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Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Good Food Institute

Get to know Bruce Friedrich,  founder of the Good Food Institute.

Russia Wants To Join Luxembourg In Space Mining

The technical challenges to get large quantities of mined minerals back to earth will be phenomenal.

Useful link:
http://www.mining.com/web/russia-wants-join-luxembourg-space-mining

Rush Jewelry Design

Take a look at their new collection.

Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/rush-jewelry-yves-saint-laurent

A Visit To The Lorenzo Jewelry Factory In China

Seeing is believing.

Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/lorenzo-jewelry-factory-china

Frederick Goldman Buys Lab-Grown Brand Love Earth

Become best value providers.

Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/frederick-goldman-love-earth

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Random Thoughts

What does it mean if someone says you have no personality?

The Estate Of Gerard L. Cafesjian

Bonhams is holding two online-only sales—“Gemstones from The Estate of Gerard L. Cafesjian” and “Minerals from The Estate of Gerard L. Cafesjian”—both of which are currently open for bidding. Bidding closes March 16.

A Shiny Knife, Ready To Wear

One of a kind jewelry.

Useful link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/11/dining/cooked-jewelry.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FJewels%20and%20Jewelry&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection

Which Are The 15 Most Expensive Watches And Accessories Sold At Sotheby’s Geneva Auction?

Take a look.

Useful link:
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/article/2189060/which-are-15-most-expensive-watches-and

Bernard Nacht Update

Get to know Ross Nacht, of New York-based estate jewelry company Bernard Nacht.

Monday, March 11, 2019

Choosing Wisely

Choosing Wisely is an educational campaign aiming to reduce unnecessary medical tests and procedures, advises against routine home glucose monitoring for patients with Type 2 diabetes who are not on insulin. It says that there is no benefit, and that there are potential harms. This argument is supported by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Society of General Internal Medicine and the Endocrine Society.

Are There Lessons To Be Learned From Israel’s Tech Success?

A truly resilient country.

Useful link:

Random Thoughts

What’s nice about Mx as a title is that it tells you nothing about a person. It doesn’t tell you their gender; it doesn’t tell you their marital status; it doesn’t tell you their qualifications or not. In the widest possible sense, it is for everyone.

The Radical Moral Implications Of Luck In Human Life

No easy answers.

Useful link:
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/8/21/17687402/kylie-jenner-luck-human-life-moral-privilege

China Government Advisers Worry About AI Taking Over Jobs

No one has the answers.

Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-06/china-government-advisers-worry-about-ai-taking-over-jobs?srnd=premium-asia

DPA Puts Synthetics Detectors To The Test

Results are encouraging but challenging. Stay awake!

Useful link:
https://www.diamonds.net/News/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=63450&ArticleTitle=DPA%2bPuts%2bSynthetics%2bDetectors%2bto%2bthe%2bTest

Diamond Market Forecast

Stay tuned. There are always surprises.

Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-research/diamond-market-forecast-declining-credit-soft-prices-lab-grown-diamonds

Bloomberg Billionaires Index

Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Take a look at the ranking of the world’s 500 wealthiest people.

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Vaak

Vaak, a Japanese startup, has developed artificial intelligence software that hunts for potential shoplifters, using footage from security cameras for fidgeting, restlessness and other potentially suspicious body language. Take note.

YouTube: Manufacturing Authenticity

Storytelling in a new way. Get to know Lindsay Ellis. Watch a 36-minute essay titled YouTube: Manufacturing Authenticity (for Fun and Profit!).

Random Thoughts

Today, there are companies applying machine learning to massive geological databases to see what they can learn. What the machines lack in intuition they may be able to make up for with the ability to look at far vaster quantities of data than any human ever could. And a machine could keep doing that millions of times until it finds something with predictive power. This has already been done, and drills are being sent to follow up on the targets generated as I type. If the results give the machines a significant edge, it would change the exploration game forever.

Manufactured Gold-in-Quartz Jewelry

Consumers beware.

Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-labnotes-manufactured-gold-in-quartz-jewelry

Emeralds Filled With Epoxy Resin: DiamondView Observations

Take a look.

Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-gemnews-emeralds-filled-with-epoxy-resin-diamondview-observations

Aquamarine: The Gem Carver's Dream

Always.

Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/birthstones/march-birthstones

Who Needs A Bank? Why Direct Lending Is Surging

A new trend.

Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-06/who-needs-a-bank-why-direct-lending-is-surging-quicktake-q-a?srnd=premium-asia

Alec Soth

Get to know Alec Soth.

As The World Warms, Clouds Could Disappear

Take note.

Useful link:
https://www.wired.com/story/as-the-world-warms-clouds-could-disappear-catastrophically

We Have To Fix Fashion If We Want To Survive The Climate Crisis

Why it took so long?

Useful link:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90311509/we-have-to-fix-fashion-if-we-want-to-survive-the-next-century

Data Brokers

How many of us really know who and where they are?

Useful link:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90310803/here-are-the-data-brokers-quietly-buying-and-selling-your-personal-information

A Human's Guide To Machine Intelligence

Get to know Kartik Hosanagar, a professor of technology and digital business at the University of Pennsylvania. Hosanagar is the author of A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence: How Algorithms Are Shaping Our Lives and How We Can Stay in Control.

Helm

Get to know Helm Personal Server.

Saturday, March 09, 2019

Random Thoughts

No matter what you’re doing on the internet, it seems, someone, somewhere, is making money off of it.

Pomellato For Women

Take a look.

Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/pomellato-debuts-womens-day

The Fish That Ate The Whale: The Life And Times Of America's Banana King

A must read. Get to know Rich Cohen.

Useful link:
http://www.authorrichcohen.com

The Idealist

Get to know Nina Munk.

Useful link:
http://ninamunk.com

Shanghai Scrap

Get to know Adam Minter.

Useful link:
http://shanghaiscrap.com

Modative

Get to know Modative, a unique architecture firm.

TransActive Grid

The TransActive Grid, a joint venture between Lo3 Energy and ConsenSys, a blockchain developer, is a co-operative system. Take note.

Petra Diamonds Recovers 100.83 Carat Diamond

South Africa’s Petra Diamonds has found a 100.83 carat gem-quality diamond at its iconic Cullinan mine in South Africa. The D-colour, Type II diamond follows the recent recovery of a 6.12 carat Type II blue stone, also at Cullinan.

Mercanteinfiera

With more than 1,000 dealers of art, antiques, and midcentury modern Italian furniture, as well as collectibles, vintage haute couture clothing, and classic cars, the twice-annual Mercanteinfiera in Parma, Italy, has been rightly billed as the largest fair of its kind in Europe, with exhibitor stands filling four massive hangars on the Fiera di Parma grounds on the outskirts of the city. A must visit.

A Diamond Mine

Take a 360-degree tour through an Angolan diamond mine.

Friday, March 08, 2019

Random Thoughts

How are you? These are the three most useless words in the world of communication. The person asking doesn't really want to know, and the person responding doesn't tell the truth. What follows is a lost opportunity and meaningless exchange with zero connection.

iRelaunch

iRelaunch is an organization that helps men and women get back into STEM jobs after a break. Take note.

How To Have A Meaningful Conversation

It's all about A.C.T. A=Authenticity. C=Connection. T=Taste. Practice.

Useful link:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/07/stop-asking-how-are-you-harvard-researchers-say-this-is-how-successful-people-make-small-talk.html

How Do You Bring A Forest Back To Life?

With patience and genuine desire.

Useful link:
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190304-how-do-you-bring-a-forest-back-to-life

How A Missing Letter Helped Create A Tech Billionaire

A remarkable story. Get to know Scott Farquhar.

Useful link:
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47301446

Where Has All The Ransomware Gone?

Cryptojacking is underway. What's the solution?

Useful link:
http://fortune.com/2019/03/02/ibm-ransomware-cybercrime-cryptojacking

Thursday, March 07, 2019

Grounded

Julia Jackson will be launching Grounded, a new summit and foundation focused on increasing scalable climate-change solutions by supporting organizations and individuals who are at the forefront of making these changes. Take note.

