture was ‘Rubens reformed,’ and paternally advised the artist. ‘Come to us; we will teach you how to draw.’ Delacroix was grateful to Gros for his kindness, but went his own way, and two years later he shocked the Classicists and delighted te Romantics by his picture ‘The Massacre of Scio.’
It will be remembered that Constable’s ‘Hay Wain’ was exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1824, and when Delacroix saw it he was so overwhelmed by its color that he obtained permission to retouch his own ‘Massacre of Scio’. In a fortnight he completely repainted this picture, using the purest and most vivid colors he could find, with the result that it now became as brilliant in color as it had already been in action and movement. The turbulent energy in this painting was too much for the Classicists, and Gros, playing on the title, said, ‘This is the massacre of painting.’ On the other hand, enthusiastic young critics lauded the picture with extravagant praise, one of them asserting that it showed up ‘all the horror of despotism’ in art as in life.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Mobile UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
The portable UV-Vis Spectrophotometer is an important analytical gemological instrument that provides high resolution absorption + photoluminescence spectrums that are useful in identifying causes of color in diamonds + treated colored diamonds + origin determination of colored stones + pearl color authenticity + it's reliable and user-friendly.
Useful link:
www.oceanoptics.com
Useful link:
www.oceanoptics.com
Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki, a well-known Silicon Valley entrepreneur, launched of his second media startup, Alltop, at South by Southwest + his business models are unique and inspiring.
Useful links:
http://sxsw.com
http://alltop.com
http://truemors.com
www.garage.com
Useful links:
http://sxsw.com
http://alltop.com
http://truemors.com
www.garage.com
The Cheating Brain
Mary Carmichael's article His Cheating Brain @ http://www.newsweek.com/id/121492 was insightful because I have come across people in the gem & jewelry & art sector with similar traits and I have always wondered how to categorize them with a sweet jargon + I liked the term 'sensation seeker' + I might add sensation seeker with corrosive phenomenal effects + the writer was spot on.
Jewelry Market Update
According to industry analysts Italian jewelers are concerned by the economic slowdown in the United States, which is the most important export market for Italian producers + the rising prices of precious metals + volatile currencies have also added to the uncertainities.
Useful link:
www.cpsarezzo.it
I think jewelry companies in the Far East + South Asia + Southest Asia + the Middle East are also concerned like the Italians by the economic slowdown in the United States + in my view the only way to survive is to focus on quality + uniqueness of products.
Useful link:
www.cpsarezzo.it
I think jewelry companies in the Far East + South Asia + Southest Asia + the Middle East are also concerned like the Italians by the economic slowdown in the United States + in my view the only way to survive is to focus on quality + uniqueness of products.
The Coen Brothers
I am intrigued by the inventive + artistic talents of The Coen Brothers (Joel directs + Ethan produces) + together they have created memorable films I like.
Useful links:
www.coenbrothers.net
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coen_Brothers
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001054/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001053/
Useful links:
www.coenbrothers.net
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coen_Brothers
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001054/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001053/
Functional Chocolate
According to Barry Callebaut, nearly a quarter of Western consumers are increasingly interested in chocolate (s) with physical or emotional health benefits + these include Acticoa, a cocoa powder that contains a high level of the antioxidant polyphenols, pro-biotic chocolate for gut health, and a tooth-friendly chocolate made with isomaltulose, a natural constituent of honey and sugar cane.
Useful links:
www.barry-callebaut.com
www.euromonitor.com
www.foodproductiondaily.com
http://www.hawaiianchocolate.com/chocolate_tales_marijuana.html
A lesson for the gem & jewelry & art sector! Are there any diamond (s), colored stone (s) jewelry or art works that provide emotional benefits? Over to you.
Useful links:
www.barry-callebaut.com
www.euromonitor.com
www.foodproductiondaily.com
http://www.hawaiianchocolate.com/chocolate_tales_marijuana.html
A lesson for the gem & jewelry & art sector! Are there any diamond (s), colored stone (s) jewelry or art works that provide emotional benefits? Over to you.
