Start-Up Stories

Start-Up Stories: Mike Faith. Inspiring, really. www.mikefaith.com

Matisse's Bathers By The River

Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917, opens next week at the Museum of Modern Art, which is organized by John Elderfield, chief curator emeritus at the Museum of Modern Art, and Stephanie d’Alessandro, the curator of modern art at the Art Institute of Chicago. The show offers a rare opportunity to look beneath the surface of Matisse’s work to see a creative evolution that until now only his eyes had witnessed. Many thanks to Carol Vogel for sharing the info. www.artic.edu

Art Market Update

Souren Melikian report. In the current art drought, rarity is becoming a passport to world record performance. So true. www.christies.com

Gold Report

The Economist report on gold was interesting. As long as the world economy remains uncertain and investors fear inflation and sovereign default, gold will keep its allure. Eventually, however, the price will weaken: it is even possible that the recent slide to below $1,200 marks the turn. And investors may look back on the bull run of 2009-10—or 2009-11—with the sort of wonder that humanity has too often reserved for the yellow metal itself. So true.

Five Myths About Diamonds

Tom Zoellner's opinion piece in the Washington Post about diamonds was interesting. Many thanks. www.tomzoellner.com

Gary Hamel Viewpoint

I thought Vineet Nayer was spot on. Employees First, Customers Second. The world has become too complex for the CEO to connect the dots.

We must destroy the concept of the CEO. The notion of the ‘visionary,’ the ‘captain of the ship’ is bankrupt. We are telling the employee, ‘You are more important than your manager.’ Value gets created between the employee and the customer, and management’s job is to enable innovation at that interface. To do this, we must kill command-and-control.
- Vineet Nayer

Useful links:
www.garyhamel.com
http://blogs.wsj.com/management
www.vineetnayar.com

Konrad Bernheimer

The Economist report on Konrad Bernheimer and the Colnaghi gallery was interesting. Now the owner of London’s venerable Colnaghi gallery, currently celebrating its 250th anniversary, he has long known that client confidentiality and keeping contacts to oneself are cardinal rules of the trade. So true. www.colnaghi.co.uk

Steve McCurry Photography

Truly amazing. I loved it. Many thanks. www.stevemccurry.com

Turner's Modern Rome - Campo Vaccino

An 1839 Turner masterpiece of a view of Rome has sold for £29.7m in London, breaking the artist's auction record. Check it out.

Turner's Modern Rome - Campo Vaccino has achieved a tremendous and much-deserved result this evening. This breathtaking image shows the artist at his absolute best and, for collectors, it ticked all the boxes - quality, superb condition, provenance and freshness-to-the-market. Over the last few months it has been wonderful to observe the response that the painting has received from collectors who come from all over the world.
- David Moore-Gwyn
www.sothebys.com

Diamond Branding Opportunity

Avi Krawitz was spot on. For the average consumer, a diamond is a diamond no matter where it comes from and Zimbabwe represents Africa, despite the positive achievements of its neighbors. So true. The Blood Diamond movie message: “January 2003, 40 nations signed The Kimberley Process — an effort to stem the flow of conflict diamonds. But illegal diamonds are still finding their way to market. It is up to the consumer to insist that a diamond is conflict-free.”

Useful links:
www.diamonds.net
www.forevermark.com
www.riotintodiamonds.com/diamantaire
www.canadamark.com

Biomimicry Challenge

I think biomimicry is a useful tool that can be explored and developed to implement effective solutions in business and life. Many thanks for the insightful challenge.

