Spot on.
Useful link:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90326529/the-world-is-still-run-by-dynasties
Thursday, April 18, 2019
The 100 Most Influential Of 2019
These are TIME's most influential pioneers, leaders, titans, artists and icons of 2019.
Useful link:
http://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/?utm_source=time.com
Useful link:
http://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2019/?utm_source=time.com
Okavango Diamond Company Unveils Rare 20-carat Blue Diamond
A once-in-a-lifetime find.
Useful link:
http://www.mining.com/botswana-unveils-rare-20-carat-blue-diamond-countrys-largest-ever
Useful link:
http://www.mining.com/botswana-unveils-rare-20-carat-blue-diamond-countrys-largest-ever
Just How Eco-Friendly Are Lab-Created Diamonds?
Too soon to know the impact.
Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/lab-created-diamonds-eco-friendly
Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/lab-created-diamonds-eco-friendly
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Schramsberg Vineyards
The vast openness, dotted with happy little trees along the winding roads to Schramsberg vineyards is utterly breathtaking. A must visit.
Life In The Fast Lane Kills You
Philip Ball was spot on.
Useful link:
http://aging.nautil.us/feature/173/yes-life-in-the-fast-lane-kills-you
Useful link:
http://aging.nautil.us/feature/173/yes-life-in-the-fast-lane-kills-you
Leadership Lessons From Game Of Thrones
Bruce Craven was spot on. Persuasion skill is a gift.
Useful link:
https://www.strategy-business.com/article/Leadership-lessons-from-Game-of-Thrones?gko=33bc5
Useful link:
https://www.strategy-business.com/article/Leadership-lessons-from-Game-of-Thrones?gko=33bc5
The Man Who Hacks His Own Body
Bold, curious, and different.
Useful link:
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20190326-the-man-who-hacks-his-own-body
Useful link:
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20190326-the-man-who-hacks-his-own-body
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Mailchimp Bootstraps To $600 M Revenue
Best of Bootstrapping: Mailchimp Bootstraps to $600M Revenue is one of the most powerful case studies of bootstrapped entrepreneurship out there. A must-read for aficionados of this style of business building. Take note.
Silvia Terra
SilviaTerra is a startup that uses AI to monitor global forest populations, with the tools it needs to store and analyze vast amounts of data. Take note.
Martin Rapaport Proposal
During a trade mission to Sierra Leone that involved a group of 29 international diamantaires and jewelers, Martin Rapaport, Chairman of the Rapaport Group, presented a proposal to the government of Sierra Leone that, in his company's view, would optimize the country's diamond industry. The proposal includes a systematic and sustainable business model that will optimize the benefit of Sierra Leone’s alluvial diamonds for the diggers, their communities, and the government. The plan involves giving artisanal diggers the opportunity to sell the diamonds they find through a legitimate government channel. I hope they succeed.
100 Plastic Rivers
A project called 100 Plastic Rivers which will produce the first systematic, global analysis of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems is a wakeup call for all of us. The plastic particles will pose a range of potential dangers, from affecting soils and food production and carrying toxic chemicals and microbes far and wide.
Aaron Faber Gallery
A new jewelry exhibit opens at New York City’s Aaron Faber Gallery: Titled “Once in a Blue Moon.” The event is themed around blue gemstones and features the work of 21 invited jewelry artists. A must visit.
Monday, April 15, 2019
Random Thoughts
We got our tails kicked. That’s just business. A guy drops money on the counter, we accept the wager, we pay, and then we move on. Does it sting? Sure it stings, but it’s just part of the business. Tiger is Tiger. He’s the greatest golfer I’ve ever seen. Hopefully, we will get some new golf bettors out of it.
Ladies Who Punch
Ramin Setoodeh, an award-winning journalist, is the New York bureau chief for Variety. He was formerly a senior writer at Newsweek and has also written for The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and U.S. News & World Report, among other publications. Ladies Who Punch is his first book. A must read.
A Quarter Of Europeans Want AI To Replace Politicians. That’s A Terrible Idea.
Not really. First, we should give AI a chance. Then, judge.
Useful link:
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/3/27/18283992/ai-replace-politicians-europe-survey
Useful link:
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/3/27/18283992/ai-replace-politicians-europe-survey
GIA Unveils New Diamond Origin Report
A remarkable add-on by GIA.
Useful link:
https://www.diamonds.net/News/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=63519&ArticleTitle=GIA%2bUnveils%2bNew%2bDiamond%2bOrigin%2bReport
Useful link:
https://www.diamonds.net/News/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=63519&ArticleTitle=GIA%2bUnveils%2bNew%2bDiamond%2bOrigin%2bReport
Lightbox Adds More 1 Carat Solitaires—But With Drill Holes
There is some kind of magic around that 1 carat number.
Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/lightbox-1-carat-solitaires-holes
Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/lightbox-1-carat-solitaires-holes
Delos
Get to know Paul Scialla, the founder of Delos, a New York City-based startup. Scialla sells a “Well” building certification that real estate developers, employers and hotel and resort operators can display in their lobbies and use in their marketing materials. Modeled after the well-known LEED green building standard, which is administered by a nonprofit, Scialla’s project differs in one key aspect: Delos is very much a for-profit company.
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Hydrogen Sensor For Hydrogen Powered Vehicles
Researchers at Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology have developed the first hydrogen sensors ever to meet the future performance targets for use in hydrogen-powered vehicles. The device is capable of detecting 0.1 percent hydrogen in the air in less than a second. In a study published in the scientific journal Nature Materials, physicists Ferry Nugroho, Christoph Langhammer and other colleagues, explain that their optical nanosensor contains millions of metal nanoparticles of a palladium-gold alloy, a material that is known for its sponge-like ability to absorb large amounts of hydrogen. The device is also encapsulated in a plastic material.
Amazon's Peculiar Ways
The Leadership Principles may be the most public-facing of Amazon’s various lists of rules: The company has published them on its careers site. A must read.
The Moment Of Lift
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates is a must read. It is a wise, honest, and beautifully written book about how empowering women lifts up everyone.
The Business Of Your Face
It's a booming business. How do we regulate?
Useful link:
http://fortune.com/longform/facial-recognition
Useful link:
http://fortune.com/longform/facial-recognition
Bill Gates Thinks These 5 Agricultural Hacks Can Help Stop Climate Change
I hope BG's ideas and solution will work.
Useful link:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90326073/bill-gates-thinks-these-5-agricultural-hacks-can-help-stop-climate-change
Useful link:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90326073/bill-gates-thinks-these-5-agricultural-hacks-can-help-stop-climate-change
996 Work Culture
To survive at Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. you need to work 12 hours a day, six days a week. That’s what billionaire Jack Ma demands of his staff at China’s biggest e-commerce platform. Ma told an internal meeting that Alibaba doesn’t need people who look forward to a typical eight-hour office lifestyle, according to a post on Alibaba’s official Weibo account. Instead, he endorsed the industry’s notorious 996 work culture -- that is, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week.
Over to you.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Random Thoughts
The truth of the matter is that the retail landscape is evolving. Success at the shelf is no longer about the depth and breadth of inventory, but rather creating engaging experiences for customers. Many of the organizations that are struggling today were at one point very established brands who dominated the market by offering customers a variety of products to choose from. They relied on their size and scale as advantages to win customers and chose to ignore indications that consumer behaviors were beginning to change. Advancements in technology have allowed consumers to decide how and when they shop and have created ecosystems where frictionless experiences are rewarded more so than assortment of SKUs. By the time many of these monolithic brands realized these new technologies weren't just fads, but rather fundamental shifts in how consumers were shopping, it was too late to try and adapt.
Transformation Talks Podcast
Dan Cable, professor of organizational behavior at the London Business School, argues that although managers need an element of control to get results, change efforts should happen with less work and more play. For more insights, visit the Transformation Talks podcast series.
A must listen.
A Brief History Of The Bagel
One of my favorite.
Useful link:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-brief-history-of-the-bagel-49555497
Useful link:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-brief-history-of-the-bagel-49555497
The James Beard Awards Announce Its 2019 Nominees—See The Full List Here
Take note. The best of the best.
Useful link:
https://robbreport.com/food-drink/dining/james-beard-2019-nominees-announced-2845192
Useful link:
https://robbreport.com/food-drink/dining/james-beard-2019-nominees-announced-2845192
Friday, April 12, 2019
World Press Photo Of The Year 2019
The winners of the World Press Photo awards 2019 have been announced. John Moore’s photograph of a young girl crying as she and her mother are detained after crossing into the US from Mexico won the €10,000 (£8,600) top prize.
Business Adventures
When the two billionaires first met back in 1991, Bill Gates asked Warren Buffett to recommend his favorite business book. Without missing a beat, the Berkshire Hathaway CEO answered: “Business Adventures” by John Brooks, then said he would send his copy to Gates. “More than two decades after Warren lent it to me — and more than four decades after it was first published — ‘Business Adventures’ remains the best business book I’ve ever read. John Brooks is still my favorite business writer,” Bill Gates wrote in his blog.
