Connects independent producers of golden, black, and South Sea pearls to the global market.
Useful links:
http://www.belpearlauctions.com
https://www.jewellerynet.com/en/magazine/features/23180
Thursday, August 22, 2019
A Decade Of Ruby From Mozambique
Hats off to the GIA for their excellent research on Mozambique rubies. We are still learning.
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2019-decade-of-ruby-from-mozambique
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2019-decade-of-ruby-from-mozambique
A Pearl Identification Challenge
GIA has the best lab facilities in the world for pearl identification.
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2019-pearl-identification-challenge
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2019-pearl-identification-challenge
Bulletproof Coffee
Get to know David Asprey.
Useful links:
https://www.bulletproof.com
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48692763
Useful links:
https://www.bulletproof.com
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48692763
Shapeshifter: The Multiverse Of Wallace Chan
Wallace Chan is truly an inspiring jewelry designer. Take a look at his works.
Useful links:
http://wallace-chan.com
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2019/08/20/wallace-chan-to-bring-porcelain-jewelry-exhibition-to-london/#4508ec344521
Useful links:
http://wallace-chan.com
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2019/08/20/wallace-chan-to-bring-porcelain-jewelry-exhibition-to-london/#4508ec344521
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Human Lives Might Be Long Enough Already
Jay Olshansky was spot on. The time has arrived in our modern era to stop trying to make us live longer. Instead, we should just focus in on health extension rather than life extension.
Useful link:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/06/healthier-not-longer-lives/592318
Useful link:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/06/healthier-not-longer-lives/592318
Beth Letain
Get to know Beth Letain.
Useful links:
http://www.bethletain.com
http://www.artnews.com/2019/06/21/beth-letain-interview-paintings
Useful links:
http://www.bethletain.com
http://www.artnews.com/2019/06/21/beth-letain-interview-paintings
Crystal Gazing
Crystals live on forever.
Useful link:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/screening-room/crystals-resurgence-in-the-self-care-age
Useful link:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/screening-room/crystals-resurgence-in-the-self-care-age
Iridescent Tabasco Geode
A true Mexican beauty.
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2019-microworld-iridescent-tabasco-geode
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2019-microworld-iridescent-tabasco-geode
The Future Of AI Research Is In Africa
Let Africa prosper. No nation should be left behind.
Useful link:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613848/ai-africa-machine-learning-ibm-google
Useful link:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613848/ai-africa-machine-learning-ibm-google
Landscape Designs
The American Society of Landscape Architects, a professional organization for 15,000 landscape architects in the United States, has just published a guide to applying universal design principles—or designing for everyone—in parks, streets, and other public spaces. Better still, the guide is rich with examples of cities that have done things right. To learn more, check out the full guide online.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
The Neurologist Who Hacked His Brain And Almost Lost His Mind
Why would smart people go the extra mile to do the unthinkable?
Useful link:
https://www.wired.com/2016/01/phil-kennedy-mind-control-computer
Useful link:
https://www.wired.com/2016/01/phil-kennedy-mind-control-computer
Thailand's $13 Billion Plan Could Woo 65 Million Tourists Yearly
There is something special about Thailand.
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-20/thailand-s-13-billion-plan-could-woo-65-million-tourists-yearly?srnd=premium-asia
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-20/thailand-s-13-billion-plan-could-woo-65-million-tourists-yearly?srnd=premium-asia
Hao Li
Get to know Hao Li, founder of Pinscreen, Inc.
Useful links:
http://www.hao-li.com
https://pinscreen.com
Useful links:
http://www.hao-li.com
https://pinscreen.com
Bethan Gray
Different cultures. Different designs.
Useful links:
https://bethangray.com
https://www.forbes.com/sites/yjeanmundelsalle/2019/08/19/cultural-referencing-is-at-the-heart-of-british-designer-bethan-grays-philosophy/#3fe69b2b6cc8
Useful links:
https://bethangray.com
https://www.forbes.com/sites/yjeanmundelsalle/2019/08/19/cultural-referencing-is-at-the-heart-of-british-designer-bethan-grays-philosophy/#3fe69b2b6cc8
What Design Can Do
The platform What Design Can Do exemplifies how to engage professional communities, such as designers, to apply their professional skills and creative thinking to complex issues, such as climate change. Take note.
