Identification Of Rough Stones

There is much information to be gained by examining and being able to identify rough stones. The skills required are of greatest importance to prospectors and miners. Examining the mineral content of river or stream gravel can indicate the gem-bearing potential of the area, the relative closeness of a nearby gem deposit, and not least, the gem species present.

Factors To Consider
Crystal form: Determination of gem species by studying crystal form (prism, pyramid, pinacoid, dome) enables thte separation of the more valuable gem species from those worth less (distinguishing ruby from garnet). They may be hard, resistant to chemical weathering, and have high enough density to become concentrated in river beds or terraces where suitable traps are present forming placer deposits. Gem species that often occur together in gem gravels include: ruby and red/pink corundum; sapphires of various colors; spinels of various colors; red and reddish brown garnets; zircons of various colors.

Associated gem species: Sometimes gem species occur in common with one another: if the geology and occurrence of similar associations are well-known, then the discovery of one member of a mineral collection can indicate the possible presence of gem materials (sapphire and zircon in the basaltic rocks of Thailand, Cambodia and Australia; ruby and red garnet in the basaltic rocks of Thailand and Cambodia; ruby and spinel in the marbles of Mogok, Burma).

Degree of wear: How abraded is the gem material? Are the crystal faces clean and lustrous with sharp angles, or has the crystal begun to assume a rounded shape? Answering these questions can provide us with an idea of the distance the gem material has traveled from its source rock. The more rounded and fragmentary the material, the greater this distance is likely to be.

Percentage of gem quality material: (a) What amount of the gem bearing gravel is gem quality material? (b) What kind (species) of material is present and in what quantity (how much is present)?

Cost effectivenness: (a) Does the quality of the material justify mining it? (b) Is the necessary machinery (and labor) available?

Businesses Beware: The World Is Not Flat

HBS professor Pankaj Ghemawat explains why the world is not flat + his interpretion (s) @ http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5719.html

To me it looks like one should keep an open mind/cautious when business gurus make god-like statements about business-related concepts. There must be a way to simplify complicated concepts so that the layperson understands what is more important.

A List Of Jeweler And Gem Trader Traits

- Acts
- Adaptable
- Common sense
- Courageous, but prudent
- Connects the dots
- Curious
- Discreet
- Forceful, but self-controlled
- Forms own ideas
- Gets to crux of matter
- Hands-on
- Good in a fight
- Honest
- Insight
- Independent in thought and action
- Interpretational skills
- Knowledgeable
- Loved by subordinates, colleagues
- Master of tracking
- Observant
- Optimistic
- Practical
- Perseverance
- Resourceful
- Scientific
- Persistent
- Unassuming

How To Sell More Diamonds

Finding a good salesperson is as rare as hen's teeth. They are a dying breed or endangered species. Naturally a good salesperson must have analytical skills to satisfy a customer. The customer (s) may or may not be familiar with diamonds. From my experience on the field even knowledgeable salesperson does stupid things. I would describe it as momentary autism (Malcolm Gladwell jargon). They just go blank or inert. If you talk to the experts they would say: you should be tactful, diplomatic, must have insight to read face (s) + mind (s), have zen-like patience, and perseverance + a pleasing personality, approachable + speak simple and precise language to communicate and so on.

In my view, with all the information in the world + non-stop training about diamonds, treatments, synthetics and imitations, what is important is to have the innate ability to connect the dots. I know there are many diamond salesperson who don't like diamonds. For them it's a job--period. I am always intrigued by the great spiritual leaders of the past. How did they communicate with the masses? Look at Jesus and Buddha. In my view they were good salesperson, in a different way. They knew how to connect with people. They knew how to interpret complex concepts in simple language + sell ideas. I think this is what is lacking in today's diamond salesperson. Diamond salespeople must have a memorable face not a poker face.

