Thursday, August 30, 2007
Are Swarovski Crystals Losing Their Shine?
Emine Saner writes about the Austrian company Swarovski + its own theme park, Kristallwelten, in the Austrian Tyrol + other viewpoints @ http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/fashion/story/0,,2157282,00.html
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Brain Scans Pinpoint How Chocoholics Are Hooked
Tristan Farrow writes about chocolate vs brain link + habit-forming behavioral patterns in men vs women + the sight and taste link + other viewpoints @ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2157226,00.html
It wouldn't be a bad idea to use functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of gem and jewelry shoppers across the world and see what comes out of the research. I am more curious as to what happens in the three regions thought to be important in pleasure sensation and addictive behavior - the orbitofrontal cortex, the ventral striatum and the cingulate cortex of the shoppers.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to use functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of gem and jewelry shoppers across the world and see what comes out of the research. I am more curious as to what happens in the three regions thought to be important in pleasure sensation and addictive behavior - the orbitofrontal cortex, the ventral striatum and the cingulate cortex of the shoppers.
The Jefferson Bottles
Patrick Radden Keefe writes about the most expensive bottle of wine that was sold at Christies in London on December 5, 1985 (it had no label, but etched into the glass in a spindly hand was the year 1787, the word “Lafitte,” and the letters “Th.J.”) + the real characters behind the mystery label + other viewpoints @ http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/09/03/070903fa_fact_keefe
The story reminds me of spectacular mistakes made by experts based on experience and presumptions in gem identifiction (with/without testing equipments) + origin determination (with/without sophisticated analytical instruments) + the crazy prices collectors pay based on opinions by the same experts + the forgers ability to fool experts. In my view pricey gemstones and wines + their grading, provenance and pricing based on subjective concepts surprises me, all the time, yet collectors go for it with full knowledge that the product (s) they are buying may or may not be the real stuff.
The story reminds me of spectacular mistakes made by experts based on experience and presumptions in gem identifiction (with/without testing equipments) + origin determination (with/without sophisticated analytical instruments) + the crazy prices collectors pay based on opinions by the same experts + the forgers ability to fool experts. In my view pricey gemstones and wines + their grading, provenance and pricing based on subjective concepts surprises me, all the time, yet collectors go for it with full knowledge that the product (s) they are buying may or may not be the real stuff.
Underrated/Overrated
Hilarie M. Sheets writes about the metamorphic state of artists + other viewpoints @ http://artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=1668
The DTC’s Iron Lady And The Politics On The Way To The Top
Chaim Even-Zohar profiles Varda Shine @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp?TextSearch=&KeyMatch=0&id=24564
Coffee Art Gallery
The artwork is painted entirely in coffee - no additives, just 100% pure coffee.
www.justcoffeeart.com
Coffee Art is a unique technique developed by Karen Eland to express her creative imagination. The original paintings displayed on this website are created entirely out of espresso on watercolor paper.
www.coffee-art.com
Coffee painting produces everlasting shining. The coffee-on-canvas paintings resemble antique sepia effect. Painting with coffee gets the old-look effect.
www.coffee-paintings.com
www.justcoffeeart.com
Coffee Art is a unique technique developed by Karen Eland to express her creative imagination. The original paintings displayed on this website are created entirely out of espresso on watercolor paper.
www.coffee-art.com
Coffee painting produces everlasting shining. The coffee-on-canvas paintings resemble antique sepia effect. Painting with coffee gets the old-look effect.
