Chemistry: Magnesium aluminum iron boro-silicate.
Crystal system: Orthorhombic; radiating columnar habit; water-worn pebbles.
Color: Transparent to translucent; yellow green, brown, colorless; some chrome-rich green; phenomena: chatoyant (golden eye) and asterated stones.
Hardness: 6.5
Cleavage: Prismatic; Fracture: conchoidal.
Specific gravity: 3.3
Refractive index: 1.67 – 1.68; Biaxial negative; 0.013
Luster: Vitreous.
Dispersion: Low
Dichroism: Brown/green.
Occurrence: Star: Burma; Cat’s eye: Sri Lanka; Green: Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya.
Notes
Collector’s stone; constants near Enstatite; strong spectral band in the violet and a weak band in the blue 503nm; faceted and cabochon.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Rembrandt
Memorable quotes from the movie:
Rembrandt van Rijn (Charles Laughton): And of a sudden he knew that when one woman gives herself to you, you possess all women. Women of every age and race and kind, and more than that, the moon, the stars, all miracles and legends are yours. Brown-skinned girls who inflame your senses with their play, cool yellow-haired women who entice and escape you, gentle ones who serve you, slender ones who torment you, the mothers who bore and suckled you; all women whom God created out of the teeming fullness of the earth, are yours in the love of one woman. What is success? A soldier can reckon his success in victories, a merchant in money. But my world is insubstantial. I live in a beautiful, blinding, swirling mist.
Rembrandt van Rijn (Charles Laughton): And of a sudden he knew that when one woman gives herself to you, you possess all women. Women of every age and race and kind, and more than that, the moon, the stars, all miracles and legends are yours. Brown-skinned girls who inflame your senses with their play, cool yellow-haired women who entice and escape you, gentle ones who serve you, slender ones who torment you, the mothers who bore and suckled you; all women whom God created out of the teeming fullness of the earth, are yours in the love of one woman. What is success? A soldier can reckon his success in victories, a merchant in money. But my world is insubstantial. I live in a beautiful, blinding, swirling mist.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Art Programs Taking Off At Airports
James Hannah writes about why more and more airports in the United States are using art to boost tourism + improve the image of the community + soothe the passengers + the phenomenon of artport + the effect on the economy + other viewpoints @ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20070723/ap_tr_ge/travel_trend_airport_art
In my view display of gemstone inclusions at the airports + bus terminals across the world should become a new phenomenon in the art world. They are stunning + inspirational + you fall in love with gemstones + the 'natural' inclusions.
In my view display of gemstone inclusions at the airports + bus terminals across the world should become a new phenomenon in the art world. They are stunning + inspirational + you fall in love with gemstones + the 'natural' inclusions.
Blink
Good Books: I have read Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, and here is an excerpt from the book.
Trust your instincts
Don’t think—blink
An art expert sees a ten million dollar sculpture and in a flash realizes it is fake. A fire fighter makes a split-second decision to get out of a blazing building just before it collapses. A marriage analyst studies a fifteen-minute video of a couple and accurately predicts whether they will stay together. A police officer reads a life-or-death situation in the heat of the moment. A speed dater suddenly clicks with the right person…..
Blink is all about those moments when we ‘know’ something without really knowing why, and how this ability is one of the most powerful we possess. A snap judgment made very quickly, Malcolm Gladwell reveals, can actually be far more effective than one made deliberately and cautiously. By blocking out what’s irrelevant and focusing on narrow slices of experience, we can read a seemingly complex situation in the blink of an eye—and discover a radically new way of understanding the world.
This book show us how we can hone our instinctive ability to know in an instant, helping us to bring out the best in our thinking and become better decision makers in our homes, offices and in everyday life. Just as he did with his revolutionary theory of the tipping point, Gladwell reveals how the power of ‘blink’ could fundamentally transform our relationships, the way we consume, create and communicate, how we run our businesses and even our societies.
You will never think about thinking in the same way again.
The concept is not new but the application is. I would very much like the concept applied in the gem and jewelry context + other businesses where 'impulsive buy' is the norm + when you see something you like, you respond. It's spontaneous. Perhaps a unique blink concept? Could be. Anyway it was fun reading the book.
Trust your instincts
Don’t think—blink
An art expert sees a ten million dollar sculpture and in a flash realizes it is fake. A fire fighter makes a split-second decision to get out of a blazing building just before it collapses. A marriage analyst studies a fifteen-minute video of a couple and accurately predicts whether they will stay together. A police officer reads a life-or-death situation in the heat of the moment. A speed dater suddenly clicks with the right person…..