How To Sell More Diamonds (continued)

The Art Of Travel

Travel: The Economist writes about the consolidation in package-tour industry + the impact + other viewpoints @ http://www.economist.com/daily/news/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8694578

Nonprofit Motive

New Business Models: Scott Kirsner writes about new trends in venture philanthropy or virtue capital, taking financial metrics and applying them in the social sector + new models for determining social return on investment (s) + other viewpoints @ http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.09/philanthropy_pr.html

The Medium Of The Moment

Deidre Stein Greben writes about advent of photography in the art world + the impact + the new collectors (private, trade, institutions) + the desirability factors + other viewpoints @ http://artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=1259

The Geuda Story

Geuda is the milky corundum, formerly discarded as worthless by the Sinhalese cutting industry that constitutes the greatest reserve of high quality heat-treatable material available. Experts believe Sri Lanka, by common consenses, has the world’s largest deposits of this particular type of corundum rough.

The term geuda itself refers to a semi-transparent to semi-translucent corundum which appears silky or milky under reflected light (normal viewing conditions), but viewed under transmitted light (the light traveling through the stone before reaching the eye) gives a characteristic ‘tea’ color known in the trade as the ‘diesel’. Both these effects are due to the presence of impurities within the crystal, that under the correct heat treatment procedures it can (if the concentrations are correct) give rise to a strong blue coloration and an increase in transparency.

Milky Or Silky Effect
This is due to the presence of inclusions of rutile (TiO²). These may be in the form of long slender needles or as clouds of minute particles.

Diesel Or Tea Effect
Iron oxide impurities give rise to brownish patches or streaks that may or may not be randomly distributed through the crystal. Sometimes the oxide patches will be oriented parallel to the crystal faces.

Together these two sets of impurties have the potential to cause blue coloration if unlocked from the structure of the crystal and allowed to combine. These color causing agents (iron and titanium) may be activated by heating the corundum under certain conditions at around 1650ºC. If the most favorable ratio of iron/titanium is present a fine blue color of uniform distribution may be achieved, as will considerable improvements in transparency and luster. In general, the degree of milkiness and the intensity of the diesel effect are proportional to the color that results from heat treatment. Less diesel will result in a pale or lighter shade of blue, while intense diesel will give a dark blue color. If there is too much silk or milkiness, it is possible that some will remain after heating, which will influence the eventual transparency.

Local Classification Of Geuda
Over the years a considerable number of names, and a local classification have evolved. Here are a number of the most frequently used terms:

Diesel Geuda: Milky white intense brownish diesel.

Silky Geuda: Intense inclusions of rutile in the form of silk. May often display a strong diesel effect. Often further classified by its body color (yellow silky geuda)

Waxy Geuda: Material with waxy or dull appearance. May show a moderate diesel effect.

Milky Geuda: Dull white milky appearance with a diesel effect. The term blue geuda will refer to a blue milkiness with a diesel effect, while yellow geuda will indicate material with a yellowish milkiness, and so on.

Young Geuda: May be any body color, with a small amount of silk and/or diesel effect.

Thick Geuda: Opaque material with characteristic intense milkiness or diesel effect causing a dramatic reduction in transparency.

Dalan Geuda: The lowest grade of material made of mixed varieties (rejects) of geuda, usually with little silk or diesel effect. The lowest potential for successful treatment.

These coloquial names are based on the degree of concentration of the milkiness (observed under reflected light) and the intensity of the diesel effect (observed with transmitted light). The terms can be quite subjective, however, with different dealers categorizing the same materials under different names. For instance a milky geuda with a intense diesel effect may be described as diesel or milky.

Advice For The Young

(via designboom) Italian designer Guilio Iacchetti writes:

Be silent, and listen a lot
After that, then you can ask and talk.

I liked this one.

Heat From The Street

Energy: The Economist writes about new way (s) of collecting solar energy + innovative technique (s) used by Arian de Bondt, an engineer from Dutch building company called Ooms + other viewpoints @ http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9933350

Kayne West

(via Rob Bates) I liked the Kayne West video on diamonds @ Diamonds from Sierra Leone + now has jewelry line.