Useful links:
www.biomimicryinstitute.org
www.asknature.org
www.biomimicryguild.com
www.ideo.com

30 Great Visualization Resources

I loved it. Many thanks. www.juiceanalytics.com

The Nalaga’at Center

A unique artistic experience indeed. A must visit, really. www.nalagaat.org.il

Land Art By Andrew Rogers

It looks nice. It makes you think. www.andrewrogers.org

Random Thoughts

Social entrepreneurs are known for the creativity and innovation they bring to bear on the gaps in development. Whether tackling water or education, energy or sanitation, social entrepreneurs develop inventive ways to bring new solutions to social challenges. But, in all this creativity, they may be missing one of the larger issues at hand: employership, or, the generation of jobs where none existed before. Lest you confuse employership with entrepreneurship, allow me to elaborate. Entrepreneurship is a loaded word. There is pressure to launch a game-changing idea—or nothing at all. It asks for confidence and considerable chutzpah. It takes passion and an affinity for risk. To be an entrepreneur is to take the weight of the world on one’s shoulders in order to create something that no one has ever done before. It’s not something taken lightly, nor is it something many Indian families encourage.

- Lindsay Clinton
 www.intellecap.com

Spot on.

Global Business BBC

The Greece Report. Peter Day's report from Athens was educational and insightful. Many thanks.

Useful links:
www.eliamep.gr
www.iobe.gr
www.titan.gr
www.paragonship.com

The Influence Project

Mark Borden's Q&A with Gary Vaynerchuk was intersting.

Useful links:
http://tv.winelibrary.com
http://influenceproject.fastcompany.com

Glass-Filled Rubies Update

According to AnchorCert gemologists at the Birmingham Assay Office in the U.K, a large number of glass filled rubies have entered the market without proper disclosure. These rubies in their natural form are poor quality corundum and are subjected to bleaching to remove dark patches of color, but this also affects their structure making them brittle and unstable.  If doubtful always consult a reputed gem testing laboratory. www.anchorcert.co.uk

The Paintings Of Charles Burchfield

Hilarie M. Sheets's story in ARTnews about the paintings of Charles Burchfield was interesting. Many thanks.

Useful links:
www.hammer.ucla.edu
http://whitney.org

The Eternal Borgezie Diamond Stilettos

The Ultimate Stiletto. Check it out. www.borgezie.com

Studio Forbes

I liked the color + designs. www.publicbikes.com

Jeff Scher Viewpoint

This is one of the best short videos I've seen. Many thanks Jeff. http://fezfilms.net

Art Market Update

David Grann's opinion piece in the New Yorker magazine about art authentication was educational and insightful. Many thanks. www.davidgrann.com + www.birofineartrestoration.com

Random Thoughts

He was always on my mind because I had a great deal of respect for how he could tell stories in a single frozen image. Entire stories.

- Steven Spielberg
www.nrm.org

Norman Rockwell was simply a brilliant painter who knew how to connect the dots. His paintings displayed compassion and caring about other people.

Good Books

William Taylor was spot on. Great selection indeed. Many thanks. A well-trained man knows how to answer questions. An educated man knows what questions are worth asking.

Shakespeare's Gardens

A theatrical flourish welcomes visitors to 2010 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show - as the Royal Horticultural Society celebrates the life and work of the famous bard. Don't miss. http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/Hampton-Court-Palace-Flower-Show/2010

Fakes, Mistakes, And Discoveries

The Economist report was interesting. Many thanks. Among the lessons to be learned at this exhibition is that not all attributions are necessarily for ever. Technology, however sophisticated, may be supplanted by better methods with the passing of time. This is not detective fiction; Sherlock Holmes can get it wrong. Attributions can often be hypotheses rather than unshakable facts. It is to the National Gallery’s credit that it has included some of its expensive misjudgments. Learning about the process is one of the pleasures of this show. www.nationalgallery.org.uk

Rare And Collectable

Rio Tinto has announced the launch of its new publication, Rare and Collectable, which focuses on the unique market position occupied by the rare pink diamonds from Rio Tinto's Argyle Diamond Mine. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.riotintodiamonds.com
www.argylepinkdiamonds.com.au

Random Thoughts

May all that emerges from me be beautiful.

- Yves Klein
www.yveskleinarchives.org

A beautiful prayer indeed.

Baalbek International Festival 2010

One of the longest-running music festivals in the Middle East. Don't miss. www.baalbeck.org.lb

Biomimicry Projects

Commercial applications inspired by biomimicry.