Blink is all about those moments when we ‘know’ something without really knowing why, and how this ability is one of the most powerful we possess. A snap judgment made very quickly, Malcolm Gladwell reveals, can actually be far more effective than one made deliberately and cautiously. By blocking out what’s irrelevant and focusing on narrow slices of experience, we can read a seemingly complex situation in the blink of an eye—and discover a radically new way of understanding the world.
This book show us how we can hone our instinctive ability to know in an instant, helping us to bring out the best in our thinking and become better decision makers in our homes, offices and in everyday life. Just as he did with his revolutionary theory of the tipping point, Gladwell reveals how the power of ‘blink’ could fundamentally transform our relationships, the way we consume, create and communicate, how we run our businesses and even our societies.
You will never think about thinking in the same way again.
The concept is not new but the application is. I would very much like the concept applied in the gem and jewelry context + other businesses where 'impulsive buy' is the norm + when you see something you like, you respond. It's spontaneous. Perhaps a unique blink concept? Could be. Anyway it was fun reading the book.
The Luxury Of Dreams
Chaim Even-Zohar writes about the World Diamond Congress + the impacts of the diamond dream + diamond demand, supply and market structure + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp?TextSearch=&KeyMatch=0&id=25842
Cosmetics And Gem Materials
(via The Journal of Gemmology, Vol. IX, No.8, October 1964) R Webster writes:
Chalcedony
The only case of possible attack by cosmetics on chalcedony was one referred to the writer some time ago, and for which, at the time, no decision was reached, particularly as the change seemed so fantastic. Here a lady’s signet ring, set (presumably) with a black onyx, was submitted for investigation. The story which came with the enquiry was that the black stone was originally red (cornelian or stained agate) and had turned black. The owner of the ring was said to be a hairdresser and it was questioned whether chemicals used for hair-treatment could have caused the change of color. No information was given as to the nature of the chemicals used, or the type of hair-dressing preparations used by this hair-dresser. The only question asked was whether such an occurrence had been encountered before. To the best of my knowledge it had not, or at least had not been reported, and the matter rested there.
However, intrigued by the effect which, presumably, had occurred with the stone in the lady’s ring, some experiments were carried out. A piece of cornelian, probably dyed agate, was immersed in a tube of 25% sodium sulphide and left for some time, after which it was removed and dried. No apparent effect was then noticed, but some time later, after the stone had lain on a shelf open to daylight, the stone was seen to have darkened, but admittedly did not turn black but to a very dark brown. The notion underlying this experiment was that as the color of cornelian was due to iron, the action of the sodium sulphide might produce the black ferrous sulphide (FeS).
To perform the second experiment a small piece was broken off from the blackened specimen and immersed in a 20-volume solution of hydrogen peroxide and left for twenty four hours. On the removal of the piece from the solution it was seen that it had returned to the original reddish color, that of cornelian. Another piece was broken off the darkened specimen and immersed in ordinary tap water in order to check whether the darkening was just surface deposit which could be washed off. No lightening took place even after three days immersion. Whether the hydrogen peroxide solution would return the color when other dyes were used is a matter for debate and further experiment.
To get further information the writer approached the technical staff of Golden Ltd, the makers and distributors of the hairdressing products of L’Oreal of Paris, who were good enough to submit specimens of cornelian to treatments with some of their products. These tests involved immersion in samples of Pastel and Progress cold-wave lotions, Ciloreal-skin-stain remover, and a number of basic chemicals used in the manufacturing of L’Oreal products, both for hair coloring and permanent waving. Tests were also carried out by the Golden technicians with a 10% sodium sulphide solution; and one stringent test was with a Pastel cold wave No.1 at a temperature of 75ºC for eight hours. On the return of the stones, in no single instance was any blackening of the stones noticed. Later, however, after the stones had been kept in a stone paper for a few months, two of the pieces did seem to have somewhat darkened in color, but they certainly had not turned black.
It is clear from the above that any change in the color of cornelian could only occur after prolonged treatment, as in the case of the hairdresser who could well be using cosmetic chemicals daily, and would anyway be of rare occurrence, and not an expensive item to replace, but it does illustrate what troubles can be encountered.
The objects of this article is to warn the jeweler that cosmetics, when incorrectly used, may have a deleterious effect on certain types of gem materials. This is no criticism of beauty preparations in themselves when they are used with common sense, but so often ladies are oblivious to the fact that they are wearing their jewelry when completing the final touches to their make-up; then the jeweler is challenged as to the resultant changes.
