Gem Lab Update

- Clarity treated diamonds
- About the extreme hardness of some diamonds
- Two fascinating synthetic rubies
http://www.gemlab.net/website/gemlab/fileadmin/user_upload/Research/Gemlab-Newsletter-03-2009-forPDF.pdf

Useful link:
www.gemlab.net

Interesting ID report.

Burmese Gem Ban Update

Burmese Gemstone Ban: What you need to know.
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/cargo_summary/laws/public_law
http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/legal/statutes/pl110_286_jade_act.pdf

Useful links:
www.cbp.gov
www.jewelers.org
www.jvclegal.org

Rene Goscinny

The boy who is always in trouble
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7968000/7968094.stm

Useful links:
www.goscinny.net
www.asterix.com
www.phaidon.com/nicholas
www.petitnicolas.com

I loved it.

El Hierro

Island nears energy independence
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7951286.stm

Useful link:
www.canary-tech.org

Inspiring and do-able.

Dalan Hargrave

Dalan Hargrave is an award-winning gemstone artist. I am completely awe struck by the intricacy of detail and innovation in his designs. Check out the link www.gemstarz.com

Heard On The Street

Beware of misinformation regarding gem mine localities. Work closely with your gemstone suppliers to get first-hand information, including fine details on gem treatments and enhancements. Practice full disclosure.

Global Trade

Trade, China and the World Economic Order
http://knowledge.wpcarey.asu.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1761

Interesting perspective. In my view the prospects of economic integration will always be a Catch-22.

Perlas del Mar de Cortez

Fair trade gems are becoming popular with consumers. Learn more about environment-friendly cultured pearls from the Sea of Cortez, in Mexico. Check out the link www.perlas.com.mx

Useful link:
www.fairtradegems.com

Chelsea Visits Havana

Art exhibition fuels US-Cuba thaw
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7970647.stm

Useful links:
www.museonacional.cult.cu
http://pattarrant.com
www.christophdraeger.com

Cultural diplomacy does work.

Precious Religious Metal

Gold glitters in Indian temples
http://www.commodityonline.com/news/Gold-glitters-in-Indian-temples-16433-3-1.html

Analysts say the craze for gold in India has spilled over to temple because people believe that gold is the best and most precious commodity that they can donate to a deity as a form of worship.

Useful links:
www.tirumala.org
www.siddhivinayak.org
www.sripuram.org
www.guruvayurdevaswom.org

Old habits die hard, really.

Joseph J. Romm

Joseph J. Romm is an American author, blogger, physicist and climate expert, who concentrates on methods of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and global warming and increasing energy security through energy efficiency, green energy technologies and green transportation technologies. Check out the link http://climateprogress.org

Useful link:
www.climateworks.org

Bill Cunnigham Viewpoint

The Street Another Facet of Paris
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/28/fashion/20090339-street-feature/index.html?hp#

Mesmerising and terrific colors. Old is gold again, really. Thank you Bill.

Famous Financial Fiascos

Famous Financial Fiascos by John Train is an insightful book offering different lessons. A must read.

It is better to learn from a book than to learn in a bankruptcy court.

- Professor C. Northcote Parkinson

Zimbabwe's Diamond Rush

Zimbabwe's great diamond rush brutally suppressed by Robert Mugabe's regime
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/5055332/Zimbabwes-great-diamond-rush-brutally-suppressed-by-Robert-Mugabes-regime.html

Any reputable diamond dealer will tell you he hasn't got any non-certified stones, but go into a store and ask to see the certificates for every one and it won't be long before you hit one that can't be certified. That said, it's only in the West that the consumer is bothered about the Kimberley Process. Selling illegally mined stones in the Arab world, India or China is a piece of cake.
- Alastair Ford

Useful link:
www.commoditywatchplc.com

Boom to tragedy. Sad, really.

What They Think

James Howard Kunstler, Gerald Celente, Carolyn Baker, John Xenakis, Eric Janszen, and Nouriel Roubini are experts in their own fields, and it's interesting to read what they think is coming next.

