Conflict Minerals Update

Global Witness viewpoints. http://www.globalwitness.org

The Illusionist

A strikingly beautiful animated work. I urge everyone to go see this film.

Useful links:
http://www.lillusionniste-lefilm.com
http://www.patheinternational.com
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0775489

Broke Britannia! The Musical

A delight, really. Don't miss. http://www.brokebritannia.com

Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee

LMHC now has its own website. http://www.lmhc-gemology.org

Robert Overweg

Photographer in the virtual world. I loved it. Glitch art was interesting. http://shotbyrobert.com/wordpress

Silva/Bradshaw

Beautiful rings. I loved it. http://www.silvabradshaw.com

Random Thoughts

Get art out of the basements. With all the money being spent to store and conserve work, it doesn’t make sense economically or morally not to share it with the largest possible audience.

- Eli Broad
http://www.broadfoundation.org

Spot on.

Boi Bumba Festival 2010

Spectacular, really. http://www.boibumba.com

Dangerously Ambitious

Mike Del Ponte was spot on. The best way to create social change is through entrepreneurship, period.

Useful links:
http://dangerouslyambitious.net
http://www.sparkseed.org

Fashion's Night Out

Shop for something good. http://www.fashionsnightout.com

Jason Bell Photography

I loved it. Simply beautiful. http://www.jasonbellphoto.com

The JAR Story

Joel Arthur Rosenthal (JAR) certainly knows how to make his jewelry sought-after. He is simply the best. Check it out.

Useful links:
http://www.dvf.com
http://www.christies.com

Oliviero Toscani

There are people who, when they look at a picture, they get angry at it. But they should get angry at themselves for not having the courage to look into the problem. There isn't such a thing as a shocking picture. There is shocking reality that is being reproduced through photography to the people who aren't there. Oliviero Toscani . Spot on. That's the power of photography. http://www.olivierotoscani.com

Ear Pendants By JAR

Brilliant JAR creation. Simply beautiful. http://www.christies.com

Art Marcovici

I really liked the idea of cashvertisements. I hope it works. It could be win-win deal for all parties. http://www.artmarcovici.com

Painting In Stone

Margaret Drabble's story in Intelligent Life about the colors of Florence was brilliant. Truly amazing pictures. http://www.firenzemusei.it

The Dollar ReDe$ign Project

I loved the idea. http://richardsmith.posterous.com

Design Of The Decade

Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) competition will be unique. Check it out. http://idsa.org/dod

Sparse Matrix

Beautiful indeed. I loved it. Many thanks to Suzanne Labarre.

Useful links:
http://www.cise.ufl.edu/~davis/background.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Broad#Art_Collection

Art Prize 2010

It's one of the world's most lucrative open art competitions. Great many thanks to Kaomi Goetz for sharing the info. http://www.artprize.org

Argyle Pink Diamond Tender 2010

Rio Tinto has announced the launch of its exclusive 2010 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender, an increasingly rare opportunity to purchase the world's most precious pink diamonds. Tender viewings will be held in Perth, Australia through August 22 and then in Hong Kong from September 13 to September 20 and in New York from October 12 to October 17. Rio Tinto noted that 2010 is the first year the collection will be showcased on Mainland China, with a tender viewing scheduled in Shanghai on September 27. Check it out.

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

Herman Leonard Photography

His black and white images from the smoky post-war jazz clubs helped immortalise the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and Frank Sinatra. So true. http://www.hermanleonard.com

Global Business BBC

Peter Day's interview with Danish entrepreneur and investor Morten Lund was insightful. Many thanks.

Useful links:
http://lundxy.com
http://www.stgallen-symposium.org

Marange Diamonds Update

An interesting update. http://www.diamonds.net

All That Glitters

Witness a stunning selection of spectacular natural mineral crystals, exquisite jewelry, and works of art. http://www.sdnhm.org

Emerald: Telling It Like It Is

Victoria Gomelsky's story on emerald was interesting. Emerald is back in vogue. http://www.gomelsky.net

Novero Collection

Brilliant designs. Innovative, really. http://www.novero.com

Entrepreneur Journeys - Innovation: Need of the Hour

Thoughtful discussions. Brilliant ideas. Risk-taking works, really. An absolute must read. http://www.sramanamitra.com

Random Thoughts

Ideas, sentiments, emotions, and beliefs possess in crowds a contagious power as intense as that of microbes.