Useful links:
www.greenwavelength.com
www.biomimicry.net
http://iopscience.iop.org

Life In 2050

Leading experts discuss the future. http://bigthink.com

Tour de France 2010

Stage-by-stage analysis of 2010 race. www.letour.fr

Coral Update

Leave precious coral where it belongs. Temple St. Clair was spot on. Adding coral to jewelry industry's conservation efforts does have a powerful effect on the marketplace. These precious animals should be left where they belong--in the ocean.

Useful links:
www.tooprecioustowear.org
www.cites.org

Lawrence Salander Story

Eileen Kinsella's story in ARTnews about Lawrence Salander's fraud was interesting. Sad really. Old habits die hard. www.artnews.com

Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us

Kayla Webley's Q & A with David Freedman was interesting/insightful. www.freedman.com

Start-up Pitch

10 tips for a startup pitch. A simplified demo is worth a thousand presentations. Karam Lakshman was spot on. www.iaccelerator.org

ARTnews 200 Top Collectors

Annual list of the world's top collectors. www.artnews.com

Charles Saatchi's Gift

Fantastic news. Incredible generosity. I wish more people had that kind of vision, really. www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk

Innovation Camps

Innovation Camps = energy + creativity + originality+ diversity = New business opportunities. I think innovation camps are brilliant practical thinking labs for powerful/functional outcomes. Many thanks to Paul Sloane for sharing the info.

Useful links:
www.amdocs.com
www.destination-innovation.com

The Top Ten Art Collectors

The top ten collectors on ARTnews list. www.artnews.com

Knowledge/able

A new blog produced by the Knowledge@W. P. Carey team. Knowledge/able will focus on the place where research and analysis meets the practice of business. http://bitapps.asu.edu/knowledgeable

Masterpiece Fair 2010

A unique showcase of some of the most desirable objects on earth: traditional and modern, old and new, from the finest of fine and decorative art to the best of wines, classic cars, jewellery and contemporary design. Don't miss to view the one-of-a-kind Argyle pink diamond tiara, displayed by jeweler Asprey, featuring 178 Argyle pink diamonds, the most beautiful and the rarest diamonds in the world. www.masterpiecefair.com

The H. Stern Collection By Oscar Niemeyer

Brilliant. Creative. Inspiring. See it for yourself. www.hstern.net + www.museuoscarniemeyer.org.br

Random Thoughts

Secret Stash 720 HD: This project is about concealing valuables, secrets, bad habits and personal information in our workplaces. Here, hidden spaces/messages were created within 8 general objects such as wood boards, lamps and disposable coffee cups. How? By utilizing stereotypes and visual camouflage. We make judgments based mainly on our experiences and what we see. This dependency on visual information can create large blind spots. Thus, usual stereotypes of how we perceive solid, transparency and lighting are employed in this project to play with notions of "solid and void" and "true and false.

- Yiting Cheng
www.yitingcheng.com

I loved it. Many thanks to Cliff Kuang.

Video Games Update

Latest innovations in video games. www.take2games.com

PivotViewer

Gary Flake demos Pivot, a new way to browse and arrange massive amounts of images and data online. Built on breakthrough Seadragon technology, it enables spectacular zooms in and out of web databases, and the discovery of patterns and links invisible in standard web browsing. Check it out. www.silverlight.net + http://photosynth.net + www.ted.com + http://flakenstein.net

Global Business BBC

Skoll Forum panel. Many thanks to Peter Day. www.skollworldforum.com

Seed Cathedral

Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the so-called "Seed Cathedral" is pierced by 60,000 transparent acrylic rods that each contain a seed. I loved it. Congratulations for winning the Royal Institute of British Architects' Lubetkin Prize.

Useful links:
www.heatherwick.com
www.architecture.com
http://en.expo2010.cn

21 Things You Should Never Buy New

Wise Bread's opinion piece in U.S. News & World Report about jewelry was interesting. Many thaniks. www.wisebread.com

Zero Carbon Elevator

Matthew Lloyd's zero carbon elevator was simply brilliant. www.matthewlloyd.co.uk + www.lfa2010.org

Random Thoughts

The Jaguar's polish is important because you see yourself reflected in it - you can't detach yourself from the object.