We Mean Business
We Mean Business, a coalition working with the world’s most influential companies to take action on climate change, is spearheading a business case for decarbonization and helping the business sector to exemplify leadership.
Monday, August 19, 2019
The Borowitz Report
Andy Borowitz writes a satirical column on news. I am a huge fan.
Useful link:
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report
Useful link:
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report
Barnum: An American Life
There is no evidence that Barnum ever said, "There's a sucker born every minute," but it's hard to read this biography and not conclude that it was his belief.
Useful links:
https://barnum-museum.org/events/barnum-an-american-life
https://www.strategy-business.com/article/The-Greatest-Showman-on-Earth?gko=edcaa
Useful links:
https://barnum-museum.org/events/barnum-an-american-life
https://www.strategy-business.com/article/The-Greatest-Showman-on-Earth?gko=edcaa
Net Sustain
Fashion, Jewelry, and Accessories from luxury brands that practice sustainability.
Useful link:
https://www.net-a-porter.com
Useful link:
https://www.net-a-porter.com
What Does Transparency Mean In 2019?
A lot. Nurture it.
Useful link:
https://www.nationaljeweler.com/blog/7814-what-does-transparency-mean-in-2019
Useful link:
https://www.nationaljeweler.com/blog/7814-what-does-transparency-mean-in-2019
Qeelin’s Jewelry Collection
Take a look at Qeelin's Wulu line.
Useful links:
https://qeelin.com
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3023120/style-edit-how-qeelins-auspicious-wulu-bamboo-lace-necklace
Useful links:
https://qeelin.com
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3023120/style-edit-how-qeelins-auspicious-wulu-bamboo-lace-necklace
Automower 450XH
Husqvarna’s new Automower 450XH is an app-controlled lawn tyrant that can negotiate 24-degree slopes and mow a medium or large-sized yard (up to 1.25 acres) with quiet precision, rain or shine. As agile around obstacles as a nervous ground squirrel, the 450XH is guided in random patterns via a GPS system that maps the yard. Obstacles and tight spaces are no sweat. Its territory is established by a simple network of sub-surface wires, best installed by the dealer, that ensures the mower stays within its boundaries and doesn’t stray down the block or into your cutting garden. Take note.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Lightbox One Year Later
Live and let live. At the end of the day consumer is the king and queen. They are the deciders.
Useful link:
https://news.centurionjewelry.com/articles/detail/lab-grown-diamonds-in-las-vegas-lightbox-one-year-later-rapaport-on-the-war
Useful link:
https://news.centurionjewelry.com/articles/detail/lab-grown-diamonds-in-las-vegas-lightbox-one-year-later-rapaport-on-the-war
Plastic China
Plastic China is an impactful documentary. The film follows a family working in the country’s recycling industry, where humans pick through vast dunes of western waste, shredding and melting salvageable plastic into pellets that can be sold to manufacturers. It is filthy, polluting work – and badly paid. The remainder is often burned in the open air. The family lives alongside the sorting machine, their 11-year-old daughter playing with a Barbie pulled from the rubbish.
It's about us.
Bonaventure
This is the Bonaventure, a $29,850 carry-on roller bag by the Canadian luggage studio Charles Simon. Weighing in at 12 pounds, or about 50% heavier than a cloth equivalent, the Bonaventure is meant to evoke the feeling of a 19th-century wooden traveling trunk that might accompany you on a voyage across the sea. In turn, it has a weighty, premium facade atop what we’re told is a carefully engineered aluminum and carbon fiber frame.
What a design! Only for a few with a deep pocket and a taste.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Fine Art Auction
Meet the art world actors and matchmakers.
Useful links:
https://www.christies.com
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/alex-rotter-christies-auction/index.html
Useful links:
https://www.christies.com
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/alex-rotter-christies-auction/index.html
Silk Road Music Collection
Take a look at Anna Hu's latest jewelry collections.
Useful links:
https://www.annahu.com
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2019/08/16/anna-hus-100-carat-yellow-diamond-necklace-could-fetch-6-2-million-at-sothebys-hong-kong/#39e7996a1462
https://www.annahu.com
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2019/08/16/anna-hus-100-carat-yellow-diamond-necklace-could-fetch-6-2-million-at-sothebys-hong-kong/#39e7996a1462
Autism At Work
SAP has an Autism at Work programme which is a brilliant initiative to promote neurodiversity. Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that more and more companies are looking for people on the autism spectrum to grow their AI talent pool. We are just at the beginning of the neurodiversity revolution.