- James Howard Kunstler
www.kunstler.com

- Gerald Celente
www.trendsresearch.com

- Carolyn Baker
http://carolynbaker.net

- John J. Xenakis
www.generationaldynamics.com

- Eric Janszen
www.itulip.com

- Nouriel Roubini
www.rgemonitor.com

Gold Rush

Gold Rush: People Rush to Sell Gold Instead of Finding It
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7125707&page=1

Useful links:
www.gemfacts.com
www.getgoldcash.com
www.dollars4gold.ca
www.cash4gold.com
www.jvclegal.org

Interesting story.

Tracking The Credit Crisis: A Timeline

Tracking the Credit Crisis: A Timeline traces the development of the current financial crisis, which is the most severe and complex economic and financial challenge in modern experience. Check out the link www.moaf.org

Genesis Project

Artist R. Crumb has finished his Genesis project, a graphic novel version of Genesis, and is scheduled for release this fall. Check out the link www.crumbproducts.com

Art Market Update

A light-adapted eye
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13395501

Useful links:
www.christies.com
www.davidhockney.com

Great review.

Alain de Botton

In pictures: pleasures and sorrows of work
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7965258.stm

Useful link:
www.alaindebotton.com
www.theschooloflife.com

Interesting/Insightful.

Earth Hour

A global initiative organized by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour is asking people and institutions around the world to turn off their lights for one hour Saturday night — 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. in whatever time zone you’re in — to conserve energy and make a statement of concern about climate change. Just do it.

Useful links:
www.earthhour.org
www.worldwildlife.org

Dan Formosa

Smart Design's Dan Formosa on the Power of People, Simplicity and Gossip
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/alissa-walker/designerati/smart-designs-dan-formosa-power-people-simplicity-and-gossip

Useful links:
www.danformosa.com
www.smartdesignworldwide.com
www.baseballfieldguide.com

Insightful/educational. Great post.

Interactive Fiction

Are computer games a literary genre?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/mortarboard/2009/mar/27/gaming-writing-course

Useful links:
www.douglasadams.com
www.mmorpg.com

Interesting viewpoints. I like interactive fiction (literature + games) if its immersive.

Maira Kalman Viewpoint

Maira Kalman: Moved by Democracy
http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/so-moved

Useful link:
www.mairakalman.com

Beautifully written.

Laurence Graff Luxury

It’s Always Time for Diamonds in This Family of Watches
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/fashion/26iht-ACAWGRAFF.html?_r=1

A ladies watch with the name Graff could really take off if there’s money out there.
- Matthew Morse

Useful links:
www.graffdiamonds.com
www.luxuryinstitute.com

There will always be a market for luxury jewels, really.

Diamond Market Update

Hidden Gem of an Economic Indicator? Diamond Sales
http://www.businessweek.com/investing/insights/blog/archives/2009/03/earlier_today_i.html

Useful link:
www.fabon5th.com

Yes, yes/No, no.

Yogendra Sethi

Meet Yogendra Sethi + his one-of-a-kind artworks
http://yogendrasethi.com

Useful link:
www.nationalartsclub.org

Turner + Italy

In pictures: Turner and Italy
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7960074.stm

Useful link:
www.nationalgalleries.org

A must visit.

The Art Of The Tutorial

The Art of the Tutorial
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2009/03/the-art-of-the-tutorial.html
http://blogs.openforum.com/2009/03/19/the-art-of-the-tutorial

Useful links:
http://ateliertransfert.ca
http://startcooking.com

I enjoyed the presentation. It's effective + simple + immersive.

Design Art Update

The latest design trends
Hugo Franca = www.hugofranca.com
Josef Blersch/Mander Liefting = www.notcot.org
Tord Boontje = www.tordboontje.com
Jasper Morrison = www.jaspermorrison.com

The Jazz Century

An Inspired Riff on 'The Jazz Century'
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123809641615350821.html

Useful link:
www.quaibranly.fr

It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing. Duke was spot on. Thank you Craig.

Mozambique Cuprian Tourmalines

The Complicated History of Mozambique Cuprian 'Paraiba-like' Tourmalines
http://www.agta.org/pressroom/images/200903nf2mozambiquetourmalines.pdf

Useful links:
www.maryjohnsonconsulting.com
www.agta.org

Interesting comments.