Random Thoughts

W.H. Auden:

Give me a doctor partridge-plump,
Short in the leg and broad in the rump,
An endomorph with gentle hands
Who’ll never make absurd demands
That I abandon all my vices
Nor pull a long face in a crisis,
But with a twinkle in his eye
Will tell me that I have to die.

One Man’s Two-decade Quest To Suck Greenhouse Gas Out Of The Sky

Get to know Klaus Lackner.

Useful link:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612928/one-mans-two-decade-quest-to-suck-greenhouse-gas-out-of-the-sky

Smaller Countries Are Becoming The Healthiest

A new pattern is slowly emerging. Take note.

Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-04/global-wellness-rankings-these-are-the-best-places-to-live

Why Billions Of Barrels Of Oil Go Untapped In Brazil

Local politics, period.

Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-03/why-billions-of-barrels-of-oil-go-untapped-in-brazil-quicktake?srnd=premium-asia

Help, We’re Drowning In Recycling!

CM was spot on. We need permanent solutions.

Useful link:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/help-were-drowning-in-recycling-cue-the-internet-of-trash-11551502870?mod=hp_major_pos17

Wednesday, March 06, 2019

Faceless Portraits Transcending Time

Faceless Portraits Transcending Time is an exhibition of prints recently shown at the HG Contemporary gallery in Chelsea, the epicenter of New York’s contemporary-art world. All of them were created by a computer. The catalog calls the show a collaboration between an artificial intelligence named AICAN and its creator, Dr. Ahmed Elgammal, a move meant to spotlight, and anthropomorphize, the machine-learning algorithm that did most of the work. According to HG Contemporary, it’s the first solo gallery exhibit devoted to an AI artist.

Random Thoughts

It’s a huge amount of work to pay attention globally. Every CEO needs to be focused on equality. Every CEO needs to realize they can make these changes. They can evolve. They can go forward. They can inspire others.

10 Things I Learned At The AGA’s Tucson Conference

One should never stop learning.

Useful link:
https://www.nationaljeweler.com/blog/7468-10-things-i-learned-at-the-aga-s-tucson-conference

Anarchy, Bitcoin, And Murder In Acapulco

A perfect yet imperfect place for a few.

Useful link:
https://www.wired.com/story/anarchy-bitcoin-and-murder-in-mexico

It’s Time To Pay Attention To The Other Cabernet

Over to you.

Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-01/best-cabernet-franc-wines-from-the-loire-valley-and-beyond?srnd=premium-asia

A New Billionaire Emerges From Singapore Gaming Powerhouse Sea

Get to know Forrest Li.

Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-01/a-billionaire-forged-in-free-fire-the-fortnite-of-singapore

Himalayas-Born Cyber Tycoon Climbs Into World's Richest Club

Get to know Jay Chaudhry.

Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-01/himalayan-boy-rises-into-world-s-richest-club-with-cyber-fortune?srnd=premium-asia

Pritzker Architecture Prize 2019

Arata Isozaki has been crowned the winner of the 2019 Pritzker architectureprize, an honour regarded as the Nobel prize of architecture.

Tuesday, March 05, 2019

India And Air Pollution

India accounts for seven of the world's 10 cities with the worst air pollution, according to a new report, but previously smogbound Chinese cities have seen a marked improvement.

Inside The Napa Auction That’s Become The Davos Of Wine Drinking

A must visit.

Useful link:
https://robbreport.com/food-drink/wine/premiere-napa-valley-2019-wine-auction-2842707

Inside The New $100,000-Per-Night Vegas Suite Designed By Damien Hirst

Only for a few with a special taste who could afford.

Useful link:
https://robbreport.com/travel/hotels/damien-hirst-designed-palms-resort-vegas-suite-2842792

Cat’s-Eye Brazilian Paraíba Tourmaline

Take a look.

Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-labnotes-cats-eye-brazilian-paraiba-tourmaline

Sillimanite In Ruby

One of a kind inclusion.

Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-microworld-sillimanite-in-ruby

Natural Emerald With Inclusions Along Three Directions

Take a look.

Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-gemnews-natural-emerald-with-inclusions-along-three-directions

Hockney/Van Gogh: The Joy Of Nature

Don't miss the Vincent van Gogh paintings at “Hockney/Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature.”

Space And Matter

In a canal in North Amsterdam, a new neighborhood is taking shape–out on the water. Get to know Sascha Glasl, cofounder of Space&Matter, the architecture firm that designed the project.

Monday, March 04, 2019

Luminary

A podcast start-up called Luminary has emerged from stealth mode to unveil nearly $100 million in funding and a subscription-based business model that it hopes will push the medium into a new phase of growth.

Cobalt Hunt

A coalition of billionaires led by Bill Gates has thrown its financial weight behind a startup hoping to build a Google Maps for the earth’s crust to hunt for new sources of cobalt. The startup, Kobold Metals, is using data-crunching algorithms to scour the globe for cobalt, in a bet that there may still be significant undiscovered sources of the metal that has become one of the world’s hot commodities thanks to its use in electric vehicle batteries. I wish them good luck.

Random Thoughts

There’s that quote: if you’re not in over your head, how will you ever find out how tall you are?

Is Ethical A.I. Even Possible?

Only time will tell.

Useful link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/01/business/ethics-artificial-intelligence.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Technology

Who Are Online, Recruited By Advertisers And 4 Years Old? Kidfluencers

A new trend.

Useful link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/01/business/media/social-media-influencers-kids.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

Meet Nova

Get to know Priyanka Kedia.

Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/nova-collection-ayva-jewelry

What Does Experiential Retail Even Mean These Days?

What really matters is localization, service, shareability, and that special personal touch.

Useful link:
https://www.retaildive.com/news/what-does-experiential-retail-even-mean-these-days/548666

Oversupply An Issue At Hong Kong Show

Always.

Useful link:
https://www.diamonds.net/news/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=63418&ArticleTitle=Oversupply%2ban%2bIssue%2bat%2bHong%2bKong%2bShow

Sunday, March 03, 2019

Citizen Endo

There is a disconnect between what doctors recognize as endometriosis symptoms, and what patients are actually experiencing day-to-day. Bridging this gap is critical to further research on endometriosis. Get to know Citizen Endo, a unique research project at Columbia University.

Random Thoughts

Some people hold a burning fire within them from a young age. Some don’t. Whatever your level of willpower and expectations, time is your friend. Just like more time leads to greater compounding of money, the same happens in life. The earlier you start hustling, the more your successes build upon themselves. Don’t waste time. Start now.

30 Restaurants Agree Not To Raise Prices During Baselworld

A good business decision.

Useful link:
https://www.nationaljeweler.com/independents/trade-shows/7477-30-restaurants-agree-not-to-raise-prices-during-baselworld

Jewelry Equity Loans Are Apparently Now A Thing

Sign of the times.

Useful link:
https://gritdaily.com/jewelry-equity

Differentiate. Don’t grade

YA viewpoint.

Useful link:
http://www.idexonline.com/Memo?id=44582

Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years

Get to know Sean Cohen.

Useful link:
https://thriveglobal.com/stories/big-ideas-every-step-in-diamond-mining-and-processing-can-be-part-of-a-virtuous-circle-with-sean-cohen-ceo-of-rand-defined-diamonds

Alrosa In America

Business and politics should never mix but reality bites.

Useful link:
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/russian-diamond-giant-hopes-politics-wont-wreck-us-expansion-plans-060050697.html

Kimberley Process To Address The Role Of Diamonds In Fueling Conflict

Simplify.

Useful link:
https://www.thediamondloupe.com/sustainability/2019-02-27/kimberley-process-address-role-diamonds-fuelling

Mining Billionaire Ends Bitter Guinea Dispute After Months Of Secret Negotiations

Colorful characters in a colorful industry.

Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2019-02-25/steinmetz-stages-guinea-comeback-in-sarkozy-brokered-deal?__twitter_impression=true

Moon Mining

The hypothetical mission would launch by 2025 and focus on lunar regolith, which is a fancy name for lunar soil. While lunar soil has no organic content, it does contain molecular oxygen and water. It also has helium-3, an isotope that has the potential to be a future energy source. The ESA's website says that helium-3 "could provide safer nuclear energy in a fusion reactor, since it is not radioactive and would not produce dangerous waste products."

Regolith

Regolith, Universe Today reported, is a dust-like material that covers the lunar surface and is the result of billions of years of meteor and comet impacts. If anyone ever lives on the moon, they could use the regolith to build habitats for a base.

Gemstone Detective

Get to know Kim Rix. Gemstone Detective Guides are available to buy online and in all good bookshops as paperback pocket guides and e-books, as well as via her website: www.gemstonedetective.com.

Montreux Jazz Festival

If you do decide to go in July to Switzerland, don't miss the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Saturday, March 02, 2019

Random Thoughts

As Alberto Savoia sees it, your brilliant idea for a new product or service is like a baby sea turtle. Early in his new book, The Right It: Why So Many Ideas Fail and How to Make Sure Yours Succeed, Google’s former engineering director and “innovation agitator” writes that “the gauntlet that awaits most new ideas might remind you of one of those hard-to-watch scenes in nature documentaries [where] hundreds of newly hatched sea turtles race from the beach to the surf, while all sorts of predators pick them off one by one, like mini-quiches at a buffet.” Eeek. “Mother Nature is brutal, and so is the market.”

Zola

Get to know Zola, the wedding company.

A Special Report On Synthetic Diamonds

The Rapaport Group has published a special report delving into the key issues around lab-grown diamonds. 

The supplement, “The Fight’s Getting Real,” contains highlights from the February 2019 issue of Rapaport Magazine, featuring an analysis of De Beers’ entry into the synthetics market, and a deep look at questions of pricing and marketing terminology.

It also details how companies are using man-made stones for a wide range of industrial purposes. Plus, Rapaport News Editor and Senior Analyst Avi Krawitz explains how the debate over lab-grown meat highlights the challenges facing the diamond trade. 

The report is available for download here.

Ecological Impact Of Lab-grown Diamonds

For all the eco-friendly claims that we see from lab-grown diamond companies, there is almost no independent research on the topic—and most growers provide little transparency as to the energy they use or growing methods. Dr. Salem Ali, an environmental planner and a professor of energy and the environment at the University of Delaware, is the only academic, who has studied it. His 2011 working paper on the issue is available here. It was eventually updated and published in the Journal of Bioeconomics in 2017. Many thanks to Rob Bates, JCK.

Friday, March 01, 2019

Halo-Shakiso Emerald, Ethiopia

The group in control of the Halo-Shakiso emeralds has been working to build it as a brand, mimicking the work of other areas that have done it successfully, such as Muzo, Colombia. As part of a project, the Bu’a Obsa association has created a logo, slogan and a website. A must visit.

JP Morgan Chase Institute Report

Small businesses founded by women earn an average of 34% less revenue in their first year, according to a recent report by the JP Morgan Chase Institute. Four years later, they have a median revenue of $68,000, compared to the $104,000 earned by male-owned firms. And only 18% of small businesses that receive external financing are owned by women. Despite these challenges, the study found that male and female-owned businesses have nearly identical survival rates.

The Art Show

The best thing about the Art Show, the annual fair sponsored by the Art Dealers Association of America in the Park Avenue Armory, is that ticket sales benefit the Henry Street Settlement, which has been bringing art and culture to the Lower East Side since 1893. The second best thing is that all 72 exhibitors are in a single room, albeit a large and drafty one: You can take it all in with a leisurely stroll.

How We’ll Invent The Future

Read what Bill Gates has to say.

Useful link:
https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/technologies/2019

Modulate.ai

Copy. Model. Manipulate.

Useful link:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613033/this-ai-lets-you-deepfake-your-voice-to-speak-like-barack-obama

Alrosa Unearths 99 carat Gem-quality Diamond

Take a look.

Useful link:
http://www.mining.com/alrosa-finds-gem-quality-diamond-weighing-almost-100-carats