- Fiona Banner
www.fionabanner.com
www.tate.org.uk/britain

Brilliant. I loved it.

Start-Up Stories

Entrepreneurs talk about how to build businesses. Many thanks to BBC. It was inspiring.

Broke, U.S.A

It's a fascinating book. It's full of stories of financially ignorant people making bad decisions. What can be done? Educate yourself. Really. http://garyrivlin.com

Wine: Best Enjoyed Young

I agree. Many thanks to Jeffrey Iverson for sharing the info.

Useful links:
http://la-contre-etiquette.com
www.o-chateau.com
www.lemeurice.com

Art Market Update

Souren Melikian Report. How long will the conceptual approach, which gives precedence to names and history over aesthetic achievement, make up for the precipitous decline in quality as leftovers are being sifted through again and again? Differently put, could the proportion of unsaleable goods become so large that Impressionist and Modern art auctions will cease to be financially viable? Whoever happens to have the answers will benefit from the undivided attention of auction house managers, not to mention collectors. So true.

Useful links:
www.sothebys.com
www.christies.com

Jewelry Trends 2010

Jewelry Trends Report. www.jic.org

Booze Under A Microscope

The micrographs by Florida State University chemistry lab was stunningly beautiful. I liked the colorful patterns. Really. www.chem.fsu.edu

Ecomagination Initiative

Ecomagination Report. http://ge.ecomagination.com

Gary Hamel Viewpoint

Leadership from the Inside Out — Part II was briliant. I liked Drew Williams's mantra, borrowed from Mike Breen: low control, high accountability.

Useful links:
http://blogs.wsj.com/management
www.garyhamel.com

Art Market Update

The Economist report. When art prices fell, auction houses struggled to attract sellers. Collectors faced with death, divorce or debt—three common reasons for selling—still consigned their works for auction. But discretionary selling fell back sharply. With the memory of the record prices of 2007 still fresh in many collectors’ minds, the question they asked themselves was “why sell if you don’t have to?” Spot on.

Useful links:
www.sothebys.com
www.christies.com

The Maple Leaf Coin

The largest gold coin in the world has been sold by the auction house Dorotheum for $4m (£2.6m) at an auction in Vienna. www.dorotheum.com

Africa's Blood Diamonds

Jason Stearns's opinion piece in Christian Science Monitor on Israeli diamond tycoon Dan Gertler was interesting. http://congosiasa.blogspot.com

Avi Krawitz Viewpoint

Avi Krawitz's opinion piece in Rapaport about De Beers was interesting. De Beers managing director Gareth Penny made an interesting point. Diamond business is a normal business but it deals with an abnormal product. So true.

Useful links:
www.diamonds.net
www.debeersgroup.com
www.dtcbotswana.com

Random Thoughts

The antithesis of this action bias is, of course, patience. Patience is a weapon you can use to protect yourself from becoming an ADHD investor. It is required because the curse of the value investor is to be too early-both in terms of buying (known affectionately as premature accumulation) and in terms of selling. Unfortunately, in the short term being early is indistinguishable from being wrong. Patience and discipline are much needed when the bottom-up search for value fails to uncover any investment of merit. If you can't find something to invest in, then you are best off doing nothing at all. Warren Buffett often talks of the importance of waiting for the fat pitch. I call investing the greatest business in the world. . . because you never have to swing. You stand at the plate, the pitcher throws you General Motors at 47! U.S. Steel at 39! and nobody calls a strike on you. There is no penalty except opportunity lost. All day you wait for the pitch you like; then when the fielders are asleep, you step up and hit it. However, most institutional investors behave like Babe Ruth at bat with 50,000 fans and the club owner yelling, "Swing, you bum!" and some guy is trying to pitch him an intentional walk. They know if they don't take a swing at the next pitch, the guy will say, "Turn in your uniform."

- James Montier
http://behaviouralinvesting.blogspot.com

Brilliant. I loved it.

Sudarshan Shetty's Art

Margot Cohen's opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about Sudarshan Shetty's artwork was interesting and inspiring. Many thanks.