De Beers Dandelion Diamond

(via Rob Bates) I liked the De Beers' Dandelion Diamond commercial (here) + the Spotrunner presentation + the DPS info @ dps.org

Demoralization, Resentment, Anxiety, Stress

Amei Wallach writes about the growth of museum (s) + the corporatization + the creation of the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) for ethical/professional policies + other viewpoints @ http://artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=1241

Tortoise Shell vs. Imitations

For thousands of years Tortoise shell has been associated with jewelry and personal items such as combs, eyeglass frames and art objects. They were popular with both the ancient Greeks and wealthy Romans. Many types of tortoise shell objects have been used for furniture inlays, eyeglass frames, decorative boxes, rings, bracelets, and earrings. In Japan, tortoise shell crafting or bekko, has been an important industry since at least the 17th century, centered in Nagasaki. Bekko objects such as hair ornaments are still being created today from stockpiled material. The source material comes from two species of sea turtles: the hawksbill and the rare green turtle. The shell tend to show attractive patterns from light to dark brown patches and other desirable shades. The popularity of tortoise shell from 18th through 20th century caused these animals almost to extinction leading to a near-worldwide ban in the 1970s + international trade in tortoise shell products.

Common imitations include plastic, phenol formaldehyde resin (bakelite), polyester resins (PET and polyurethane) among many others. Sometimes the identification could be a challenge for various reasons. For instance plastics and horn can imitate blond tortoise shell quite easily and the differences in luminescence may not be always diagnostic. Plastic (s) could be altered via change (s) in its chemical compositions, polymerization or the applications of dyes. Identifications may not be always that easy. Since tortoise shell and their imitations are fashioned into ornamental materials, standard tests beyond UV luminescence and hotpoint may not always be possible. It’s catch-22. According to experts, Tortoise shell and its imitations can be identified with standard (microscope, refractive index, specific gravity, UV fluorescence, etc) + analytical (photoluminescence spectroscopy, transmission infrared spectroscopy, specular reflectance infrared spectroscope, vis-nir spectroscope, raman spectroscopy), gemological tests.

Alaskan Amber

Here is an interesting story on amber. The Inuit people in Alaska is known to have collected amber from northern beach gravels between Harrison Bay and Smith Bay on the Artic Ocean
because with (geologic) time and erosion the fossil resin may have been exposed, loosened and tumbled by rivers or washed out to sea + since amber floats in seawater, again with time the currents may have deposited amber chunks along the Alaskan coast in a random fashion. The locals, according to John Sinkankas, who is an expert on North American gemstones, referred to the amber as auma, meaning live coal. From a gemological perspective the amber specimens from the region showed familiar inclusions such as gas bubbles, network of fissures due to stress, tree debris, mosquito, spiders, beetles, ants, and bees.

The Weather Channel

Good Books/Business Models: (via Emergic) The Weather Channel: The Improbable Rise of a Media Phenomenon is written by its founder Frank Batten. Here is a fascinating story of a channel + concept almost no one expected to succeed. I enjoyed reading it.

Here is what the description of The Weather Channel: The Improbable Rise of a Media Phenomenon says (via Amazon.com):
Twenty years ago, who'd have believed that millions of viewers would follow the twists and turns of storms developing across the globe with the rapt attention once reserved for thriller movies? That a single television channel could simultaneously inform and entertain us, enrich our lives and, at times, help save them?

This is the remarkable story of The Weather Channel, a cable network that succeeded when almost all the experts predicted it would fail. Told by one of the key figures in the network's success, former Chairman and CEO Frank Batten, this is at once a deeply personal account of high-stakes entrepreneurship and a fascinating case study of a media business both experiencing and driving major change.

There are colorful personalities-from the on-camera meteorologists to the whiz kids recruited to help build the company's core technology. There are adventures and dramas-from the glitch-filled national launch that was saved by luck and a mysterious stranger to The Weather Channel's near-death experience as its owner, Landmark Communications, was poised to lose its entire $31 million investment in the network. There are unexpected plot twists, risky ventures, failures, and victories.

Batten's engrossing narrative reveals for the first time how The Weather Channel works its magic-and the technological, meteorological, and business innovations that have made it all possible. He takes us behind the scenes as his unique network evolved from struggling start-up to media powerhouse, from editorial cartoon fodder to vital public service.

Along the way, he shares hard-won business lessons on breaking from convention and taking educated risks; bringing a great idea to market; strengthening a brand; leveraging disruptive technologies; managing through failure; preserving a spirit of risk-taking through periods of intense growth; and more.

An absorbing tale of success against the odds, this book will appeal to entrepreneurs in all industries, as well as to the millions of fans of The Weather Channel.