Independent Games Festival Awards 2009

Indie game awards showcase future
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7962983.stm

The world is catching on. Game journalists, industry and yes players are beginning to appreciate indie games. The game playing public is beginning to understand that a tiny team with a brilliant vision can make better games than people with a corporate mandate and millions of dollars to spend. The world is realising that as much as they love big budget shooters, they are hungry for new types of experiences.
- Steve Swink
www.flashbangstudios.com

Useful link:
www.igf.com

Great review.

Guide To Fine Gems

The Penny Pincher’s Guide to Fine Gems Between $400 and $900 Retail
http://www.colored-stone.com/stories/mar09/penny-pincher2.cfm

Useful links:
www.johndyergems.com
www.colorfirst.com
www.stuller.com

Great collection of colored stones + the fancy cuts very stunningly beautiful, really.

Chaim Even-Zohar Viewpoint

Financial Kit Bag Questions
http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp

Useful link:
www.diamondintelligence.com
www.dtc.com

Spot on. The current economic tsunami is global and the diamond industry has taken its toll. Companies that lack resources, leadership, and vision to manage through this crisis will go away one way or another.

Skoll World Forum 2009

The 2009 Skoll World Forum will be held at the Said Business School, Oxford, from March 25 - 27, 2009. Check out the link www.skollworldforum.com/forum-2009

Useful link:
www.skollfoundation.org

Gary Hamel Viewpoint

The Facebook Generation vs. the Fortune 500
http://blogs.wsj.com/management/2009/03/24/the-facebook-generation-vs-the-fortune-500

Useful links:
www.garyhamel.com
www.managementlab.org

Spot on. Excellent post. This is a breath of fresh air.

Vanessa Beecroft

Vanessa Beecroft's 'VB65' attempts to force spectators to see Africans differently
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/25/arts/beecroft.php

I wanted to force the Milanese bourgeoisie to enter a private space regulated by the statutes of art, that is the museum, and observe people widely seen as the violators of privacy, people that are seen as different. You need to put something crude on show to provoke a reaction in the public.
- Vanessa Beecroft

Useful links:
www.vanessabeecroft.com
www.pac-milano.org
www.miart.it

What a show!

Jewelry Market Update

US Jewellery Superstore sells at 40-80% discount
http://www.commodityonline.com/goldnews/US-Jewellery-Superstore-sells-at-40-80-discount-2009-03-25-16319-3-1.html

The U.S. jewellery sector is contracting along with the economy, and national and regional chains alike are struggling to stay afloat. The good news for price-conscious consumers is that this trend is creating once-in-a-lifetime buying opportunities. The Henricks Jewelers sale is a perfect example.
- Gary Jorgensen

Useful link:
www.buxbaumgroup.com

We are seeing similar trend in Asia as well.

Sustainable Luxury: New Delhi 2009

Sustainable Luxury: New Delhi 2009
http://www.iht.com/indexes/special/luxury2009/index.php
http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/these-changing-times-iht-sustainable-luxury-conference-2009/?hpw

Interesting perspective. It echoes a number of issues. I hope they do the right thing.

Deutsche Borse Photography Prize 2009

Deutsche Borse Photography Prize
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7939449.stm
http://deutsche-boerse.com/dbag/dispatch/en/kir/gdb_navigation/about_us/30_Art_Collection/25_photography_prize

Useful link:
www.photonet.org.uk

New Amber Collection

Meet Marcin Wesolowski + the company's new buff top amber stones.
www.nac.pl

Stunningly beautiful, really. I liked it.

Pricing HTHP-Treated Diamonds

Identifying and Pricing HTHP-Treated Diamonds
http://www.gemguide.com/news/AGTAMar09HTTP.htm

Natural diamonds may be treated to improve their colorless appearance or to produce a variety of colors. The most common method used today is the High Temperature, High Pressure method, or HTHP. Other methods include irradiation, annealing, and combinations of treatment methods. Because of this, the identification of treated diamonds poses the greatest challenge to the gem labs today.
- Richard B. Drucker

Useful links:
www.gemguide.com
www.agta.org

Great review.

