Monday, October 29, 2007
Rio’s Pink Diamond Tender
According to industry analysts the Rio Tinto Diamonds Argyle pink diamond tender, met with high interest + the purplish reds, deep pinks and other shades were able to fetch good prices. Some 100 or so potential bidders + a few celebrity diamond designers + retailers were able to view + buy the diamonds in secret locations in Perth, Hong Kong and New York. Good luck.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005
(via YouTube): Steve Job's speech was inspiring, intense, and touching. I hope it inspires you.
Useful link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA
Useful link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA
Neutron Beams Search For Da Vinci's Lost Masterpiece
(via Wired) Interview with Art diagnostician Maurizio Seracini + the application of ultrasound, X-rays, infrared, thermography and ultraviolet devices for positive identification + other viewpoints @ http://www.wired.com/culture/art/news/2007/10/lost_fresco
Useful links:
www.editech.com
http://cisa3.calit2.net
Useful links:
www.editech.com
http://cisa3.calit2.net
Shooting From The Hip
Richard B. Woodward writes about Diane Arbus (1923–71) + the photojournalist and her way of capturing someone’s spirit + other viewpoints @ http://artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=1415
The Pyramidal Point Cut
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
In sixteenth-century portraits, the sitter frequently wears a pointed diamond, but too many of these Point Cuts are drawn with abnormally high proportions. They cannot possibly all have been fashioned from triangular types of rough. The reason for their unusual height must have been the artist’s belief that the sharper the stone was, the better it would serve its serious purpose—as a script diamond—of inscribing love devices on the beloved’s window!
It would be possible to give coutless examples of diamond jewelry of the Middle Ages, as well as some from later periods, and explain their symbolism. The exquisite ‘Palatine’ or ‘Bohemian’ gold crown, also called the ‘Crown of an English Princess’, was made around 1370-80. It was originally decorated with a large number of diamond crystals, all about 2mm in size. Most have been lost, but twenty-two have been preserved and are still in the crown. They appear to be naturally rounded octahedrons. Some of them may have been slightly fashioned in order to match the others, and certainly most of them were rubbed with some sort of polishing agent.
Irregular octahedrons were being fashioned at least towards the end of the fourteenth century, since inventories of the beginning of the fifteenth century already mention both fait and non faite, or naif and ‘cut’. The task of the earliest diamond cutters was to improve symmetry and achieve full transparency by smoothing the faces and giving them a high polish. This could be done by grinding, preceded when necessary by bruting; this always had to be done in a direction which diverged at least one or two degrees from the so-called ‘divine angle’ of crystallization (i.e. about 54¾º).
It also seems indisputable that some particularly ingenious cutters of the time had mastered the art of cleaving, which in those days was practised only in great secrecy. They had discovered, by trial and error, that diamonds have ‘grain’—that is, specific directions in which they can be worked—and from then on they were able to create gems of almost any shape, not only those of a natural crystal, though initially these were the shapes most imitated, since it was believed that a diamond must appear natural and untouched in order to retain its magical powers.
Distorted octahedrons, broken apexes, crooked edges and other irregularities occasioned by nature prompted cutters to apply additional faceting on crystals which, though basically octahedrons, showed traces of cube or dodecahedron or both. Given the slightly convex shape of diamond faces, it would not be difficult to apply small triangular facets by grinding. Sometimes extra ‘fancy facets’ could be added to disguise disturbing flaws or natural fractures.
No cutter would want to reduce the apparent ‘size’ (i.e. the width of the girdle plane) of a bipyramid, but the height of the crown or the depth of the pavilion could be reduced without too much affecting the ‘size’. Grinding (if this was to be the method used for fashioning) had to start from the center of a face and proceed towards both the girdle and the apex, gradually lowering the height of the gem. It could be left slightly rectangular or with one or more of the corners blunted.