- Gustav Le Bon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Le_Bon

Spot on.

C.K. Prahalad

The story of a thought leader. http://www.ckprahalad.com/

Startup Update

Inspiring story. Sweet stuff, really. http://www.predicta.net/

Øya Festival 2010

Europe's greenest festival. Check it out. http://oyafestivalen.com/

Lisa Linhardt's Jewelry

Unique. Sustainable. Organic. http://www.linhardtdesign.com/

Hidden Heroes: The Genius Of Everyday Things

Design classics. http://www.design-museum.de

Inclusions In Quartz

Brilliant collections. http://www.mineralatlas.com

Finding Oz: How L. Frank Baum Discovered The Great American Story

The Wizard of OZ was a brilliant innovation. I think it will remain in our cultural consciousness forever. Hats off to Frank Baum. Many thanks to Chloë Schama for sharing the story. http://www.chloeschama.com

Hole In The Wall

A brilliant education project. http://www.hole-in-the-wall.com

Life During Wartime

One-of-kind-movie. Don't miss. http://www.toddsolondz.com

Jewelry Dictionary, Luxury Defined

CIRCA has launched its Jewelry Dictionary on the ELLE.com Accessories Channel. Check it out. It's educational. http://www.elle.com

World's Happiest Countries

Gallup World Poll. Interesting report indeed. http://www.gallup.com

India International Jewellery Week 2010

The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council is launching a new trade show. IIJW will be held at Hotel Grand Hyatt, Santa Cruz, Mumbai, August 15-19, 2010. http://www.gjepc.org

What’s Luck Got To Do With It?

Joseph Mazur has written a wonderful book on the psychology of gambler. An absolute must read.  http://josephmazur.com

Juliette Warmenhoven

I loved J Warmenhoven’s artwork. http://www.juliettewarmenhoven.nl

Global Business BBC

Peter Day's talk with Piero Morosini was interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Many thanks. http://www.sevenkeystoimagination.com

Rapaport International Diamond Conference 2010

New trends in the diamond industry. The topics of this year’s conference will be “Diamond Demand” and “Human Rights and the Diamond Industry – The Way Forward.” Don't miss. http://www.diamonds.net

Jewelry Market Update

Julian Phillips's opinion piece in Mineweb about the booming Indian jewelry market was interesting. Many thanks. http://www.goldforecaster.com

Bottled and Sold

An absolute must read. http://www.pacinst.org

10-10-10: A Life-Transforming Idea

Interesting approach. Good read. http://www.suzywelch101010.com

Burcu Büyükünal

One-of-a-kind designs. The question is whether people will actually buy it. 
http://www.burcubuyukunal.com

Hibonite: A New Gem Mineral

Recently gem experts have found gem quality hibonites in Burma. Gems & Gemology has an interesting report on the find. Infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and chemical analysis were used for positive indentification. For more info http://webmineral.com/data/Hibonite.shtml

Buccellati's Mobile Web Site

Brilliant designs. Rich history. Traditions. http://mobi.buccellati.com

Ephemerisle

A floating festival of freedom, community, and creativity.

Useful links:
http://ephemerisle.org
http://seasteading.org

Hong Kong International Art Fair

Hong Kong: Asia's Art capital. http://www.hongkongartfair.com

Sustainable Architecture

Richard Cook, a partner in Cook+Fox Architects and the designer of the new Bank of America Tower discuss sustainable architecture, the use of nature in design, and the debates over the LEED standard. Spot on. http://www.cookplusfox.com

Disconnect

An absolute must read. http://www.environmentalhealthtrust.org

Random Thoughts

The feminist movement and I have matured. Now there’s a sense that we should look carefully at what the traditions are and reinvent them so that we keep the good part of it and share it. To me an engagement ring says out loud, in a culturally symbolic way, ‘I found a life partner, I’m happy and I’m connected to another human being.’