Blue Fluorescent Diamonds

Final Filtration and LEDS: A Four-Prong Solutionto Overgrading Blue Fluorescent Diamonds
http://www.colored-stone.com/stories/mar09/fluorescent-diamonds.cfm

Here are the conclusions Michael Cowing reached on ending the chronic problem of overgrading blue fluorescent diamonds. His study demonstrates that the 'true body color' of a diamond can be easily and accurately graded against master diamonds at normal wearing distance from daylight fluorescent overhead illumination (3 to 4 feet distant) where neither the UV nor 'visible violet' is strong enough to influence the color grade. He offers a four-prong inexpensive combination of solutions involving present and future grading illuminations:
1. The desired grade for a blue fluorescent diamond should be reaffirmed as its 'true body color' defined historically in the diamond trade as that color seen in typical artificial lighting where fluorescence is not stimulated. This color is correctly seen at typical viewing distances from fluorescent and incandescent ceiling lighting—usually covered with some kind of plastic diffuser.
2. Since lab grading is done from about 2 to 10 inches from fluorescent tubes (rather than 3 to 4 feet away where UV has significantly decreased), Cowing recommends the use of a polycarbonate plastic like Lexan as an effective and inexpensive filter to remove UV from 400nm down—without affecting perception of the visible spectrum.
3. To solve the fluorescence whitening caused by 'visible violet' Cowing recommends use of flat-white plastic diffusers which attenuate violet and all visible wavelengths equally, so that fluorescence is not stimulated nor is the diamond’s color altered. Such white diffusers have the added bonus of reducing spectral reflections and glare.
4. In concert with the movement to the 'green' technology of LED lighting, use of white LED lighting such as the investigation’s Dazor LED desk lamp, not only provides inherently, UV-free grading light, but is dimmable without change in color temperature down to 2000-4000lux, so as not to stimulate fluorescence from the visible-violet.
- Michael D. Cowing

An interesting viewpoint on blue fluorescent diamonds. It makes sense.

Thomas Harth Ames

One of the finest opals of any time on public display is a slice of Oregon contra luz engraved by master carver Thomas Harth Ames of Arvada, Colorado. The opal bears the likeness of Mount Hood illuminated by the aurora borealis. It is on display in the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Oregon. Check out the link www.ricenwmuseum.org

Beauty Of Color

The Violent Beauty of Color
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123793427020031141.html

Useful links:
www.metmuseum.org
www.moma.org

Great review.

Maldive Effect

Wisdom of the small

http://www.economist.com/world/international/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13354355

Useful links:

www.marklynas.org

www.carboncommentary.com

www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv

www.maldivesinfo.gov.mv

-

Great idea. I hope it's a do-able project. On a side note, to me Maldives, which is a chain of small coral islands, looked like liquid/crystal inclusions in blue sapphires, really.

Ancient Rock Art

Ancient rock art from around the world
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29844547?pg=1#Tech_8RockArt

God Of Carnage

A fearless approach to funny drama
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/23/arts/carnage.php

Useful links:
www.godofcarnage.com
www.shubertorganization.com

A very interesting play.

Deeper Luxury Report

Deeper Luxury Report by Jem Bendell and Anthony Kleanthous
http://www.wwf.org.uk/deeperluxury/report.html

Useful link:
www.wwf.org.uk/deeperluxury

A must read.

Akiyoshi's Illusion Pages

Akiyoshi Kitaoka's Illusion Pages
http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/index-e.html

Stunningly Brilliant!

New Ventures India

New Ventures India = Sustainable, socially responsible and environmentally beneficial enterprises

Useful link:
www.newventuresindia.org

HeadStart Foundation

HeadStart Foundation = Not-for-profit network of technology entrepreneurs
http://headstart.in

I found the start-up survey in India via LiveMint interesting. Check out the links http://www.livemint.com/2009/03/23214643/Startup-survey-raises-questio.html?h=B
http://www.livemint.com/2009/03/23214643/5060930E-1385-4E93-ADDA-48910B18075EArtVPF.pdf

Aleksander Gliwiñski

Meet Aleksander Gliwiñski + his approach to amber jewelry design/life.
www.aleksandergliwinski.pl

Pearl Commission Viewpoint

The CIBJO Pearl Commission has unanimously voted against the use of the term 'cultured' to describe synthetic diamonds. Check out the link www.cibjo.org

The Differentiated Workforce

The Differentiated Workforce: Transforming Talent into Strategic Impact by Brian E. Becker, Mark A. Huselid, Richard W. Beatty is an interesting book on the idea of human capital + its impact + how to plan for/use talent effectively. A must read.