It is possible to tell whether the height of a pyramidal crystal has been lowered by looking at the internal square reflection visible in every diamond of pyramidal shape. Other reflections can also be seen between this large reflection and the corners of the stone but these are of no interest at this point unless a tiny square appears round the apex, which indicates that the biyramid is too high for an octahedron and that the gem has therefore been fashioned from an entirely different crystal shape—a was, for instance, or a dodecahedron.
The extraordinary octahedral form of the crystal gave the cutter three squares from which to choose the one that would serve as the girdle. He usually chose the direction which would give the final stone the largest size, unless there were good reasons for choosing another direction (e.g. irregularities in the crystal, inclusions or faults in symmetry). For each possible solution there would be two apexes, one of which would eventually be symmetrized and fashioned into an attractive upper pyramid. If necessary, the depth of the pavilion could be successfully reduced to a fraction of the height of the crown—if, for instance, the pavilion were heavily flawed—but I have never found a pyramidal diamond with an entirely flat base. Such a diamond would show no reflection whatsoever.
One good example is the gem on the horse’s forehead in the statuette of St George in Munich. A detailed examination of the stone revealed that it had crown angles of 45º and pavilion angles of 10º. The ‘size’ of the Point Cut is 14 x 14mm. The overall height is about 10mm and it weighs about 10 ct. These figures indicate that it was fashioned from a rather inferior octahedron.
In sixteenth-century portraits, the sitter frequently wears a pointed diamond, but too many of these Point Cuts are drawn with abnormally high proportions. They cannot possibly all have been fashioned from triangular types of rough. The reason for their unusual height must have been the artist’s belief that the sharper the stone was, the better it would serve its serious purpose—as a script diamond—of inscribing love devices on the beloved’s window!
It would be possible to give coutless examples of diamond jewelry of the Middle Ages, as well as some from later periods, and explain their symbolism. The exquisite ‘Palatine’ or ‘Bohemian’ gold crown, also called the ‘Crown of an English Princess’, was made around 1370-80. It was originally decorated with a large number of diamond crystals, all about 2mm in size. Most have been lost, but twenty-two have been preserved and are still in the crown. They appear to be naturally rounded octahedrons. Some of them may have been slightly fashioned in order to match the others, and certainly most of them were rubbed with some sort of polishing agent.
Irregular octahedrons were being fashioned at least towards the end of the fourteenth century, since inventories of the beginning of the fifteenth century already mention both fait and non faite, or naif and ‘cut’. The task of the earliest diamond cutters was to improve symmetry and achieve full transparency by smoothing the faces and giving them a high polish. This could be done by grinding, preceded when necessary by bruting; this always had to be done in a direction which diverged at least one or two degrees from the so-called ‘divine angle’ of crystallization (i.e. about 54¾º).
It also seems indisputable that some particularly ingenious cutters of the time had mastered the art of cleaving, which in those days was practised only in great secrecy. They had discovered, by trial and error, that diamonds have ‘grain’—that is, specific directions in which they can be worked—and from then on they were able to create gems of almost any shape, not only those of a natural crystal, though initially these were the shapes most imitated, since it was believed that a diamond must appear natural and untouched in order to retain its magical powers.
Distorted octahedrons, broken apexes, crooked edges and other irregularities occasioned by nature prompted cutters to apply additional faceting on crystals which, though basically octahedrons, showed traces of cube or dodecahedron or both. Given the slightly convex shape of diamond faces, it would not be difficult to apply small triangular facets by grinding. Sometimes extra ‘fancy facets’ could be added to disguise disturbing flaws or natural fractures.
No cutter would want to reduce the apparent ‘size’ (i.e. the width of the girdle plane) of a bipyramid, but the height of the crown or the depth of the pavilion could be reduced without too much affecting the ‘size’. Grinding (if this was to be the method used for fashioning) had to start from the center of a face and proceed towards both the girdle and the apex, gradually lowering the height of the gem. It could be left slightly rectangular or with one or more of the corners blunted.