Useful links:
www.galleryske.com
www.saffronart.com

Edahn Golan Viewpoint

Two guys are put in a room with a suitcase full of cash. They are told they will not be allowed to leave the room until they decide on how they will divide the cash between them. Alternatively, they can leave the money in the suitcase and walk away with nothing. The door closes and Abe immediately offers to split the money 50/50 and go home. Berry offers him in return a dirty look and replies, "I'm taking 90 percent of the money. If you don't like the idea, I'm OK with walking away with nothing at all. The choice is yours. After a heated back and fourth, Abe sees that Berry is not budging, and concludes that the only way for him to get any money is by accepting Berry's hard-line stance. The KP talks this week bare resemblance to this story. www.idexonline.com

Edahn Golan was spot on. All of us should know that life is not perfect. Give and take or lose it all. Compromise.

The Power Of Ideas

An entrepreneurial platform created by The Economic Times to seek, nurture and groom business ideas. www.ideas.economictimes.com

Gem Lab Update

GEMNOTES Vol. 1, No. 3, June 2010. www.gemlab.net

Random Thoughts

A black and white image reduces photography to its simplest elements — shapes and shades. In the same way, a T-shirt is clothing in its simplest form.

- Ken Miller
www.uniqlo.co.uk

Brilliant. I loved it.

Art Market Update

Siouren Melikian's Art Market Report. Name = Everything. That sums up the trend of the market of today. Period. www.sothebys.com + www.christies.com

Diamonds, Development, And Property Rights

Brilliant video indeed. This video details the problems faced by diamond miners working with alluvial diamonds in the Central African Republic, and the challenges of affirming property rights at the grass roots level. The video briefly summarizes the 8-step process PRADD developed to translate customary rights into statutory rights. The process combines community development techniques to identify, organize, and motivate miners with GPS devices to precisely locate the mining claims.

Useful links:
www.usaid.gov
www.ardinc.com

Startup Update

Near-Eye Tool for Refractive Assessment (NETRA) is a brilliant innovation by the researchers at the MIT Media Lab. I hope the technology becomes available/affordable for hundreds of millions of people in the developing world. www.media.mit.edu

Glastonbury Festival 2010

Glastonbury Festival, the world-renowned festival started in 1970 is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2010. www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

IDEA 2010

IDEA winners. www.fastcodesign.com/idea-2010

Random Thoughts

One was recently asked, how do you spot a hoodoo when you are in or dangerously close to their presence? I would say that their past record of failures is a good starting point. As is their ability to talk a much better game than they play. Also, their attempt to impress you with the trappings of success, ( a conference call with their five principals is a usual gambit). Not to be disregarded is their locus of operations, often from a ephemerally built recreational area where permanent lodgings and such things as pianos are not availalbe. The inclination to befriend you and flatter you is also a clue. But how can this be quantified, and how can we learn to avoid them? What should you do when you've met a hoodoo? I've always taken to burning my shirts, especially if they've hugged me as they ofen do. Dare I ask the question of whether there are such things as hoodoos or is it a figment of random numbers? No, that would be too mind boggling. But please help with your insights.

- Victor Niederhoffer
www.dailyspeculations.com

Stay vigilant, really.

Grizzly Man

Entertaining. Educational. Visually stimulating. Dreams vs. Reality. Briliant documentary indeed.

Useful link:
http://wernerherzog.com

NeuroSky

It sounds very exciting, really. I hope NeuroSky's systems work. www.neurosky.com

Global Business BBC

Stuart Rutherford was brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed the program. Many thanks to Peter Day.

Useful links:
www.safesave.org
www.thepoorandtheirmoney.com
www.portfoliosofthepoor.com

Polaroid Collection Of Photography

Polaroid artistry. I loved it.

Manet A La Palette

A self portrait by French painter Edouard Manet has been sold for more than £22m - a record price for the artist's work at Sotheby's auction house in London. www.sothebys.com

The Great Debate 2010

Discussions. Share ideas. Action. The Great Debate is a unique partnership between The Birmingham Assay Office and Reed Exhibitions as part of the international jewelry show in London. All the best.