Here is a review about the book (via Amazon.com):
In 1982, Frank Batten flipped a switch and began what he called "a weather forecast that will never end." There's probably no better emblem of niche media than the Weather Channel and its super-specialized field of interest. After 20 years of mapping high-pressure fronts and covering hurricanes, however, "We have built one of the strongest brands anywhere in the media business," writes Batten, former chairman and CEO. Most of The Weather Channel concentrates on all the problems Batten and his media company experienced in the early 1980s when they hatched their idea for all-weather programming and struggled to get it on the air. "I'm sure that we tried to do too much, too fast," says Batten, who nevertheless endorses the too-much, too-fast approach: "I'm convinced that if we hadn't acted as aggressively as we did--if we hadn't spent the money, rushed down the road, and pushed ourselves and our partners ... The Weather Channel may never have been." Batten concludes by discussing the future of weather predictions (they're going to get a lot better, he thinks) and offering unconventional advice to aspiring media tycoons (don't offer stock options to employees). This book will appeal to aficionados of isobars and other weather events, as well as readers interested in how to start a thriving business.
- John Miller

The Timorous Beasties

(via The Guardian) Stuart Jeffries writes about the Timorous Beasties + their wall paper designs + other viewpoints @ http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/design/story/0,,2008228,00.html

Useful links:
Dominic Lutyens on the subversive designs of the Timorous Beasties
Timorous Beasties website
Download your free Timorous Beasties wallpaper

A Work In Progress

Melinda Henneberger writes about Leonardo da Vinci's techniques + the character + his paintings + experts interpretation (s) on his work of art + other viewpoints @ http://artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=1240

How To Sell More Diamonds

One of the interesting thing that I have noticed during my travel (s) in Southeast Asia and South Asia is the way jewelry retailers display their products. Diamonds are still the bread and butter of the industry. Sometimes what is missing is an attractive display. A good window display is like the human face. It should be simple, attractive and memorable. Naturally the store (s) must have an attractive window in order to turn passersby into customers. It's shocking to notice that only a very few stores display their products to fit the lifestyle and spending power of the people in the area. To me most window displays look like dog displays. There is lack of creativity and imagination. Most jewelry store's window display (s) are packed with old and new designs in a hurry to make money. You need to have an eagle-eye and zen-like patience to identify the designs you like. Today no one has the patience or time to look, decide and buy. We have morphed into a pack of rats running in all directions to make a living. And most jewelers don't understand what consumers want. Most jewelers believe that customers will just walk in and buy. A big mistake.

There are many ways to attract passersby into customers. According to Diamond Promotion Service experts jewelers should think first and act by doing the right thing:
- Display colorful posters.
- Use different accessories to capture a mood.
- sophisticated for a traditional display (works of art, fabrics, antiques)
- unusual for a more original display (boxes, toys)
- Take care in arranging your display.
- select one special piece of jewelry and give it emphasis by surrounding it with less important pieces.
-arrange the jewelry: in curved lines to suggest feminity / in converging lines to suggest infinity / in broken lines to suggest movement / in vertical lines to suggest elegance.

I think it makes sense. Today I see more people with low attention span (s) than before. This phenomenon could be due to our life-style. I think it would be refreshing if the jewelers change window display (s) periodically to attract/retain customers. I also believe the same concept should work in the colored stone industry. At times I notice that there is chemical mis-match between colored stone and diamond jewelry retailers. Either they don't understand color (s) or they don't have the product knowledge or they just don't know how to sell.

How To Sell More Diamonds (continued)

How To Bargain

(via Dailyspeculations/David Lamb): The November issue of Consumer Reports magazine features 'How to Bargain for Almost Anything.'

The section headings are:
1. Gauge the seller's need.
2. Be discreet.
3. Know what's a fair price.
4. Be empathetic.
5. Deal with a decision maker.
6. Negotiate from a position of power.
7. Time your shopping.
8. Find fixable flaws.

The top products or services that buyers were successful in lowering prices were:
1. Furniture
2. Medical bills
3. Home electronic products
4. Large and small appliances
5. Floor and demo models
6. Bank and credit card fees
7. Jewelry
8. Cell-phone plans

I liked this one.