How could Bill Gates and Warren Buffett be wrong? They are the most successful and well respected businessmen in the world. Get a copy.
Global Silver Market
The Silver Institute has released a report saying global silver demand rose 4% – to 1.03 billion oz. – in 2018. This is the first time since 2015 that demand has risen year-over-year. Three factors were at play: demand growth, robust retail investment, and falling supply. On the demand side, sales of silver bars and coins rose by 20%, the largest driver was silver bar demand, which jumped 53%. Silver jewelry demand moved up 4%, to 212.5 million oz. Demand for industrial silver fell 1% to 578.6 million oz., due to a 9% drop in silver used in photovoltaic.
Good As Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women
Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women features glittering treasures, gleaming coins and eye-catching jewelry and tells a rich story about the universally precious metal and its special relationship with the people of West Africa. Gold also provides an enduring link to the past in a new Sidedoor podcast that takes listeners on a journey through parts of the region. Take note.
How Do Scientists Know What Colors Prehistoric Animals Were?
I had always wanted to ask this question.
Useful link:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-do-scientists-determine-colors-prehistoric-animals-180971807
Useful link:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-do-scientists-determine-colors-prehistoric-animals-180971807
Do You Know Your Jewelry Etiquette?
Many don't. Learn and practice.
Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/do-you-know-your-jewelry-etiquette
Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/do-you-know-your-jewelry-etiquette
Graff Goes Wild: Check Out The Jeweler’s Endangered Animal GyroGraff Watches
Elegant. Different. Wearable.
Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/graff-gyrograff-watches-endangered
Useful link:
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/graff-gyrograff-watches-endangered
Contraceptive Jewelry? How Earrings Could Deliver Birth Control
Hard to believe, really.
Useful link:
Climate Action 100+
Climate Action 100+, a coalition of some of the world’s largest investors, who together manage $32 trillion in assets is a group to watch. I hope they will achieve their goals in due time.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
CIBJO Congress 2019
CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, will hold its 2019 annual congress in Manama, the capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain, from November 18 to November 20. Pre-congress meetings will be held November 16 and 17, and the congress will follow the World Pearl Forum, which is due to take place on November 14 and 15. The CIBJO Annual Congress will be organised by DANAT, the Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones, which is dedicated to developing the local and regional pearl and gemstone industry, and operates one of the world’s most sophisticated laboratories in the field.
The official venue and hotel of the 2019 CIBJO Congress is the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay. Jewelers and gemologists: Mark your calendar!
Buying A US$1 Home In Italy
Sounds good? Well here's how you get a slice of the action.
Step uno: Head to Zungoli's official website -- www.comunezungoli.it. On the left column, there's a link titled "Case in vendita a €1."
You might need Google Translate to help you out at this point, or some rudimentary knowledge of Italian (which would be no bad thing anyway if you're thinking of living there.)
Step due: Click on the link and you'll see dozens of 50- to 100-square-meter dwellings listed. They're all in need of some TLC, so you'll need some imagination.
Step tre: Download the application form for the property you like. At this point you commit to renovating one within three years and must explain the type of project -- be it a private house, B&B or artisan shop.
Step quattro: Attach a copy of your ID and forward everything to the mayor's office by email or mail.
Step cinque: If your plan is approved, Caruso will send you a contract and then it's up to you to fly over to Italy and close the deal.
The catch: As with all these cheap home deals, buyers must pay a €2,000 security deposit and commit to refurbishing the property.
Work needs to start within a few months. Once it's complete and the purchase deed is made, the deposit is refunded.
There are tax deductions of up to 85% for any restyling works.
What are you waiting for?
Graff Lesedi La Rona
Lawrence Graff has unveiled the 67 polished stones it cut from the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, including a record-breaking 302-carat diamond. The jeweler has named the square emerald-cut, 302.37-carat, D-color diamond the Graff Lesedi La Rona. It has yet to receive final certification for the stone, but expects a very high clarity grading. If it turns out to be flawless, it would be the largest D-flawless the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has graded. It’s also the largest of its shape in history, according to the company. The entire process, from discovery through the cutting and polishing stages, took more than 18 months. Cutting a diamond of this size is an art form, the ultimate art of sculpture. It is the riskiest form of art, because one can never add and one can never cover up a mistake, one can only take away. The cutter have to be careful, and he must be perfect. Hats off to Lawrence Graff. He will be the King of Diamonds for a very long time.
Random Thoughts
If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don’t we consider it his duty to escape? I think escapism in all its forms is a survival strategy, a way to think ourselves out of traps.