- Barbara Risman

Inspiring, really.

Horizon Field By Antony Gormley

I wish I had the time and luck to see 100 sculptures spread over 150 sq km in the Austrian Alps. Don't miss. Really.

Useful links:
http://www.antonygormley.com
http://www.kunsthaus-bregenz.at

Blood Diamond Update

Andrew Harding (BBC) looks at the legacy of Sierra Leone's 'blood diamond' industry. Shocking, really.

Random Thoughts

As things get better, people with wealth come back into the art market and it gets better faster than the overall economy. And when things deteriorate, our business deteriorates even faster than the global economy. It's faster on the way up and faster on the way down.

- William Ruprecht
http://www.sothebys.com

So true.

Lettie Teague Viewpoint

Spot on. Many thanks for the wine list. http://www.lettieteague.com

James Allen

Immersive experience indeed. http://www.jamesallen.com

Zhang Hongtu

At first, both sides -- Eastern and Western art critics -- hated it, but now I have so many orders to my gallery for this style of work that I cannot keep up. My point is to show how cultures mix. Zhang Hongtu. Brilliantly said. http://momao.com

ARTNews Update

The ARTnews 200 Top Collectors. http://www.artnews.com

Random Thoughts

But by the time I went back to Prada, I felt much lighter. You could see the breeze and lightness of my holiday in the collections. I didn’t have this burden any more. Some people didn’t even recognise them as Jil Sander. It would have to be making something like Apple, reachable, stylish and innovative. I was looking for a chance to find fashion’s equivalent to the iPhone: something that makes sense, no matter where you live.

- Jil Sander
http://www.jilsander.com

Inspiring, really.

Largest Diamond Producers

The Economist report was useful. http://www.kimberleyprocess.com

Public Speaking

Great many thanks to Tim Ferriss for the insightful post. Great advice
indeed. http://www.fourhourworkweek.com

Clutch

Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don’t by Paul Sullivan is a brilliant book. http://www.pauljsullivan.com

Tim Flach

Extraordinary pictures, really. http://www.timflach.com

Tony Cragg

The Economist report on Tony Cragg's contemporary art was interesting. Many thanks. http://www.tony-cragg.com

Shadow Economies Of The World

Check out the list to see the countries with the biggest shadow economies. The problem is on the rise both in developed and developing nations. http://www.econ.jku.at/schneider

Ghost Of A Dream

They have built new dreams out of spent dreams. I really liked it. A great public service indeed. http://www.ghostofadream.com

Global Business BBC

Peter Day gets the long view from a clutch of the distinguished economists including Kenneth Rogoff, Raghuram Rajan and Sushil Wadhwani. Check it out.

Useful links:
http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/rogoff
http://www.chicagobooth.edu/faculty/bio.aspx?person_id=12825569280

Huma Bhabha's Art

Brilliant indeed. I loved it. Many thanks to Hilarie Sheets for sharing the story.

Useful links:
http://www.salon94.com/artists/30
http://www.atmgallery.com
http://www.moma.org

Gems Among Us Contest

The Jewelry Information Center (JIC) is launching a nationwide essay contest to recognize individuals who make the world a better place. JIC’s "Gems Among Us Contest" will launch on September 13, 2010, online at http://www.jic.org. The contest offers a variety of prizes for consumers, retailers and sales associates. Check it out.

MoMA Acquires @ Symbol

The @ sign is an interesting typographic mark. I think MoMA did the right thing. Many thanks to Carly Berwick for sharing the story. http://www.moma.org

Heart Chamber Orchestra

Brilliant performance indeed. Many thanks to Cliff Kuang.

Useful links:
http://heartchamberorchestra.org
http://randomseed.org
http://pure.test.at

Do Good For The Gulf

A Pepsi's Refresh Project campaign. http://gulf.refresheverything.com

Random Thoughts

Warren [Buffett] is one of the best learning machines on this earth. The turtles who outrun the hares are learning machines. If you stop learning in this world, the world rushes right by you.

- Charlie Munger
http://www.poorcharliesalmanack.com

Spot on.