It is possible to tell whether the height of a pyramidal crystal has been lowered by looking at the internal square reflection visible in every diamond of pyramidal shape. Other reflections can also be seen between this large reflection and the corners of the stone but these are of no interest at this point unless a tiny square appears round the apex, which indicates that the biyramid is too high for an octahedron and that the gem has therefore been fashioned from an entirely different crystal shape—a was, for instance, or a dodecahedron.
The extraordinary octahedral form of the crystal gave the cutter three squares from which to choose the one that would serve as the girdle. He usually chose the direction which would give the final stone the largest size, unless there were good reasons for choosing another direction (e.g. irregularities in the crystal, inclusions or faults in symmetry). For each possible solution there would be two apexes, one of which would eventually be symmetrized and fashioned into an attractive upper pyramid. If necessary, the depth of the pavilion could be successfully reduced to a fraction of the height of the crown—if, for instance, the pavilion were heavily flawed—but I have never found a pyramidal diamond with an entirely flat base. Such a diamond would show no reflection whatsoever.
One good example is the gem on the horse’s forehead in the statuette of St George in Munich. A detailed examination of the stone revealed that it had crown angles of 45º and pavilion angles of 10º. The ‘size’ of the Point Cut is 14 x 14mm. The overall height is about 10mm and it weighs about 10 ct. These figures indicate that it was fashioned from a rather inferior octahedron.
Sheik Fitaihi Speak
Sheik Fitaihi has played an enormous role in buying jewelry at auctions. This is what he has to say: 'Nothing is forever. Today is for me, tomorrow is for someoneelse. I don't think about my impact on the market. I don't think about others; I concentrate on myself. If you want to be successful think about yourself, not about others.'
He sees the auction house and its offerings as a collection of families. 'When we are working with Christies, hundreds of families are working; when you working with a dealer, you are, working with one family only.'
He sees the auction house and its offerings as a collection of families. 'When we are working with Christies, hundreds of families are working; when you working with a dealer, you are, working with one family only.'
Colored Stone Dealer Speak
The Thai method of punishment for stealing a gem is quick and final. Often the thief is 'accidentally' run over and buried in the mine and by a tractor. Or, someone may be hired to dispatch the thief--no problem, apparently, where poverty is rife and some people will do anything for money. The rule is that the thief be shot only in the head. The stomach is not touched because it is slit open to search for any swallowed gems.
Diamond Dealer Speak
The old story in the diamond line was once: 'What one fool can buy, a hundred wisemen cannot sell.' These days: 'What one fool can sell, a hundred wisemen cannot collect the money on time.' Selling is difficult enough, yet it is still easier to sell out-of-town than to collect.
Golf Pro
A golf pro once demonstrated a trick shot. He took an egg, put it on a tee and took a sand wedge. And he said, 'I'll hit that tee, snap it and the egg will drop on the grass unbroken. And he did it. He snapped a tall wooden tee and the egg dropped unbroken. I wanted to see how actually it was done. So I said, 'Do that again.' He said, 'No, I may not be as lucky the second time.'
- Lee Kwan Yew
- Lee Kwan Yew
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Bruce Hornsby
I am a huge fan of Bruce Hornsby + his music is a magic-blend of jazz, pop, classical, bluegrass, rock, vaudeville, at times uncategorizable, but the refined musicality puts you in a hypnotic trance.
Useful link:
www.brucehornsby.com
Useful link:
www.brucehornsby.com
Jewelry Enterprise Software
Octahedron Pty Ltd, is an interesting web-based point-of-sale and business management software company.
Useful link:
www.octahedron.com.au
Useful link:
www.octahedron.com.au
Auctioned 'Rembrandt' Fetches £2m
(via BBC) A painting given a reserve of £1,500 sold for more than £2m at auction after bidders became convinced it was a Rembrandt self portrait. The work had hung on the wall of a house in Cirencester for several years before being sold in the town.
Philip Allwood - from Moore, Allen and Innocent - said he thought the portrait might be a Rembrandt but its owner said it had been checked and was not. But bidders who drove the price up to £2m were convinced otherwise, he added.