Certifigate: Upgrading The Jennifer Lopez Pink
Chaim Even Zohar writes about the colors of certifigate + the lack of universal nomenclature on the wording of the various color grades + the GIA monopoly on color grades + the consumer's dilema + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp
Chaim Even Zohar is the 'natural' voice--not only for the trade but also for the consumers + he has written vividly as to what goes on behind the scene + at times I wonder whether the concept of diamond grading is an idiot's game + the consumer is but one of the victims of GIA’s certifigate + the far greatest damage was done – and still is being done + as he rightly put it, in the small colored goods community, it had become apparent that if you didn’t play the game and were out of favor with the GIA’s power brokers, you really had no chance of staying in the business. Shocking!
Chaim Even Zohar is the 'natural' voice--not only for the trade but also for the consumers + he has written vividly as to what goes on behind the scene + at times I wonder whether the concept of diamond grading is an idiot's game + the consumer is but one of the victims of GIA’s certifigate + the far greatest damage was done – and still is being done + as he rightly put it, in the small colored goods community, it had become apparent that if you didn’t play the game and were out of favor with the GIA’s power brokers, you really had no chance of staying in the business. Shocking!
The Global Business Leader
The book The Global Business Leader: Practical Advice for Success in a Transcultural Marketplace by J. Frank Brown is full of fantastic business advice + I believe his ideas are not only timely but spot on.
Useful link:
http://knowledge.insead.edu/contents/FrankBrown.cfm
Useful link:
http://knowledge.insead.edu/contents/FrankBrown.cfm
John Mawe’s Blunders
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
For many years I wondered who had first introduced the idea that, for a Brilliant to be correctly shaped, it was desirable that it should have an overall height equal to its wideth. Then I came across the following passage from the second edition of John Mawe’s Treatise on Diamonds: ‘The rule to be adopted in regulating the height of the brilliant is (supposing the stone to be a regular octahedron), to divide it into eighteen parts. Five-eighteenths are cut away to form the table, and one-eighteenth for the collet, which will reduce the height one-third, and the diameter of the collet will be one-fifth of the table. If these distances are preserved, the collet will play in the center of every facet, but if there is any variation, it will play higher or lower, and greatly diminish the intensity of luster...’
Mawe cannot have meant an octahedron, but rather a bipyramid reduced in advance to a shape with an overall height equal to its width—he goes on to repeat the rules of Jeffries and to give additional proof, both in his illustration of a correctly proportioned Brilliant and in his own text: ‘the inclination of the facets to the girdle ought to be 45°, and the bizel should be inclined to the table at the supplement of the same angle.’ His first statement is an obvious misprint or oversight, yet no writer appears to have noticed it, not even Paul Grodzinski who, in his reprinted edition of Mawe’s Treatise, comments on a number of other details but not on this. Many other writers have simply accepted the error, believing that Mawe was referring to early Brilliant Cuts with octehedral main angles. But it is obvious that a stone of this sort could have been fashioned only in the very rare instances where the rough stone was a regular octahedron. No cutter would ever have started fashioning a stone by transforming an irregular crystal into an octahedral shape, thereby considerably reducing its weight. The old rules remained in force and no changes in standard proportions were made until the late nineteenth century.
Of course, cutters did not always observe the rules for ideal proportions, but even the earliest Square Cut Brilliants were hardly likely to be fashioned from octahedral rough; for the most part they were refashionings of obselete cuts. If an old square-shaped Point or Table Cut displayed satisfying light effects, the gem was simply faceted into a Brilliant without changing the proportions. It is possible, presumably, that such recuts may occasionally have served as prototypes for fashioning directly from octehedral rough.
For many years I wondered who had first introduced the idea that, for a Brilliant to be correctly shaped, it was desirable that it should have an overall height equal to its wideth. Then I came across the following passage from the second edition of John Mawe’s Treatise on Diamonds: ‘The rule to be adopted in regulating the height of the brilliant is (supposing the stone to be a regular octahedron), to divide it into eighteen parts. Five-eighteenths are cut away to form the table, and one-eighteenth for the collet, which will reduce the height one-third, and the diameter of the collet will be one-fifth of the table. If these distances are preserved, the collet will play in the center of every facet, but if there is any variation, it will play higher or lower, and greatly diminish the intensity of luster...’