Useful link:

www.thedifferentiatedworkforce.com

Synthetic Art

The Medium Is the Message
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123784613601418261.html

Useful link:
www.whitney.org

Great review. To me synthetic art = synthetic materials.

Sweatshops

Why Sweatshops Flourish
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6126.html

A big chunk of marketing is around the issue of how we consume to express our identity. Diamonds have no intrinsic value, but they have such great symbolic and cultural value that demand has created environmental destruction and wars.
- Neeru Paharia

I completely agree. A very timely and informative study.

Kuniyoshi Project

Utagawa Kuniyoshi at the Royal Academy: Manga master of the 19th century
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2009/mar/23/art-exhibition?picture=344945122

Useful links:
www.kuniyoshiproject.com
www.royalacademy.org.uk

Random Thoughts

It's a beautiful example of a sustainable style. I think saris are also subject to trends — very subtle trends, probably. But it's beautiful because it's so authentic and it's very much part of the country. We would hate for a country like India, with its emerging economy, to all of a sudden switch to jeans, T-shirts and high heels — God forbid!

- Viktor Horsting + Rolf Snoeren
www.viktor-rolf.com
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/23/style/fdelhi.php

Spot on.

The Essence Of The Entrepreneur 2009

The Essence of the Entrepreneur 2009
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/template/2.0-0/element/pictureGalleryPopup.jsp?id=5617394&&offset=0&&sectionName=BusinessEntrepreneur

Useful link:
www.essenceoftheentrepreneur.co.uk

Inspiring.

The Ralph Esmerian Story

Diamonds are a banker's worst friend
http://money.cnn.com/2009/03/18/magazines/fortune/kapner_jewelry.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009031812

Merrill Lynch didn't understand what they were getting into. But I didn't understand what I was getting into either. In my business, if you're late making a payment it's no big deal.
- Ralph Esmerian

Useful link:
www.fredleighton.com

Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing. It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently (Warren Buffett).

Diamond Beauty

Let There Be Light: A Consumer Guide To The New Diamond Beauty
http://www.modernjeweler.com/print/Modern-Jeweler/Let-There-Be-Light--A-CONSUMER-GUIDE-TO-THE-NEW-DIAMOND-BEAUTY-/1$9

Useful links:
www.modernjeweler.com
www.heartsandarrows.com
www.americangemsociety.org
www.acagemlab.com

Thank you Dave for your brilliantly written 'Let There Be Light' to the Modern Jeweler. It was educational and insightful.

Random Thoughts

If one will but analyze the fundamental causes of speculative failure, he will discover that the chief blame lies not in the character of the stock market, not in the fact that the game is loaded against the average specu­lator, but in weaknesses inherent in human nature. It is not the stock market which beats speculators. It is their own unreason­ing instincts and inborn tendencies which they cannot master, and which given free rein lead on to ruin.

- R.W. McNeel
Beating the Stock Market (Chapter 25, Reason vs Instinct)
http://books.google.co.th/books?id=ed6Tw3TCG4AC&dq=R.W.+McNeel&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=S2SbO2kH1a&sig=mYe7I1csaZ5YdBSRYRFDnD6XMyE&hl=en&ei=HdrGSfGtMpCw6wPzscnIBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result#PPA2,M1

Spot on.

Art Market Update

Sticky fingers
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13351372

Useful links:
www.sothebys.com
www.artloss.com
www.versace.com

This is indeed an interesting story.

Market Music

In my view, Philip Glass's 'Metamorphosis IV' is the perfect market music because of its unique tone, intensity, color and clarity. Check out the links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il4VDf-ugPI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwwKFBeZr5Q&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e44WWY6gm1Q&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgjby9F_Zjk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWLvNULJDpo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf2YGbTjAGc&feature=related

Useful link:
www.philipglass.com

Open Source Cinema

Film fans urged to 'remix' movie
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7952905.stm
http://www3.nfb.ca/webextension/rip-a-remix-manifesto

Useful links:
www.opensourcecinema.org
www.etherworks.ca

I loved it. It's creative and a new form of art, really.