How To Catch An Art Thief

Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman with John Shiffman. An absolute must read. http://www.robertwittmaninc.com

Modern Indian Art: The Birth Of A Market

Mukti Khaire was spot on.Many thanks. http://hbswk.hbs.edu/faculty/mkhaire.html

Random Thoughts

In engineering, people have a big margin of safety. But in the financial world, people don’t give a damn about safety. They let it balloon and balloon and balloon. It’s aided by false accounting.

- Charlie Munger
http://www.poorcharliesalmanack.com

So true.

Art News Update

Gail Gregg's opinion piece in ARTnews about labels was interesting. Many thanks.

Useful links:
www.museumca.org
www.dia.org
www.artic.edu

Good Books

What you need to read now. Check out the Newsweek list.

100 Places To Remember

Places to remember before they disappear. It was spectacular. Many thanks to Fareed Zakaria.

Random Thoughts

It’s not given to human beings to have such talent that they can just know everything all the time. But it is given to human beings who work hard at it – who look and sift the world for a mispriced bet – that they can occasionally find one. And the wise ones bet keenly when the world offers that opportunity. They bet big when they have the odds. And the rest of the time, they don’t. It’s just that simple.

- Charlie Munger
http://www.poorcharliesalmanack.com

Spot on.

David Attenborough's Favourite Moments

An absolute must watch. http://www.davidattenborough.co.uk

KineticGlue

Vivek Paul's first entrepreneurial venture: http://kineticglue.com

Jeannie Cho Lee

Truly Asian wine market's Julia Child. http://www.asianpalate.com

Unveiled: New Art From The Middle East

I really liked Ramin and Rokni Haerizadeh's art. One-of-a-kind, really. Many thanks to the Economist. http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/unveiled

Gemfields Update

Emerald auction results. http://www.gemfields.co.uk

The Climate Report

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's has just-released 2009 State of the Climate report. Check it out. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov

Walking The Amazon

You can follow Ed Stafford's journey @ http://www.walkingtheamazon.com

Global Business BBC

Skoll World Forum. Many thanks to Peter Day.

Useful links:
http://www.skollworldforum.com
http://www.benetech.org
http://www.samasource.org
http://www.inventionarts.com

Men's Jewelry: A Recession-Proof Luxury

I think men's jewelry = statement piece. Many thanks to Ruchika Tulshyan.

Men's jewelry is not a popular gift choice. So it's not wives buying jewelry for their husbands. It's men buying it because they like a piece.

- Pam Danziger

Useful links:
http://www.unitymarketingonline.com
http://www.bulgari.com
http://www.npdgroup.com

Ansel Adams

If the glass negatives are real, painter and collector Rick Norsigian may have hit a jackpot. The glass negatives bought for just $45 (£34) have been proven to be the work of iconic photographer Ansel Adams and are now worth $200m. Wow!

Useful links:
http://www.anseladams.com
http://ricknorsigian.com

The Future Of Cinema

Lorenza Muñoz's interview with James Cameron was interesting. He was spot on Hollywood. It will always be a filmmaking center. Filmmakers from China and Japan and Germany come to Hollywood to have meetings with studio executives and to get money for their movies. It is a central switching station for global entertainment. Hollywood is also the place for filmmakers who want to make movies for a global market. China and Russia make films for their own markets, but I don’t see the likelihood of those places replacing Hollywood. India has a huge film industry that supplies hundreds of films a year, but it is very much about that market.


Useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cameron
http://www.jamescamerononline.com
http://www.amazingcameron.com
http://www.jamescameron.net/

Random Thoughts

Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist.

- Kenneth Ewart Boulding
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_E._Boulding

Spot on.

R. Crumb

R. Crumb is talking about himself again. http://www.crumbproducts.com

ECOWEEK 2010 Workshop

Design workshops. http://ecoweek.netfirms.com

Threadneedle Prize 2010

Seven artists (Boyd and Evans, Patricia Cain, Paul Cummings, Thomas Doran, James Jessop, Stuart McCaffer and Caroline Walker) have been shortlisted for the £25,000 Threadneedle Prize. All the best. http://www.threadneedleprize.com