Chalcedony
The only case of possible attack by cosmetics on chalcedony was one referred to the writer some time ago, and for which, at the time, no decision was reached, particularly as the change seemed so fantastic. Here a lady’s signet ring, set (presumably) with a black onyx, was submitted for investigation. The story which came with the enquiry was that the black stone was originally red (cornelian or stained agate) and had turned black. The owner of the ring was said to be a hairdresser and it was questioned whether chemicals used for hair-treatment could have caused the change of color. No information was given as to the nature of the chemicals used, or the type of hair-dressing preparations used by this hair-dresser. The only question asked was whether such an occurrence had been encountered before. To the best of my knowledge it had not, or at least had not been reported, and the matter rested there.
However, intrigued by the effect which, presumably, had occurred with the stone in the lady’s ring, some experiments were carried out. A piece of cornelian, probably dyed agate, was immersed in a tube of 25% sodium sulphide and left for some time, after which it was removed and dried. No apparent effect was then noticed, but some time later, after the stone had lain on a shelf open to daylight, the stone was seen to have darkened, but admittedly did not turn black but to a very dark brown. The notion underlying this experiment was that as the color of cornelian was due to iron, the action of the sodium sulphide might produce the black ferrous sulphide (FeS).
To perform the second experiment a small piece was broken off from the blackened specimen and immersed in a 20-volume solution of hydrogen peroxide and left for twenty four hours. On the removal of the piece from the solution it was seen that it had returned to the original reddish color, that of cornelian. Another piece was broken off the darkened specimen and immersed in ordinary tap water in order to check whether the darkening was just surface deposit which could be washed off. No lightening took place even after three days immersion. Whether the hydrogen peroxide solution would return the color when other dyes were used is a matter for debate and further experiment.
To get further information the writer approached the technical staff of Golden Ltd, the makers and distributors of the hairdressing products of L’Oreal of Paris, who were good enough to submit specimens of cornelian to treatments with some of their products. These tests involved immersion in samples of Pastel and Progress cold-wave lotions, Ciloreal-skin-stain remover, and a number of basic chemicals used in the manufacturing of L’Oreal products, both for hair coloring and permanent waving. Tests were also carried out by the Golden technicians with a 10% sodium sulphide solution; and one stringent test was with a Pastel cold wave No.1 at a temperature of 75ºC for eight hours. On the return of the stones, in no single instance was any blackening of the stones noticed. Later, however, after the stones had been kept in a stone paper for a few months, two of the pieces did seem to have somewhat darkened in color, but they certainly had not turned black.
It is clear from the above that any change in the color of cornelian could only occur after prolonged treatment, as in the case of the hairdresser who could well be using cosmetic chemicals daily, and would anyway be of rare occurrence, and not an expensive item to replace, but it does illustrate what troubles can be encountered.
The objects of this article is to warn the jeweler that cosmetics, when incorrectly used, may have a deleterious effect on certain types of gem materials. This is no criticism of beauty preparations in themselves when they are used with common sense, but so often ladies are oblivious to the fact that they are wearing their jewelry when completing the final touches to their make-up; then the jeweler is challenged as to the resultant changes.
Idocrase (Vesuvianite)
Chemistry: Calcium aluminum silicate.
Crystal system: Tetragonal; Vesuvianite: well-developed square prisms capped with bipyramidal and often basal pinacoid; Californite: massive; Cyprine: massive.
Color: Vesuvianite: transparent, yellow to brown and greenish shades; Californite: transparent to opaque; massive green (mixture of idocrase and grossular garnet); Cyprine: very rare blue variety (Cu).
Hardness: 6 - 7
Cleavage: Indistinct; Fracture: sub-conchoidal.
Specific gravity: 3.35
Refractive index: 1.70 – 1.73 (changes from negative to positive with increasing R.I); 0.005
Luster: Vitreous.
Dispersion: Low
Dichroism: Indistinct.
Occurrence: Canada, Italy, Switzerland, Siberia; Californite: California, USA.
Notes
Vesuvianite cut for collectors; crystals similar to zircon, except zircon rarely shows the basal pinacoid; massive green Californite may look like nephrite jade; massive idocrase often mixed with hydrogrossular; may show rare earth spectrum, strong band at 461nm in the blue; transparent varieties faceted; Californite: cabochon and beads.
Crystal system: Tetragonal; Vesuvianite: well-developed square prisms capped with bipyramidal and often basal pinacoid; Californite: massive; Cyprine: massive.
Color: Vesuvianite: transparent, yellow to brown and greenish shades; Californite: transparent to opaque; massive green (mixture of idocrase and grossular garnet); Cyprine: very rare blue variety (Cu).
Hardness: 6 - 7
Cleavage: Indistinct; Fracture: sub-conchoidal.
Specific gravity: 3.35
Refractive index: 1.70 – 1.73 (changes from negative to positive with increasing R.I); 0.005
Luster: Vitreous.
Dispersion: Low
Dichroism: Indistinct.