Inspiring Expeditions By Geoffrey Kent
Geoffrey Kent—the founder, chairman and CEO of prolific outfitter Abercrombie & Kent—has made it his life’s work to discover beauty and intrigue on all seven continents, and share it with those passionate about seeing the world. With that in mind, Abercrombie & Kent’s latest reveal is a pair of journeys to Ethiopia and Brazil that he’s personally guiding. These new Inspiring Expeditions by Geoffrey Kent represent the culmination of a year’s worth of far-flung travel in which Kent zig-zagged the globe—from the South Pole to the Arctic Circle—in search of fresh adventure.
WatchTime New York
WatchTime New York, billed as America’s largest luxury watch event, will return to midtown Manhattan in October for its fifth consecutive year, with a record 37 exhibitors. The two-day ticketed exhibition—which runs Oct. 25-26 at Gotham Hall—will welcome a mix of watchmakers, from big names such as Omega, Breguet and Grand Seiko to boutique brands such as MB&F, RGM and Greubel Forsey.
Levin Sources
Levin Sources has just started a service that will help small jewelers develop a responsible-sourcing program. Take note.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Salmon Gold
Tiffany & Co is the first jeweler to start using gold sourced from an initiative that combines re-mining with fish habitat restoration.
Announced this week by non-governmental organization Resolve, the initiative is called “Salmon Gold” and is being adopted by another pretty well-known company—Apple. It is an innovative approach to mining gold that will also restore habitats in Alaska, Canada’s Yukon Territory and British Columbia, all regions with globally significant habitat for salmon and other anadromous fish species (those spend most of their lives in saltwater but return to freshwater to spawn). Hats off to Tiffany, Resolve, and Apple.
Spirit Of The Rose
Alrosa has named the largest pink diamond ever discovered and produced in Russia, 'Spirit of the Rose', after a legendary short ballet of the same name. Take a look.
Useful links:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2019/08/15/russian-mining-giant-reveals-name-for-rare-14-83-carat-pink-diamond/#3de6f5da3b84
http://eng.alrosa.ru
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2019/08/15/russian-mining-giant-reveals-name-for-rare-14-83-carat-pink-diamond/#3de6f5da3b84
http://eng.alrosa.ru
Egg Collective
Get to know Crystal Ellis, Hillary Petrie, and Stephanie Beamer.
Useful link:
http://www.eggcollective.com
Useful link:
http://www.eggcollective.com
Horns Are Growing On Young People’s Skulls. Phone Use Is To Blame
Take note. It's too late. It's hard to believe we are now developing horn-like spikes at the back of our skulls because of mobile phones.
Useful link:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/06/20/horns-are-growing-young-peoples-skulls-phone-use-is-blame-research-suggests/?utm_term=.f9a4ba47495b
Useful link:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/06/20/horns-are-growing-young-peoples-skulls-phone-use-is-blame-research-suggests/?utm_term=.f9a4ba47495b
Atomo Coffee
Seattle beverage startup Atomo Coffee has received $2.6 million in seed funding for what is essentially a seedless beverage business. Atomo made headlines upon the launch of its Kickstarter campaign earlier this year with the promise of a molecular coffee caffeinated beverage that looks and tastes like coffee, but without all the pesky agricultural product. The company’s pitch is that it has reverse-engineered the coffee bean to create a uniquely smooth cup of coffee, one that is more consistent and more sustainable than current commercial coffee. Of course, any pitch for synthetic coffee begs an existential question — what is coffee?