Barcode Art

Meet Scott Blake + view his barcode-inspired creations
www.barcodeart.com

The Funded

The Funded Serial Entrepreneur/ Research/ Reviews
www.thefunded.com
www.adeoressi.com
http://thenextweb.com/2008/05/22/video-adeo-ressi-thefundedcom-at-the-next-web-conference-2008
http://2009.thenextweb.com

Priceless advice, really.

Random Thoughts

There is no security on this earth, only opportunity.

- Douglas MacArthur
www.macarthurmemorial.org

Spot on. Inspiring.

The Game

The Game by Ken Dryden is an insightful book about hockey + life. A very special book, indeed.

Useful link:

http://kendryden.liberal.ca

Project Entropia

Online game gets banking licence
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7954629.stm

We will be in a position to offer real bank services to the inhabitants of our virtual universe.
- Jan Welter Timkrans

Useful links:
www.entropiauniverse.com
www.fi.se
www.mindark.com

Great idea. I liked it.

Brit Insurance Design Award 2009

Obama named 2009's best design
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7952567.stm

Useful links:
www.designsoftheyear.com
http://obeygiant.com

Great review.

Cope2

Cope2 = Graffiti artist
www.cope2kingsdestroy.com
http://www.time.com/time/archive/collections/0,21428,c_graffiti,00.shtml#

Bill Cunningham Viewpoint

On the Street A Show of Legs in Paris
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/20/fashion/20090322-street-feature/index.html#

Highly educated sense of style. Absolutely dazzling.

Gold Jewelry Market Analysis

Credit crunch impact bodes ill for ‘09 industrialised world jewellery consumption
http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page33?oid=80570&sn=Detail

Useful links:
www.gfms.co.uk
www.gold.org

Interesting perspective. So when will this down-market end? What will turn it around? How much lower can we go? Hard to tell.

The World's Largest Atlas

The world's largest atlas has been published by Millennium House in English. Check out the link www.millenniumhouse.com.au

Jimmy Choo

Sandals = Gemstones Shoes inspired by jewelry
www.jimmychoo.com/pws/ProductDetails.ice?ProductID=80048&fromPage=collection

Useful link:
www.jimmychoo.com

Matching/stunning, but are the shoes functional?

Proper Cloth

Proper Cloth = Allows customers mix/match colors/fabrics + computer-generated tailoring for the right fit + uses social media tools (Twitter/Facebook/Blog) for marketing purposes. I liked the concept.

Useful link:
www.propercloth.com

Stirring It Up

Gary Hirshberg: Green—Not Greed—Is Good
http://www.cnbc.com/id/29790656
http://www.stonyfield.com/Aboutus/OurMainMoovers.cfm

Useful link:
www.stonyfield.com

Great advice.

Handel’s Work

Georgian splendour
http://www.economist.com/books/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13315607

Useful links:
www.bbc.co.uk/composers/handel
www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk
www.handelhouse.org
www.handel.cswebsites.org
www.haendelfestspiele.halle.de
www.haendel-festspiele.de

A great modest composer, really.

Art Market Update

The Maastricht fine art fair ends on a glorious buying binge
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/20/arts/melik21.php

Maastricht could have been on another planet where no one had heard of the subprime crisis.
- Souren Melikian

Useful link:
www.tefaf.com

Spot on.

Ambermoda

Baltic Amber + Artistic Jewelry Designing = Ambermoda
www.ambermoda.com

It is stunningly beautiful, really.

Chaim Even-Zohar Viewpoint

Gangster Viciously Implicates Antwerp Diamond Dealers
http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp

Useful links:
www.diamondintelligence.com
www.mine2mistress.com

Spot on. An old story/scam + a possible movie in the making.

Film Workshop

The New Wave, Still Rolling
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123743224562381071.html

Useful links:
www.filmworkshop.net
www.hkiff.org.hk
www.asianfilmawards.org

Make good movies.

Solar Fashion

Solar Fashion
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2009/mar/13/solar-power-fashion?picture=344668192

Useful links:
www.konarka.com
www.indarradtx.com
www.zegna.com
www.voltaicsystems.com
http://noonsolar.com
www.rewarestore.com
http://andrewjs.com
www.elenacorchero.com

Great ideas. Technology meets tradition.

