P.J.Joseph's Weblog On Colored Stones, Diamonds, Gem Identification, Synthetics, Treatments, Imitations, Pearls, Organic Gems, Gem And Jewelry Enterprises, Gem Markets, Watches, Gem History, Books, Comics, Cryptocurrency, Designs, Films, Flowers, Wine, Tea, Coffee, Chocolate, Graphic Novels, New Business Models, Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Energy, Education, Environment, Music, Art, Commodities, Travel, Photography, Antiques, Random Thoughts, and Things He Like.
Translate
Sunday, April 28, 2019
This Is The First Ever Photo Of A Black Hole
Useful link:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613301/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole
Gemological Analysis Of Lightbox CVD-Grown White Diamonds
Gilson Cat’s-Eye Synthetic Emerald
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-microworld-gilson-cats-eye-synthetic-emerald
Corundum With Spinel Corona From The Tan Huong–Truc Lau Area In Northern Vietnam
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-corundum-spinel-corona-from-tan-huong-truc-lau
How To Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons For Radical Results
Esther Wojcicki is the author of How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results. A must read.
Random Thoughts
Cooking is fun. Cooking is nourishing. Cooking is the thing I do to feel creative, to feel like I made something. You cook for someone to show them you love them, to bring delight to them in a wonderful way. Taste, smell, texture, color: Cooking is sensual. Cooking is also universal. Everybody either cooks or has been cooked for. Everybody’s got the best way to make chili or chocolate chip cookies. We all have a memory of something we loved to eat as a child: Grandma’s potato salad; brownies from a box fresh out of the oven; the chicken soup that warmed up cold fingers and toes after playing in the snow. And when you’re eating a fine meal prepared by someone else — or even a simple meal, like some roasted vegetables and a piece of bread slathered in butter — you can, and should, admire the craftsmanship and creativity. Art is meant to be shared.
Saturday, April 27, 2019
The Madhouse Effect
Michael E. Mann is Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Pennsylvania State University. His most recent book, with Tom Toles, is The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial Is Threatening Our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy.
Slow City
The international slow food movement started in Italy as a protest against the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant on the Spanish Steps in Rome in 1986. Then, in 1999, came the cittaslow movement (translated as slow city)–inspired by the slow food movement–which emphasizes the importance of maintaining local character while developing an economy that can sustain communities into the future.
I think what the world need right now is a place and time for meaningful engagement.
De Beers Dreams Of Building The Diamond Mine Of The Future In Nunavut
Useful link:
https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/de-beers-dreams-of-building-the-diamond-mine-of-the-future-in-nunavut
The Relationship Between Diamonds And The Jewish People
Useful link:
https://www.jpost.com/Special-Content/The-Relationship-between-Diamonds-and-The-Jewish-People-585659
Chocolate Diamonds
Useful link:
https://www.businessinsider.in/Chocolate-diamonds-werent-always-valuable-Heres-how-they-went-from-cheap-rocks-to-adorning-Rihannas-130000-Grammys-necklace-/articleshow/68998815.cms
Climate Change Issues
No country or community is immune, read an open letter signed by Bank of England’s governor Mark Carney, Bank of France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau, and Frank Elderson, who chairs the Network for Greening the Financial System and serves as an executive director at the Dutch central bank. The prime responsibility for climate policy will continue to sit with governments. And the private sector will determine the success of the adjustment. But as financial policymakers and prudential advisors, we cannot ignore the obvious risk before our eyes.
Very bold statement indeed. Just do the right thing.
Technology Therapy Group
Get to know Jennifer Shaheen, president of Technology Therapy Group, which provides marketing and tech expertise to retailers.
Friday, April 26, 2019
Parmigiani Fleurier Gives Craftsmen Free Rein To Work Their Magic
Useful link:
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/article/3002875/sihh-2019-parmigiani-fleurier-gives-craftsmen
Center For Humane Technology
Get to know Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and a former design ethicist at Google.
I would like to see the tech industry redesign products that improve humanity instead of exploiting it.
Thursday, April 25, 2019
The Influencer Collection
Royal Chain is targeting millennials and Gen Z with a new collection. The gold jewelry supplier has launched “The Influencer Collection,” directly targeting the social media- and-selfie-obsessed members of the generations. The 52-piece collection features 14-karat gold items ranging from novelty pieces to trendy designs with a “next-gen vibe,” with prices starting as low as $85. The designs are minimal and meant to be stacked and layered. The Influencer Collection is available now and can be ordered by visiting Royal Chain’s website.
Zoe Chicco
Zoe Chicco, the Los Angeles-based designer, who manufacturers her array of easy-to-wear, everyday jewels entirely at her in-house facility downtown, has launched an online charm builder. Take a look.
Transported By Technology
Get to know Mike Wooldridge, a travel blogger at Transported by Technology.