Occurrence: Canada, Italy, Switzerland, Siberia; Californite: California, USA.
Notes
Vesuvianite cut for collectors; crystals similar to zircon, except zircon rarely shows the basal pinacoid; massive green Californite may look like nephrite jade; massive idocrase often mixed with hydrogrossular; may show rare earth spectrum, strong band at 461nm in the blue; transparent varieties faceted; Californite: cabochon and beads.
Cirque du Soleil
New Business Model: An excellent insight + a new definition for competition.
(via emergic) An excerpt from the book, Blue Ocean Strategy, in Fast Company:
A one time accordion player, stilt-walker and fire-eater, Guy Laliberte is now CEO of one of Canada's largest cultural exports, Cirque du Soleil (http://www.cirquedusoleil.com). Created in 1984 by a group of street performers, Cirque's productions have been seen by almost 40 million people in 90 cities around the world. In less than 20 years Cirque du Soleil has achieved a revenue level that took Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey's Circus - the global champion of the circus industry - more than one hundred years to attain.
What makes this all the more remarkable is that this rapid growth was not achieved in an attractive industry. It was in a declining industry in which traditional strategic analysis pointed to limited potential for growth. Supplier power on the part of star performers was strong. So was buyer power? From the perspective of competition-based strategy, then, the circus industry appeared unattractive.
Another compelling aspect of Cirque du Soleil's success is that it did not win by taking customers from the already shrinking demand for the circus industry, which historically catered to children. Cirque du Soleil did not compete with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey's Circus to make this happen. Instead it created uncontested new market space that made the competition irrelevant. It appealed to a whole new group of customers - adults and corporate clients prepared to pay a price that is several times as expensive as traditional circuses for their unprecedented entertainment experience. Significantly, one of the first Cirque productions was titled "We Reinvent the Circus".
Cirque du Soleil succeeded because it realized that to win in the future, companies must stop competing with each other. The only way to beat the competition is to stop trying to beat the competition.
In a brief article in Fast Company, Renee Mauborgne, the co-author of Blue Ocean Strategy, says companies can do what Cirque du Soleil did by following certain guidelines.
- Water, water, everywhere.
- You don't have to compete in a red ocean of bloody competition. Even exhausted industries -- like the circus can be reinvented.
- Don't swim with the school.
- Quit benchmarking the competition or setting your strategic agenda in the context of theirs.
- Find new ponds to fish.
- Don't assume your current customers have the insights you need to rethink your strategy. Look to non-customers instead.
- Cut bait on costs.
- Put as much emphasis on what you can eliminate as on what you can create.
(via emergic) An excerpt from the book, Blue Ocean Strategy, in Fast Company:
A one time accordion player, stilt-walker and fire-eater, Guy Laliberte is now CEO of one of Canada's largest cultural exports, Cirque du Soleil (http://www.cirquedusoleil.com). Created in 1984 by a group of street performers, Cirque's productions have been seen by almost 40 million people in 90 cities around the world. In less than 20 years Cirque du Soleil has achieved a revenue level that took Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey's Circus - the global champion of the circus industry - more than one hundred years to attain.
What makes this all the more remarkable is that this rapid growth was not achieved in an attractive industry. It was in a declining industry in which traditional strategic analysis pointed to limited potential for growth. Supplier power on the part of star performers was strong. So was buyer power? From the perspective of competition-based strategy, then, the circus industry appeared unattractive.
Another compelling aspect of Cirque du Soleil's success is that it did not win by taking customers from the already shrinking demand for the circus industry, which historically catered to children. Cirque du Soleil did not compete with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey's Circus to make this happen. Instead it created uncontested new market space that made the competition irrelevant. It appealed to a whole new group of customers - adults and corporate clients prepared to pay a price that is several times as expensive as traditional circuses for their unprecedented entertainment experience. Significantly, one of the first Cirque productions was titled "We Reinvent the Circus".
Cirque du Soleil succeeded because it realized that to win in the future, companies must stop competing with each other. The only way to beat the competition is to stop trying to beat the competition.
In a brief article in Fast Company, Renee Mauborgne, the co-author of Blue Ocean Strategy, says companies can do what Cirque du Soleil did by following certain guidelines.
- Water, water, everywhere.
- You don't have to compete in a red ocean of bloody competition. Even exhausted industries -- like the circus can be reinvented.
- Don't swim with the school.
- Quit benchmarking the competition or setting your strategic agenda in the context of theirs.
- Find new ponds to fish.
- Don't assume your current customers have the insights you need to rethink your strategy. Look to non-customers instead.
- Cut bait on costs.
- Put as much emphasis on what you can eliminate as on what you can create.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)