The Orchid King

In the Concrete Jungle The Orchid King
http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/in-the-concrete-jungle-the-orchid-king

Useful links:
www.raymondjungles.com
www.nybg.org
www.burlemarx.com.br

Don't miss the Orchid show. It's open until April 12, 2009.

Grant Morrison

Grant Morrison Talks Brainy Comics, Sexy Apocalypse
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2009/03/mid-life-crisis.html

Useful links:
www.grant-morrison.com
www.comic-con.org

Great interview.

Max’s

Andy Warhol was born in Philadelphia in 1928 and came to New York in the fifties. He became famous in the next decade as an artist, film-maker and promoter of all manner of new and provocative things. In those days he frequented Max’s Kansas City, a restaurant and bar and second-home for many of the era’s famous and infamous.

In September we started going regularly to a two-story bar/restaurant on Park Avenue South off Union Square that Mickey Ruskin had opened in late ’65. It was called Max’s Kansas City and it became the ultimate hangout. Max’s was the farthest uptown of any of the restaurants Mickey had ever operated. He’d had a place on East 7th Street called Deux Mégots that later became the Paradox, and then he’d had the Ninth Circle, a Village bar with a format similar to what Max’s would have, and then an Avenue B bar called the Annex. Mickey had always been attracted to the downtown art atmosphere—at Deux Mégots, he’d held poetry readings—and now painters and poets were starting to drift into Max’s. The art heavies would group around the bar and the kids would be in the back room, basically.

Max’s Kansas City was the exact place where Pop Art and pop life came together in New York in the sixties—teeny boppers and sculptors, rock stars and poets from St. Mark’s Place, Hollywood actors checking out what the underground actors were all about, boutique owners and models, modern dancers and go-go dancers—everybody went to Max’s and everything got homogenized there.

Larry Rivers once said to me, ‘I’ve often asked myself,’ ‘What is a bar?’ It’s a space that has liquor that’s usually fairly dark, where you go for a certain kind of social interaction. It’s not a dinner party. It’s not a dance. It’s not an opening. You move in a certain way through this space, over a period of time, and you begin to recognize faces that begin to recognize you. And you may have had experiences with some of these people before which you kind of pick up on in another way in this space.’

I started going to Max’s, lit by Dan Flavin’s red light piece, was where everybody wound up every night. After all the parties were over and all the bars and all the discotheques closed up, you’d go on to Max’s and meet up with everybody—and it was like going home, only better.

Max’s became the showcase for all the fashion changes that had been taking place at the art openings and shows: now people weren’t going to art openings to show off their new looks—they just skipped all the preliminaries and went straight to Max’s. Fashion wasn’t what you wore someplace anymore; it was the whole reason for going. The event itself was optional—the way Max’s functioned as a fashion gallery proved that. Kids would crowd around the security mirror over the night deposit slot in the bank next door (‘Last mirror before Max’s) to check themselves out for the long walk from the front door, pass the bar, past all the fringe tables in the middle, and finally into the club room in the back.

Max’s is where I started meeting the really young kids who had dropped out of school and been running around the streets for a couple of years—hard-looking, beautiful little girls with perfect makeup and fabulous clothes, and you’d find out later they were fifteen and already had a baby. These kids really knew how to dress, they had just the right fashion instincts, somehow. They were a type of kid I hadn’t been around much before. Although they weren’t educated like the Boston crowd or the San Remo crowd, they were very sharp in a comical sort of way—I mean, they certainly knew how to put each other down, standing on chairs and screaming insults. Like, if Gerard walked in with his fashion look really together and had that very serious Roman god-like expression on his face that people get when they think they’re looking good, one of the little girls at Max’s (the Twin-Twats, they were called) would jump up on the table and swoon, ‘Oh my God, it’s Apollo! Oh, Apollo, will you sit with us tonight?’

I couldn’t decide if these kids were intelligent but crazy, or just plain pea-brained with a flair for comedy and clothes. It was impossible to tell whether their problem was lack of intelligence or lack of sanity.

Brilliant. I loved it. It reminded me of Mick Jagger's Golden Globe-winning song 'Old Habits Die Hard', an old favorite of mine.