Mawe cannot have meant an octahedron, but rather a bipyramid reduced in advance to a shape with an overall height equal to its width—he goes on to repeat the rules of Jeffries and to give additional proof, both in his illustration of a correctly proportioned Brilliant and in his own text: ‘the inclination of the facets to the girdle ought to be 45°, and the bizel should be inclined to the table at the supplement of the same angle.’ His first statement is an obvious misprint or oversight, yet no writer appears to have noticed it, not even Paul Grodzinski who, in his reprinted edition of Mawe’s Treatise, comments on a number of other details but not on this. Many other writers have simply accepted the error, believing that Mawe was referring to early Brilliant Cuts with octehedral main angles. But it is obvious that a stone of this sort could have been fashioned only in the very rare instances where the rough stone was a regular octahedron. No cutter would ever have started fashioning a stone by transforming an irregular crystal into an octahedral shape, thereby considerably reducing its weight. The old rules remained in force and no changes in standard proportions were made until the late nineteenth century.
Of course, cutters did not always observe the rules for ideal proportions, but even the earliest Square Cut Brilliants were hardly likely to be fashioned from octahedral rough; for the most part they were refashionings of obselete cuts. If an old square-shaped Point or Table Cut displayed satisfying light effects, the gem was simply faceted into a Brilliant without changing the proportions. It is possible, presumably, that such recuts may occasionally have served as prototypes for fashioning directly from octehedral rough.
The Romantic Movement In France
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
The Art of Delacroix, Gericault, Corot, Millet, And The Barbizon School
1
Some thirty years before the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood began its triumphant fight in England for the free expression of new ideals in art, a similar struggle between old and new schools of artists was waged with extraordinary vehemence in France. We saw how under the Revolution and the Empire a cold Classicism was the dominating tendency in French painting, and how gradually there arose among the younger artists a reaction against this traditional art. The spirit of unrest, which profoundly agitated France after the restoration of the Bourbons and culminated in the revolutionary explosion of 1848, first began to show itself in the art and literature of the younger generation. On one hand were the defenders of tradition, of the ‘grand style’ of Academic painting, defenders of the classic ideal based on the sculpture of ancient Greece and Rome; on the other were ardent young reformers, intoxicated with the color and movement of life itself, who found their inspiration, not in the classics, but in romantic literature, in Dante, Shakespeare, Goethe, Byron, and Sir Walter Scott. Passion, movement, the imaginative expression of life were the aims of this group of artists, who became known as the Romantics.
‘Who will deliver us from the Greeks and Romans?’ was a catchword among the young enthusiasts who found more beauty in life and Nature than in the masterpieces of ancient sculpture. The deliverer was found in the ranks of the reactionaries, in a young artist who was the pupil of Guérin the classicist. Jean Louis André Théodore Géricault was born at Rouen in 1791 and came to Paris about 1806, studying first with Carle Vernet and afterwards with Guérin. His method of drawing was so different from that approved by the school of David, that it exasperated his ‘correct’ and academic master, who told Géricault he had better give up art because it was evident he would never succeed in it.
One day as Géricault was walking along a road near St. Cloud, a dapple-grey horse in a cart turned restive and plunged about in the sunshine. Géricault whipped out his sketch-book and jotted down notes of the movement of the animal and the play of light and shade on his dappled coat, and these notes gave him the idea of a great picture. He would paint an equestrian portrait, not the stiff image of a man on a wooden horse, but a vivid presentment of the plunging, sun-illumined animal he had seen. He persuaded his friend Lieutenant Dieudonné to pose for the rider, and he had a cab-horse brought round each morning that he might freshen his eye with the points of the horse. Working with the highest enthusiasm and energy Géricault, in the space of a fortnight, produced his ‘Officier des Chasseurs à Cheval,’ now in Louvre. This picture created a sensation in the Paris Salon of 1812.
Two years afterwards Géricault repeated his success with a companion picture, ‘The Wounded Cuirassier,’ and after a short period of military service—when he had further opportunities of studying his favorite equine models—he went in 1817 to Italy, where he ‘trembled’ before the works of Michael Angleo, who henceforward became his inspiration and idol.