Useful links:
www.theassayoffice.co.uk
www.jewellerylondon.com

Blood Diamond III

Human Rights Watch report. www.hrw.org

Insider's Guide To Shopping The Shows

The JCK story by Martha White on trade show tactics was insightful. www.jckonline.com

Small Spaces

Small spaces @ the V & A. Don't miss. www.vam.ac.uk

Poker Faces

Brilliant stars indeed.

The reason I won 11 bracelets is my ability to read opponents. These new guys are focused on the math, and they are changing everything.
- Phil Hellmuth

Useful links:
www.barrygreenstein.com
www.philhellmuth.com
http://twitter.com/themavenvt
www.doylebrunson.com
www.annieduke.com

Album Art

I loved it. Many thanks to Scott Thill. www.morphizm.com

Rough Diamond Report

The IDEX Online Rough Diamond Report. www.idexonline.com

Martin Rapaport Viewpoint

The Kimberley Process (KP) is aiding and abetting severe human rights violations as it certifies, legalizes and legitimizes blood diamonds. Corrupt governments have turned the KP on its head. Instead of eliminating human rights violations the KP is legitimizing them. The diamond trade and consumers cannot trust the Kimberley Process, its system of warranties, or those that promote the Kimberley Process as an assurance of the legitimate source of diamonds. We must face the fact that the Kimberley Process is a politicized government-controlled initiative that is incapable of eliminating human rights violations in the diamond sector. It’s time for the World Diamond Council and responsible NGO’s to withdraw from the KP. The solution is outside the KP. The diamond trade must take full responsibility for how and where it buys its diamonds. It must stop hiding behind the KP and recognize that it has moral and ethical obligations that transcend national and international laws. While governments cannot enforce international human rights standards due to sovereignty issues, diamond traders can use their purchasing power to enforce such standards. The key to understanding this issue is that, in the end, our diamonds are only as good as we are.

- Martin Rapaport
www.diamonds.net
www.kimberleyprocess.com
www.worlddiamondcouncil.com

Spot on.

Will Price Viewpoint

I agree with you. The hardest part of any business is the first step. Once begun, the journey takes on a life of its own. It's hard work + accumulated luck, period. http://willprice.blogspot.com

Montreal Jazz Festival 2010

All that jazz. Don't miss. www.montrealjazzfest.com

Stephen Doyle

Cogratulations to Stephen Doyle for winning this year's National Design Award for communications design. www.doylepartners.com

Random Thoughts

The raw data they were using dates back to '70s and '80s. These resources are not worth anything if you can't get there or don't have enough security to get them out of the ground.

- Stan Coats
www.bgs.ac.uk

So true.

Design Thinking: Changing Consumer Behavior One Water Bottle At A Time

John Edson was spot on. Design thinking is making a big impact in business/life.

Useful links:
www.dmi.org
www.ethoswater.com
www.korwater.com

Money Lessons From Mom And Dad

Tom Lauricella's opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about his personal experience watching his parents with their money was educational and insightful. Many thanks for the brilliant total internal reflection.

Plan far ahead. A 10-year plan is of no avail. A 20-year plan is insufficient. A 50-year plan is what you need, and ignore the 'charge it' and 'cash it in' impulse. Teach your children to do the same.
- Tom Lauricella

Michael Crawford

I loved the deconstructed map of America. www.michaelcrawford.org

Diamond Market Update

Michael Allen's opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about Angolan's current blood diamond problems was insightful. Many thanks. It's the alluvial diamond mines that are difficult to secure causing the problems. No easy solutions, really.

Random Thoughts

You can tell a lot about what you're up against in a sales pitch by the way they serve you coffee.

- John R Grizz Deal
www.hyperionpowergeneration.com

Spot on.

Next Generation Photo Blog

I really liked the photo blog. Many thanks to Phil Coomes for sharing the info.

Useful link:
http://julia-photoma.blogspot.com

Burma Gem Sales Statistics

Many thanks to Palagems for the special report. www.palagems.com