I thought I shook myself free
You see I bounce back quicker than most
But I'm half delirious, is too mysterious
You walk through my walls like a ghost
And I take everyday at a time
I'm as proud as a Lion in his Lair
Now there's no denying it, a note to crying it
Your all tangled up in my head

Old habits die hard
Old soldiers just fade away
Old habits die hard
Harder than November rain
Old habits die hard
Old soldiers just fade away
Old habits die hard
Hard enough to feel the pain

We haven't spoken in months
You see I've been counting the days
I dream of such humanities, such insanities
I'm lost like a kid and I'm late
But I've never taken your coats
Haven't no block on my phone
I act like an addict, I just got to have it
I can never just leave it alone

Old habits die hard
Old soldiers just fade away
Old habits die hard
Harder than November rain
Old habits die hard
Old soldiers just fade away
Old habits die hard
Hard enough to feel the pain

And I can't give you up
Can't leave you alone
And its so hard, so hard
And hard enough to feel the pain

Old habits die hard
Old soldiers just fade away
Old habits die hard
Harder than November rain
Old habits die hard
Old soldiers just fade away
Old habits die hard
Hard enough to feel the pain

Burmese Gem Mines

Burma's gem mines face closure
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7947914.stm

As precious stones are Burma's third biggest export, the collapse in demand is having a serious effect on the economy. They are usually sold, often via the black market, to China and Thailand - where they are treated, polished and then sold. 'A viss (approximately 1.63kg) of jade stones, whether good or bad, usually fetched a little over £1000 ($1440). Now we are unable to sell them at a tenth of that,' one gem trader told the BBC.

The business is down, indeed. What will be the real impact from the slowdown? Hard to tell. Burma is full of surprises.

Jade Buddha

Jade Buddha for Universal Peace
http://www.jadebuddha.org.au/en/Jade_Buddha_Brochure_English.pdf
http://www.jademine.com/jade_blog/2008/04/polar-pride-boulder.html

Useful links:
www.jadebuddha.org.au
www.stupa.org.au

A unique piece of jade, indeed.

The Heartless Stone

The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire by Tom Zoellner is an insightful book about the good, bad and ugly world of diamonds. A must read.

Useful link:

www.theheartlessstone.com

Spectacular Opals

American Museum of Natural History displays spectacular Opals
http://www.amnh.org/science/papers/opals.php

The photo gallery of opals were stunningly beautiful.

Paul Graham Archive

Stories Found in the Streets
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123741363211177025.html

Useful links:
www.paulgrahamarchive.com
www.moma.org

Natural. Live. They are our stories, really.

Gold Update

Is Gold Really the Safest Investment?
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1885217,00.html

Useful links:
www.spdrgoldshares.com
www.gold.org

Spot on. Gold has value only because we believe it is valuable.

Pricing Clarity Enhanced Diamonds

Identifying and Pricing Clarity Enhanced Diamonds
http://www.gemguide.com/news/AGTAMar2009-2.htm

Useful link:
www.gemguide.com

First, full disclosure. Secondly, pricing becomes fairly easier.

Andy Warhol + Paris Exhibition

Hidden depths: Paris exhibition aims to paint Warhol as a modern master
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/mar/18/andy-warhol-grand-palais-paris

Useful links:
www.grandpalais.fr
www.warholfoundation.org
www.warhol.org

Rereading of Warhol art = Parable-retelling. Dont miss it.

BMW Art Cars

These Canvases Need Oil and a Good Driver
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/automobiles/collectibles/15artcars.html?_r=1

Useful links:
www.bmwdrives.com/bmw-artcars.php
www.louvre.fr
www.calder.org
www.guggenheim.org
www.olafureliasson.net
www.gerhard-richter.com
www.sfmoma.org

I think it was a brilliant idea. They should reimagine colors and designs for this century.

Shepard Fairey Update

Can a Rebel Stay a Rebel Without the Claws?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/arts/design/18fair.html?_r=1&8dpc

Useful links:
http://obeygiant.com
www.icaboston.org

Shepard Fairey is a unique artist. Most of his works, from the Andre the Giant stickers of last decade to the Obama Hope poster display phenomenal effects. Definitely a must visit.

Uranium

Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock That Shaped the World by Tom Zoellner is a brilliant book about the rock for a general audience. A must read.

Useful links:
www.world-nuclear.org
www.iaea.org