Eye On Earth

Eye on Earth is a unique communication platform on the environment which brings together scientific information with feedback/observations of millions of ordinary people. Check it out. http://eyeonearth.cloudapp.net

Donna Distefano

Donna Distefano's original jewelry collections. www.donnadistefanoltd.com

Alberto Giacometti Sculpture

A life-size bronze sculpture of a man by Alberto Giacometti has been sold at auction in London for the world record price of £65,001,250. Check it out.

There's a market which is sort of exceptional for exceptional things. If something is a one in a lifetime opportunity, people will really step up to the plate and they will spend enormous amounts of money because it was a now or never opportunity.
- Georgina Adam, The Art Newspaper

Useful links:
www.sothebys.com
www.theartnewspaper.com

Don McCullin

To mark his 75th year, Imperial War Museum North in Greater Manchester is showcasing his work. http://north.iwm.org.uk

Art Market Update

Amazing drawings. Many thanks to Economist.

There are very few buyers for drawings of purely scholarly interest. A drawing today has to have something else; beauty or surprise.
- Jean-Luc Baroni

Useful links:
www.christies.com
www.sothebys.com
www.palazzostrozzi.org
www.metmuseum.org
www.tefaf.com
www.uffizi.com

Responsible Diamonds

Jewelers of America has released a position statement on responsible diamonds. Check it out.

Useful link:
www.jewelers.org
www.responsiblejewellery.com
www.worlddiamondcouncil.com
www.ddiglobal.org
www.kimberleyprocess.com

The Bihar Story

India Knowledge @ Wharton's report card on Bihar's new dynamism in economic and social development front was insightful. I think good governance and responsible leadership can make a difference. Amazingly Bihar is undergoing a great transformation, possibly a miracle in the making. Stay tuned.

Useful links:
http://asiadevelopment.org
www.ifc.org

Art News

William Cohan's viewpoints in ARTnews about the controversy/authenticity of Degas sculptures and the key players in the art business was interesting. Art business is a very peculiar business, but it is a business.

Useful links:
www.hirschlandadler.com
http://degassculptureproject.com
www.metmuseum.org
www.clarkart.edu
www.nga.gov
www.mfa.org
www.appraisersassoc.org
www.collegeart.org
www.herakleidon-art.gr
www.tamuseum.com

Inspirational Jewelry

Suzy Menkes's viewpoints in the New York Times about the high jewelers of Paris/inspirational jewelry was fascinating. Many thanks to Suzy.

Useful links:
www.cirquedusoleil.com
www.boucheron.com
www.vancleef-arpels.com
www.chaumet.com

The Cullinan Heritage

Petra Diamonds has announced that the 507-carat white diamond recovered at its Cullinan mine in South Africa will be named The Cullinan Heritage. www.petradiamonds.com

The Cullinan Heritage is not only exquisitely beautiful, but also of true historical importance. Since we announced the recovery of the diamond in September 2009, we have experienced a high level of interest from the trade and we look forward to announcing the results of the sale before the end of the month.
- Johan Dippenaar
CEO, Petra Diamonds

Stay tuned.

Influential Designers

Helen Walters/Venessa Wong's story in BusinessWeek about world's influential designers was brilliant. Many thanks.

Useful links:
www.moma.org
www.biomimicry.net
http://designthinking.ideo.com
www.billbuxton.com
http://valcasey.com
www.cgstudionyc.com
www.hilarycottam.com
www.samsung.com
www.fiskercb.com
www.naotofukasawa.com
www.rga.com
www.zaha-hadid.com
www.apple.com
www.doblin.com
www.oma.eu
www.madaspam.com
www.rim.com
www.miyamotoshrine.com
www.designinginteractions.com
www.useit.com
www.jnd.org
www.scaled.com
http://architectureforhumanity.org
http://d-lab.mit.edu
www.starck.com

Art Market Update

Souren Melikian's viewpoints in the New York Times about Old Master paintings at Christies/Sothebys auction was interesting. Even in these times of artistic drought, there is hope left for those who use their eyes. Spot on.

Useful links:
www.christies.com
www.sothebys.com

Oscars 2010

Oscar nominees have been announced. Check it out. www.oscars.org

Toy Jewelry

US lawmakers have introduced the Safe Kids’ Jewelry Act to ban cadmium, barium and antimony from jewelry marketed to children ages 12 and under. It's the right thing to do.

Useful links:
www.cpsc.gov
http://schumer.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=321481

Start-Up Stories

I found Shopify’s Build a Business competition interesting. Their objective: to incentivize people to start companies. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.shopify.com
http://storecontest.com
http://blog.leetsoft.com
http://fourhourworkweek.com

Global Business BBC

The Peter Day / David H Murdock interview on BBC's Global Business was very interesting. I enjoyed it. Many thanks to Peter.

Useful links:
www.chli.com
www.dole.com
http://dev.dhmri.org

Bottlenose Dolphins + The Market

There are good market analogies here in this wonderful, brief video narrated by David Attenborough showing the feeding strategies of Bottlenose Dolphins. Amazing, really. Many thanks to Alston Mabry for sharing the info. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ50PYMXDCQ&feature=player_embedded

Useful link:
www.davidattenborough.co.uk

Just One Bottle

Tyson Benton photo diary. Simply brilliant. http://justonebottle.tumblr.com

How Money Changes People

Does money change everything? I think so. The viewpoints of Roy Y. J. Chua (Harvard Business School) + Xi Zou (London Business School) in HBS Working Knowledge was very interesting.

Socially-conscious Business

A great post. Many thanks to Anya Kamenetz. Social capitalists are thinking different. They are changing the world and opening new markets.

Useful links:
http://agsquared.com
www.smsone.in
www.aidg.org
http://olerwanda.org
www.biodiesel.com
www.vittana.org