When Géricault returned to France in 1818, he found all Paris talking about nothing but a naval disaster of two years earlier, an account of which had just been published by two of the survivors. The drama of the shipwreck of the Medusa seized upon the imagination of the artist, who determined to make it the subject of a picture. He spent months in collecting material for this work. He found the carpenter of the Medusa and induced him to make a model of the famous raft by which the survivors were saved. He spent days in hospitals studying the effects of illness and suffering. He persuaded two of the surviving officers of the ship to give him sittings, and painted one leaning against the mast and the other holding out his two arms towards the rescuing ship on the horizon. All his models were taken from life, and it is interesting to note that his friend, the famous artist Eugène Delacroix, posed for the man who lies inert on the left with his head against the edge of the raft.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
The Art of Delacroix, Gericault, Corot, Millet, And The Barbizon School
1
Some thirty years before the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood began its triumphant fight in England for the free expression of new ideals in art, a similar struggle between old and new schools of artists was waged with extraordinary vehemence in France. We saw how under the Revolution and the Empire a cold Classicism was the dominating tendency in French painting, and how gradually there arose among the younger artists a reaction against this traditional art. The spirit of unrest, which profoundly agitated France after the restoration of the Bourbons and culminated in the revolutionary explosion of 1848, first began to show itself in the art and literature of the younger generation. On one hand were the defenders of tradition, of the ‘grand style’ of Academic painting, defenders of the classic ideal based on the sculpture of ancient Greece and Rome; on the other were ardent young reformers, intoxicated with the color and movement of life itself, who found their inspiration, not in the classics, but in romantic literature, in Dante, Shakespeare, Goethe, Byron, and Sir Walter Scott. Passion, movement, the imaginative expression of life were the aims of this group of artists, who became known as the Romantics.
‘Who will deliver us from the Greeks and Romans?’ was a catchword among the young enthusiasts who found more beauty in life and Nature than in the masterpieces of ancient sculpture. The deliverer was found in the ranks of the reactionaries, in a young artist who was the pupil of Guérin the classicist. Jean Louis André Théodore Géricault was born at Rouen in 1791 and came to Paris about 1806, studying first with Carle Vernet and afterwards with Guérin. His method of drawing was so different from that approved by the school of David, that it exasperated his ‘correct’ and academic master, who told Géricault he had better give up art because it was evident he would never succeed in it.
One day as Géricault was walking along a road near St. Cloud, a dapple-grey horse in a cart turned restive and plunged about in the sunshine. Géricault whipped out his sketch-book and jotted down notes of the movement of the animal and the play of light and shade on his dappled coat, and these notes gave him the idea of a great picture. He would paint an equestrian portrait, not the stiff image of a man on a wooden horse, but a vivid presentment of the plunging, sun-illumined animal he had seen. He persuaded his friend Lieutenant Dieudonné to pose for the rider, and he had a cab-horse brought round each morning that he might freshen his eye with the points of the horse. Working with the highest enthusiasm and energy Géricault, in the space of a fortnight, produced his ‘Officier des Chasseurs à Cheval,’ now in Louvre. This picture created a sensation in the Paris Salon of 1812.
Two years afterwards Géricault repeated his success with a companion picture, ‘The Wounded Cuirassier,’ and after a short period of military service—when he had further opportunities of studying his favorite equine models—he went in 1817 to Italy, where he ‘trembled’ before the works of Michael Angleo, who henceforward became his inspiration and idol.
When Géricault returned to France in 1818, he found all Paris talking about nothing but a naval disaster of two years earlier, an account of which had just been published by two of the survivors. The drama of the shipwreck of the Medusa seized upon the imagination of the artist, who determined to make it the subject of a picture. He spent months in collecting material for this work. He found the carpenter of the Medusa and induced him to make a model of the famous raft by which the survivors were saved. He spent days in hospitals studying the effects of illness and suffering. He persuaded two of the surviving officers of the ship to give him sittings, and painted one leaning against the mast and the other holding out his two arms towards the rescuing ship on the horizon. All his models were taken from life, and it is interesting to note that his friend, the famous artist Eugène Delacroix, posed for the man who lies inert on the left with his head against the edge of the raft.
The Romantic Movement In France (continued)
New Energy Sources
Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming by Fred Krupp + Miriam Horn is an inspiring book full of ideas + I think there will be new start-ups in the energy sector + some of them will be very lucky!
Useful link:
www.edf.org
Useful link:
www.edf.org
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