Investigators Recover Jewels Taken From Rome’s Etruscan Museum
Microscopic Observations Of Blue Sapphires Treated With Heat And Pressure
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-gemnews-microscopic-observations-blue-sapphires-treated-heat-pressure
Quarterly Crystal: Bubble In Fluorite
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-microworld-quarterly-crystal-bubble-in-fluorite
You’ve Told That Story 100 Times. Please Stop.
Useful link:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/youve-told-that-story-100-times-please-stop-11553950801
Minespider
Get to know Nathan Williams, chief executive officer of Minespider, a startup that’s using blockchain, the technology at the heart of Bitcoin, to better track shipments of metals as they move from mines to smelters and then on to factories worldwide.
GemGeneve
The 2019 edition of GemGenève, the international gem and jewelry show now in its second year, is set to open its doors on May 9. Held at Palexpo in Geneva, the sophomore edition of the fair brings together 210 of the world’s leading antique jewelry dealers, gem merchants, diamantaires, pearl specialists, and contemporary designers in a new and improved format.
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Blockchain Bandit
The security consultancy Independent Security Evaluators has detailed in a paper some interesting facts. The researchers not only found that cryptocurrency users have in the last few years stored their crypto treasure with hundreds of easily guessable private keys, but also uncovered what they call a blockchain bandit. Take note.
Robert Lang
Get to know Robert Lang, a NASA physicist and a full-time origami artist. Lang applied his math background to transport the art of folding into new frontiers, creating pieces never before possible. Take a look.
Argyle Yields Largest White Diamond
Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine has yielded the largest gem-quality white diamond in its 35-year history. The 28.84-carat stone, named Argyle Octavia for its octahedral shape, was discovered at the Australia-located mine last month. This discovery is a testament to the extraordinary Argyle orebody that continues to deliver these miracles of nature, even as it nears the end of mine life. The Argyle mine is set to close in 2020. The company will sell the diamond at a tender in Antwerp later this year.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
The Gemological Characteristics Of Pipi Pearls Reportedly From Pinctada Maculata
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2018-characteristics-pipi-pearls-from-pinctada-maculata
How I Found A Stolen Picasso
Useful link:
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/mar/29/art-detective-arthur-brand-how-i-found-a-stolen-picasso-painting
Meet The Female Inventor Behind Mass-Market Paper Bags
Useful link:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/meet-female-inventor-behind-mass-market-paper-bags-180968469
Rebooting High School
Useful link:
https://www.axios.com/rebooting-high-schools-future-jobs-5366f9f5-1aed-4878-81d6-77992281f205.html
Monday, April 22, 2019
PC Pitstop
Virtual companies do scale. Get to know Rob Cheng. Building a Virtual Company to $20 Million: Rob Cheng, CEO of PC Pitstop
Maecenas
Maecenas is a three-year-old startup looking to revolutionize the art world through tokenization. It allows investors to use cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin to buy a share of an artwork. The value of the shares — or tokens — rise and fall in a similar way to stocks. This allows original owners to maintain partial ownership of a work as its value grows, and opens up the market to younger investors. Take note.
When Beauty Gets In The Way Of Science
Useful link:
http://nautil.us/issue/71/flow/why-beauty-is-fatal-to-physics
The Dark Truth About Recycling
Useful link:
https://www.fastcompany.com/video/the-dark-truth-about-recycling/mqZeXwH6
GIA Unveils New Diamond Origin Report
Useful link:
https://www.diamonds.net/News/NewsItem.aspx?ArticleID=63519&ArticleTitle=GIA+Unveils+New+Diamond+Origin+Report
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Born To Be Posthumous
Born to Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey. Written by Mark Dery, it covers with great detail the macabre and bizarre author Edward Gorey. Take note.
Random Thoughts
What happens if you can actually automate all human intellectual labor? said Greg Brockman, chairman of OpenAI, a company backed by several Silicon Valley billionaires. Such thinking computers might be able to diagnose diseases better than doctors by drawing on superhuman amounts of clinical research. They could displace a large number of office jobs. Eventually, the job shortages would force the government to pay people to pursue their passions or simply live. The prospect is both energizing and terrifying.
The Mueller Report
The Mueller report, at 448 pages, is long but hardly an epic. Only for the curious.
Cubed: A Secret History Of The Workplace
Get to know Nikil Saval, author of Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace.
Cos Liquidate Stock To Repay Loans; Diamond Prices May Fall
Useful link:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/diamond-prices-may-fall-further/articleshow/68588091.cms
The Great Diamond Shortage That Never Was Is Likely Coming Soon
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-27/the-great-diamond-shortage-that-never-was-is-likely-coming-soon
The Still-Unresolved Saga Of Sierra Leone’s Peace Diamond
Useful link:
https://augustafreepress.com/the-still-unresolved-saga-of-sierra-leones-peace-diamond
Taking Stock At Cartier
Useful link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/fashion/jewelry-cartier-cyrille-vigneron.html
Has Luxury Become A Dirty Word In France?