Casa Container
The Brazilian architect Marilia Pellegrini has created a shipping container house composed of two containers next to each other, and it’s downright gorgeous. You’d never know that there’s corrugated steel underneath this 194-square-foot tiny home, with its serene white walls made of a quartz, porcelain, and glass composite. Shipping containers are popular in housing and retail because they’re cheap to build and generally gentler on the environment than ground-up construction (they’ve also been criticized for perpetuating an overly utilitarian approach to housing). Pellegrini’s goal with the house, called Casa Container, was to show that shipping containers could be used for luxury living. She drew inspiration from the famous Japanese designer and Muji creative director Kenya Hara, who espouses a minimalist design approach based on “emptiness,” in which the user has freedom to decide how to use a space or object. Take a look.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
True Colors Auction
The second edition of ALROSA’s True Colors auction will be held on the sidelines of the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair. Around 200 polished diamonds certified by the Gemological Institute of America will be available for viewing at the show from September 16 to 20. The sale will be conducted via the company’s online platform, diamonds.alrosa.ru, from September 16 to 23. Results will be announced on September 24.
Among the auction’s star offerings are an internally flawless intense yellow pear-shaped diamond of 18.07 carats; a 6.78-carat vivid yellow square emerald-cut diamond of VVS2 clarity grade; and a pair of vivid purplish-pink pear-shaped diamonds – a VVS1 stone of 0.54 carat and an IF stone of 0.55. True Colors is a rare opportunity for collectors to buy polished diamonds directly from the source without third parties.
Altr X Collection
Take a look at the lab-grown diamond brand featuring a patented Hearts and Arrows cut.
Useful link:
https://www.altr.nyc
Useful link:
https://www.altr.nyc
CPAA Announces Its 10th Annual International Pearl Design Competition
The Cultured Pearl Association of America has announced the opening of its 10th Annual International Pearl Design Competition, complete with an exciting collaboration with a prominent retailer to showcase and sell winning designs. The contest is open till October 4, 2019.
Useful link:
https://www.cpaa.org
Useful link:
https://www.cpaa.org
Global Shapers Community
The World Economic Forum has founded the Global Shapers Community – a network of inspiring innovators, activists and entrepreneurs under the age of 30 who play a central role in creating lasting change in their communities and the world.
Stress Proof
Mithu Storoni trained as an eye surgeon studied diseases affecting the visual brain before writing Stress-Proof. Must read.
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Understanding Northwest Coast Indigenous Jewelry: The Art, The Artists, The History
All about hand-engraved jewelry from the Pacific Northwest Coast. Collector's Edition.
Useful link:
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Northwest-Coast-Indigenous-Jewelry/dp/0295745894
Useful link:
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Northwest-Coast-Indigenous-Jewelry/dp/0295745894
Diamond Threads Watch
What a beautiful design! I liked it.
Useful link:
https://www.graff.com/watches/watch/diamond-threads-watch
https://www.graff.com/watches/watch/diamond-threads-watch
A New Method For Determining Gem Tourmaline Species By LA-ICP-MS
Simple gemological tests to separate various species and their varieties in the tourmaline group is difficult. LA-ICP-MS is beyond the reach of most gem testing laboratories in the world. Only a few gem testing laboratories like the GIA can afford and research known gem materials. So hats off to the GIA for sharing the research report.
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2019-method-determining-tourmaline-species-la-icp-ms
Useful link:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2019-method-determining-tourmaline-species-la-icp-ms
Pokemon Cards
A complete set of first-edition Pokemon cards from 1999 has sold for $107,010 at auction. The collection, comprising of 103 cards, was sold in mint condition and included a rare Charizard card, which alone could sell for up to $20,000, according to card authenticators. Take a look.
Icon-e
Milan-based creative agency Garage Italia has launched a new project focused on electrifying classic Italian autos. Dubbed Icon-e, the program seeks to future-proof the stylish vehicles of yesteryear while providing their owners with the peace of mind that they’ve done so while lessening their environmental impact. Simply brilliant.
Pearls As One
The Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA), and its Pearls As One course is created to educate retailers and jewelry store staff on the variety of pearls available on the market. It is a good course for pearl consumers.
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
The Ball Of Light
Get to know Denis Smith.
Useful links:
https://www.denissmith.com.au
https://www.wired.com/story/lightsaber-photography
Useful links:
https://www.denissmith.com.au
https://www.wired.com/story/lightsaber-photography
Nubian Gold: Ancient Jewelry From Sudan And Egypt
All about the jewelry makers of the fabled land of Nubia. Collector's Edition.