Mr Allwood said he had to make sure the painting was not misdescribed in the auction room's catalogue.
"When I first saw it I said it looked very much like a Rembrandt and was assured by the client it had been checked out years ago and it wasn't," said.
Deciding to do some more research on the painting, Mr Allwood spoke to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Experts there assured him that, while it was of the period of Rembrandt, it was "probably not" painted by him.
He said the auction house was not sure so was very careful not to misdescribe the painting in the catalogue.
"But on the day of the auction both the winner and under bidder seemed convinced it was genuine," Mr Allwood added. "The buyer who wishes to remain anonymous seemed very relaxed spending that sort of money."
When I read this story I said to myself, we are living in interesting times. At times I come across gemstones, top quality rubies (Burma, Vietnam, Tajikistan, Madagascar), sapphires (Kashmir, Burma, Sri Lanka, Madagascar), emeralds (Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Zambia, Madagascar), and now Paraiba tourmalines (Brazil, Nigeria, Mozambique) bought and sold like paintings. Miners have one story, dealers have another story, gem testing laboratories have their own version + buyers think the stones come from a well-known source because they liked it, and pay high prices. Sometimes it is hard to teach gemstone pricing because (a) there is no business logic (b) once you like the stone, if you have the money, you pay, feel relaxed and want to remain anonymous.
Philip Allwood - from Moore, Allen and Innocent - said he thought the portrait might be a Rembrandt but its owner said it had been checked and was not. But bidders who drove the price up to £2m were convinced otherwise, he added.
Mr Allwood said he had to make sure the painting was not misdescribed in the auction room's catalogue.
"When I first saw it I said it looked very much like a Rembrandt and was assured by the client it had been checked out years ago and it wasn't," said.
Deciding to do some more research on the painting, Mr Allwood spoke to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Experts there assured him that, while it was of the period of Rembrandt, it was "probably not" painted by him.
He said the auction house was not sure so was very careful not to misdescribe the painting in the catalogue.
"But on the day of the auction both the winner and under bidder seemed convinced it was genuine," Mr Allwood added. "The buyer who wishes to remain anonymous seemed very relaxed spending that sort of money."
When I read this story I said to myself, we are living in interesting times. At times I come across gemstones, top quality rubies (Burma, Vietnam, Tajikistan, Madagascar), sapphires (Kashmir, Burma, Sri Lanka, Madagascar), emeralds (Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Zambia, Madagascar), and now Paraiba tourmalines (Brazil, Nigeria, Mozambique) bought and sold like paintings. Miners have one story, dealers have another story, gem testing laboratories have their own version + buyers think the stones come from a well-known source because they liked it, and pay high prices. Sometimes it is hard to teach gemstone pricing because (a) there is no business logic (b) once you like the stone, if you have the money, you pay, feel relaxed and want to remain anonymous.
Lost & Found
Ann Landi writes about Sculptor Lee Bontecou's art works + other viewpoints @ http://artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=1399
Clean Diamond Trade Act
(via Wikipedia) Clean Diamond Trade Act, established in 2003, is a United States law designed to stop the trade of diamonds that fund violent civil conflicts in many African countries. The law implemented U.S. participation in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme for trade in rough diamonds.
[PDF] Public Law 108–19 108th Congress An Act
[PDF] Public Law 108–19 108th Congress An Act
The Natural Diamond Point
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
The natural Diamond Point (naif or pointe non faite in early French inventories) is an octahedral crystal with natural faces. The term has been in use at least since the middle of the twelfth century: it can be applied to any natural diamond crystal which, when set, shows a sharp apex or point, but the term is restricted to the natural octahedron. Since this is one of the three fixed forms in the isometric (cubic) crystal system, in theory it always displays exactly similar triangular faces, with fixed angles between the faces and fixed height proportions.