Useful link:
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/opinion/has-luxury-become-a-dirty-word-in-france-gilets-jaunes-yellow-vests-protest
Roberto Curto
Get to know avant-garde Italian designer Roberto Curtò, who has just unveiled a jaw-dropping new concept for a 207-foot superyacht, with its dramatic lines inspired by the bug-eyed mollusk, part of the squid family. In fact, to reflect the squid connection, he’s somewhat unflatteringly named his quirky new creation Hypnosquid. Take a look.
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Nihi Sumba
Nihi Sumba is set on the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago about 50 minutes by plane from Bali. Owned by US billionaire Christopher Burch, who's the CEO of venture investment firm Burch Creative Capital and co-founder of designer fashion brand Tory Burch, the 38-room beachfront retreat is surrounded by rugged jungle. A must visit.
Random Thoughts
People tend to do their most creative work when they find deep meaning in what they're doing—when they feel that their work really contributes to something that matters. If people lack that meaning, it's very hard for them to stay intrinsically motivated and creative. Many leaders don't realize how necessary it is to help people understand the importance of their work.
Plastic Footprint
One tool, from a startup called Omni Calculator, asks simple questions about a typical week, tallying up how many plastic bottles or takeaway boxes or yogurt containers you use, and then telling you roughly how many pounds of plastic you use in a year or that you’ll use in your lifetime.
Another, from Greenpeace’s U.K. office, adds up the number of plastic items you buy and then forces you to scroll through a visual representation of your annual pile of trash.
An app called My Little Plastic Footprint goes further, helping users track their progress toward zero waste over time.
Act responsibly. Progress toward zero waste.
Walking Assembly
What would an architectural element that could be moved by a single person look like? The resulting project, called Walking Assembly, demonstrates the possibilities with a set of interlocking concrete puzzle pieces that the designers are able to assemble into a solid wall and staircase in about 15 minutes. Take a look.
Meet Göran Kling, Who Is Crafting Street-Smart “Slang” Jewelry In Sweden
Useful link:
https://www.vogue.com/article/meet-goran-kling-who-is-creating-slang-jewelry-for-men-in-sweden
How To Finance An Engagement Ring
Useful link:
https://www.businessinsider.in/How-to-finance-an-engagement-ring/articleshow/68617696.cms
Friday, April 19, 2019
Hearts On Fire Hayley Paige Collection
Take a look at Hearts On Fire x Hayley Paige Collection of stackable diamond bands and engagement rings.
Random Thoughts
Everybody fails. Everybody falls. We are all human, after all. But mercy lifts us. Forgiveness allows us to move on and try again. As we approach this Easter weekend, remember that you and I are never really done. There’s always tomorrow.
The Insatiable Traveler
Susan Portnoy is an award-winning photographer, inveterate traveler and founder of The Insatiable Traveler.
The Difference In Diamonds: Lab Grown vs. Mined vs. Alternatives
Useful link:
https://www.theplunge.com/engagement-rings/diamonds-lab-grown
Lab-Grown Diamonds Shake Up The Diamond Industry
Useful link:
https://www.npr.org/2019/03/28/707722624/lab-grown-diamonds-shake-up-the-diamond-industry
How Diamonds Gain Color
Useful link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/science/diamonds-color.html
Moroni: The Riches Of Renaissance Portraiture
The art of Giovanni Battista Moroni, the 16th-century painter who excelled at remarkably naturalistic portraits is having its first American survey at the Frick Collection in “Moroni: The Riches of Renaissance Portraiture.” A must visit.
Another Major Find At Cullinan
South Africa’s Petra Diamonds has found yet another big rock at its iconic Cullinan mine, the third coloured diamond over 100-carats since March that has been unearthed at the operation.
Zarya Diamond Mine
Alrosa has started diamond production at a new deposit in Yakutia with an expected mine life of 11 years. The Zarya pipe will help compensate for the diminishing resources at the miner’s Komsomolsky open-pit site. It will have the capacity to process 1.25 million tonnes of ore per year. Zarya, which is in the Aikhal division, cost the Russia-based miner RUB 12 billion ($187.3 million) to launch. Zarya is a landmark event for both Alrosa and Russia. It is already the second deposit launched in Yakutia in such a short span of time. The company began operations at the Verkhne-Munskoye deposit in Yakutia in October.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Random Thoughts
Plastic is an incredibly important part of the economy today, so we have to think about how it is being redesigned, reused, collected, recycled and ultimately disposed of across the entire value chain.
Gemstone Mining Map
Useful link:
https://www.mining-technology.com/features/gemstone-mining-map-2
A Coal Miner's Less-Is-More Lesson For Frackers
Useful link:
http://www.mining.com/web/coal-miners-less-lesson-frackers
Chef's Table
Useful link:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/in-praise-of-chefs-table-wild-overuse-of-slow-motion