Consumerism At The Top Of The Curve
Looking at the statistics of the luxury vehicles market more closely reveals a more nuanced reality. Get to know Phong Ly, CEO of iSeeCars, and read the insightful statement accompanying the report.
The Devil Wears Prada?
The Devil Wears Prada? Effects of Exposure to Luxury Goods on Cognition and Decision Making [PDF(pdf)]. A must read.
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Ouizi
Louise Jones (née Chen), who goes by the artist name Ouizi, has gathered admirers and accolades for her luminous murals, which are often flower-themed.
Closed Loop Partners Report
A new report from Closed Loop Partners, an investment fund that works on building the circular economy, looks at the new technology coming to market. Take note.
Tuesday, April 09, 2019
Bingham Canyon Mine, US
The world’s biggest open-pit mine currently is the Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah. The copper mine, which is part of Rio Tinto’s Kennecott operation, is roughly 4km wide and more than 1.2km deep. The mine began production in 1906 and has produced more than 19 million tons of copper throughout its life, along with millions of ounces of gold, silver and molybdenum. It has been repeatedly expanded, and has gained an almost mythical reputation given its seemingly unending resources.
Jonas Wood
Get to know Jonas Wood, a brilliant upcoming artist.
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-21/basketball-poker-propel-painter-to-pinnacle-of-the-art-world?srnd=premium-asia
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-21/basketball-poker-propel-painter-to-pinnacle-of-the-art-world?srnd=premium-asia
Monday, April 08, 2019
Firestorm Finds A Big Diamond In Lesotho
Africa-focused Firestone Diamonds has dug up a 72-carat yellow, whole makeable diamond at its Liqhobong Mine in Lesotho, the second one over 70-carat it has found this year. Take note.
Random Thoughts
Your life is not always going to fulfill you. Happiness is reality minus expectation. If you are looking for bliss, you are bound to be disappointed. The upside of low expectation is that they erase the gap between what we wanted and what we got.
Yardbird
A new direct to consumer startup.
Useful link:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90320746/this-new-startup-makes-affordable-outdoor-furniture-out-of-ocean-plastic
Useful link:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90320746/this-new-startup-makes-affordable-outdoor-furniture-out-of-ocean-plastic
Sunday, April 07, 2019
Wild Places Safaris
Wild Places Safaris, is a company dedicated to creating life-changing travel experiences in Africa. Take note.
Mission Gold
Nick Marzano, an Australian photographer who publishes a glossy magazine, Mission Gold, which documents the world of trash pickers in San Francisco, estimates there are several hundred garbage scavengers in the city. Take a look.
Origin Of Cobalt Blue Spinel In Canada
Researchers from the University of British Columbia published the first scientific study of cobalt-blue spinel in Canada, a mineral that produces fine gemstones that range from red and pink to violet and blue. Take note.
Basic Income Experiment By Finland
After the Finnish government chose 2,000 unemployed citizens at random and gave them a check of 560 euros ($635) every month for two years ending last December, the recipients reported less stress than the control group. That was true even for recipients who felt they were still struggling to make ends meet, according to new findings released by Kela, a Finnish government agency. The recipients also reported that they felt more trust toward other people and social institutions — from political parties to the police to the courts — than they did before getting a basic income.
India should give it a try, starting with a small state like Kerala, and see where it takes.
Chart: Inclusions In Natural, Synthetic, And Treated Diamond
A good reference chart from the GIA.
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-inclusions-natural-synthetic-treated-diamond
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-inclusions-natural-synthetic-treated-diamond
No Sleep, No Sex, No Life: Tech Workers In China’s Silicon Valley Face Burnout Before They Reach 30
This is the price of progress. Take it or leave it.
Useful link:
https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3002533/no-sleep-no-sex-no-life-tech-workers-chinas-silicon-valley-face
Useful link:
https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3002533/no-sleep-no-sex-no-life-tech-workers-chinas-silicon-valley-face
Saturday, April 06, 2019
Paul Zimnisky
Paul Zimnisky, CFA is an independent diamond industry analyst and consultant based in the New York metro area. For regular analysis of the diamond industry please consider subscribing to his State of the Diamond Market, a leading monthly industry report. Paul is a graduate of the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business with a B.S. in finance and he is a CFA charterholder. He can be reached at paul@paulzimnisky.com and followed on Twitter @paulzimnisky.
Preqin Report
Private capital tracker Preqin says in a report, that contrary to expectations, 2018 was another bumper year for the industry, particularly for natural resources investments. Take note.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)