However, perfect symmetry with smooth, shining faces is hardly ever found in diamond crystals. They often have a natural bipyramidal form (either regular or with curved faces and edges) but are more often distorted because of unequal face development. In fact the octahedron frequently occurs in combination with one or both of the other fixed forms—the dodecahedron and the cube. It is also found combined with one or more of the four non-fixed isometric forms. Though absolute perfection is rare in a natural crystal it can, of course, be achieved by cleaving off irregular sections.
The natural Diamond Point was highly valued in ancient India and therefore hardly ever officially exported to the western world—there are, for instance, no pointed diamonds in the illustrations of the stones brought back to France by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in the seventeenth century. But when it did finally reach Europe, the ‘point’ became a popular symbol and was used for all sorts of purposes, such as interior decoration and the facing of building.
In a natural diamond octahedron, the angle of inclination of the crystal faces at the girdle plane is 54º 44’ 8.3’’, usually rounded up to 53¾º. The sides of each triangular face will meet at a point forming an angle of 70º 31’ 43.4’’ (70½ º). By checking these figures it is possible to verify that a pyramidal shape is a true crystal and not a fashioned bipyramid, in which the angles differ from those of the natural crystal.
Most early Diamond Points were later fashioned into Tables, and later still into Brilliants. Regrettably, very few have survived in their original shape, and those that do are either foiled or their settings filled with dirt so that their beauty is no longer apparent. They are known, however, from museum collections, portraits and descriptions in wills and inventories.
The natural Diamond Point (naif or pointe non faite in early French inventories) is an octahedral crystal with natural faces. The term has been in use at least since the middle of the twelfth century: it can be applied to any natural diamond crystal which, when set, shows a sharp apex or point, but the term is restricted to the natural octahedron. Since this is one of the three fixed forms in the isometric (cubic) crystal system, in theory it always displays exactly similar triangular faces, with fixed angles between the faces and fixed height proportions.
However, perfect symmetry with smooth, shining faces is hardly ever found in diamond crystals. They often have a natural bipyramidal form (either regular or with curved faces and edges) but are more often distorted because of unequal face development. In fact the octahedron frequently occurs in combination with one or both of the other fixed forms—the dodecahedron and the cube. It is also found combined with one or more of the four non-fixed isometric forms. Though absolute perfection is rare in a natural crystal it can, of course, be achieved by cleaving off irregular sections.
The natural Diamond Point was highly valued in ancient India and therefore hardly ever officially exported to the western world—there are, for instance, no pointed diamonds in the illustrations of the stones brought back to France by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in the seventeenth century. But when it did finally reach Europe, the ‘point’ became a popular symbol and was used for all sorts of purposes, such as interior decoration and the facing of building.
In a natural diamond octahedron, the angle of inclination of the crystal faces at the girdle plane is 54º 44’ 8.3’’, usually rounded up to 53¾º. The sides of each triangular face will meet at a point forming an angle of 70º 31’ 43.4’’ (70½ º). By checking these figures it is possible to verify that a pyramidal shape is a true crystal and not a fashioned bipyramid, in which the angles differ from those of the natural crystal.
Most early Diamond Points were later fashioned into Tables, and later still into Brilliants. Regrettably, very few have survived in their original shape, and those that do are either foiled or their settings filled with dirt so that their beauty is no longer apparent. They are known, however, from museum collections, portraits and descriptions in wills and inventories.
Consilience
I like Edward O. Wilson's Consilience, concept because the convergence of sciences, art and humanities = interaction of countless humans = the business of new discovery/opportunities.
Michael Douglas
Gordon Gekko at his best. (Michael Douglas) Wall Street (1987)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxsn5Mm6fzA
I liked this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxsn5Mm6fzA
I liked this one.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Deja Vu: Another EC Investigation Into De Beers
Chaim Even-Zohar writes about the European Commission (EC) - De Beers agreement + renewed investigation on the market impact of SoC + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp
Inside Iraq’s National Museum
Roger Atwood writes about Iraq’s National Museum of Antiquities + the looting that followed after Saddam Hussein's downfall + other viewpoints @ http://artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=1368
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