Useful link:
https://www.amazon.in/Nubian-Gold-Ancient-Jewelry-Sudan/dp/9774167821
Useful link:
https://www.amazon.in/Nubian-Gold-Ancient-Jewelry-Sudan/dp/9774167821
Wealthy Families Are Adding Forests To Their Portfolios
A new trend. It's a long term bet on growth.
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-17/wealthy-families-are-adding-forests-to-their-portfolios?srnd=premium-asia
Useful link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-17/wealthy-families-are-adding-forests-to-their-portfolios?srnd=premium-asia
Random Thoughts
When you live in an ageist society, your dreams, which might seem totally normal to you, are a threat to other people. People are trying to hold you back—because they’re afraid of their own aging. Or because you’re competing with them economically. Because they don’t want to have to introduce somebody else’s ideas into their young-person culture. People are a pain in the ass.
Listen Notes
Podcasts are everywhere. Listen Notes (the best podcast search engine) does an admirable job at corralling content, boasting more than 50 million episodes to be found across almost three-quarters of a million podcasts. You can create your own listen-later playlists for individual episodes without having to subscribe to entire podcasts. You can even add contributors so that you and your friends can work on the same lists.
Ecosia
The internet includes a search engine that plants trees. Environmentally-minded Ecosia uses servers that run on renewable energy, doesn’t track users or sell data to third parties, and uses profits from text link ads and commissions from its online store to plant trees around the world. Ecosia says that it takes about 45 searches to finance a new tree, so the more curious among us may someday be responsible for entire forests. Actual search results are powered by Microsoft’s Bing technology, and there’s a cool little personal counter that lets you know how many Ecosia searches you’ve made. Take note.
Henning Larsen
Get to know Louis Becker, partner and design principal at Copenhagen-based architecture firm Henning Larsen.
Wilensky Gallery
On Sept. 26, the gallery, located at 173 10th Ave., will host the exhibition’s opening from 5 to 7 p.m.
For more info, visit wilenskyminerals.com
Monday, August 12, 2019
Alternate Endings
Perri Peltz and Matthew O’Neill, the directors and producers of "Axios on HBO," have spent 2 years and traveled to 10 states to produce a landmark documentary on death and dying, "Alternate Endings: Six New Ways to Die in America." It premieres this Wednesday, Aug. 14, at 8pm ET on HBO. Take note.
Ken Done
Art shouldn't just be something you find in art galleries. It should be accessible to all. Get to know Ken Done.
Useful link:
http://www.kendone.com.au
Useful link:
http://www.kendone.com.au
Random Thoughts
Every gemology student's dream is to reach the top. Approximately 80% of the new students want to become an international gemstone buyer and travel the world buying gemstones for a jewelry company or big dealers. I tell them: So do I, but that job is so rare that you should probably consider some other part of the industry. I tell them that they should be prepared, even with their gemological diploma, to start out as an entry-level salesperson in this industry. They will never fully understand the operations of this industry unless they learn it from the entry-level and move up. That is how successful people are made in this industry, by learning all of the jobs that are required and moving up one step at a time. Not everyone has to start out as a janitor, but I have to tell you it helps. When you become a jewelry store manager and the toilets overflow, or your regular cleaning person is out sick, you better know how to clean toilets and polish floors. Because in the end, being president of a company, large or small, means you have to know how to do any job in the company. For some of us, that first job was being the janitor. To this day I can run a floor polisher better than anyone I know. If you ever feel there is a job in this industry that is beneath you to perform, the number of jobs that are available above you will be limited in scope and reach. If you have the opportunity to start as the janitor, be the best janitor the company has ever seen.
You might be surprised where it can lead you.
Louis Vuitton Exhibition
Louis Vuitton is exhibiting its collaborations with leading artists over the past 160 years, complete with custom bags and a tropical pop-up shop. The Louis Vuitton X exhibition can be seen at 468 North Rodeo Drive building in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. It has 180 items from the French fashion house's archive on display. Must visit.
Endless Frontier Labs
Get to know Professor Deepak Hegde, Founding Director, Endless Frontier Labs at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Equality Can't Wait
Equality Can’t Wait, is a new campaign launched by philanthropist Melinda Gates. In a video that accompanies the launch, a host of American comedians riff on the fact that, at current rates of change as measured by the World Economic Forum, US women won’t gain equality with men for another 208 years. What about women in other parts of the world?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)