www.coffee-paintings.com
You Can Buy Diamond In Bits And Pieces
New Business Models: (via Times News Network) Moinak Mitra writes:
Diamonds are forever but can’t be bought loose. That’s when the Rs 3,467-crore Gitanjali group had this gem of an idea. Starting August 15, diamonds ranging from 0.25 to 1-carat will be loosely available in retail. The company calls them Ezee Diamonds, and has released 500 such boxes on Independence Day. A box may have one big diamond of, say, 2-carat, or several small diamond pieces measuring up to 1-carat, and so on and so forth. So every box will have different carat-age. And for the first time, like prices of bullion, Ezee diamond prices will be listed and updated fortnightly across the media by the Mumbai-based Ezee Diamond Council. ET gets the sparkle on the loose. For one, the mood at the Gitanjali headquarters in Mumbai is ebullient. “This is the first time diamonds would be available loose and priced pegged to changing global benchmarks,” says Mehul Choksi, managing director of Gitanjali group. “Prices would be updated every fortnight and moderated by the Ezee Diamond Council, which consists of 8-10 representatives from different verticals of the diamond industry,” he adds. ET learns that some of the moderators doing the rounds hail from International Gemological Institute, Retailers’ Association of India, Diamond Trading Company, Indian Institute of Jewellery, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, Franchise India Holding. “The council has been specially set up to keep track of the Ezee Diamonds. It’s a fair and transparent module, which ensures an unbiased way of pricing the diamonds. Consumers can be sure of the quality of the diamonds and the price they are paying for it,” says Nilesh Shah, head, Diamond Panel Committee, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council. The road ahead looks easy too. “In a year, we can do more than a million boxes. The cheapest diamond box would be available for Rs 5,000 and go up to Rs 5-lakh,” says Anuj Rakyan, vice president – retail, Gitanjali group. The Ezee diamond initiative is in line with the company’s mass-market strategy to make diamonds more affordable. In 1994, the group launched its Gili brand of jewellery across retail and popularised the 18-carat gold concept. Today, Gitanjali is present in the market with a wide spectrum of gem and jewellery brands catering to most market segments. Mr Choksi wanted “to make diamonds more affordable to the middle-class”. The fortnightly pricing on I-Day is another step to that end.
Diamonds are forever but can’t be bought loose. That’s when the Rs 3,467-crore Gitanjali group had this gem of an idea. Starting August 15, diamonds ranging from 0.25 to 1-carat will be loosely available in retail. The company calls them Ezee Diamonds, and has released 500 such boxes on Independence Day. A box may have one big diamond of, say, 2-carat, or several small diamond pieces measuring up to 1-carat, and so on and so forth. So every box will have different carat-age. And for the first time, like prices of bullion, Ezee diamond prices will be listed and updated fortnightly across the media by the Mumbai-based Ezee Diamond Council. ET gets the sparkle on the loose. For one, the mood at the Gitanjali headquarters in Mumbai is ebullient. “This is the first time diamonds would be available loose and priced pegged to changing global benchmarks,” says Mehul Choksi, managing director of Gitanjali group. “Prices would be updated every fortnight and moderated by the Ezee Diamond Council, which consists of 8-10 representatives from different verticals of the diamond industry,” he adds. ET learns that some of the moderators doing the rounds hail from International Gemological Institute, Retailers’ Association of India, Diamond Trading Company, Indian Institute of Jewellery, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, Franchise India Holding. “The council has been specially set up to keep track of the Ezee Diamonds. It’s a fair and transparent module, which ensures an unbiased way of pricing the diamonds. Consumers can be sure of the quality of the diamonds and the price they are paying for it,” says Nilesh Shah, head, Diamond Panel Committee, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council. The road ahead looks easy too. “In a year, we can do more than a million boxes. The cheapest diamond box would be available for Rs 5,000 and go up to Rs 5-lakh,” says Anuj Rakyan, vice president – retail, Gitanjali group. The Ezee diamond initiative is in line with the company’s mass-market strategy to make diamonds more affordable. In 1994, the group launched its Gili brand of jewellery across retail and popularised the 18-carat gold concept. Today, Gitanjali is present in the market with a wide spectrum of gem and jewellery brands catering to most market segments. Mr Choksi wanted “to make diamonds more affordable to the middle-class”. The fortnightly pricing on I-Day is another step to that end.
Paua Shell
Paua, New Zealand’s largest iridescent nacreous abalone has been known under a variety of pseudonyms, such as rainbow abalone, opal of the sea, sea ear, mutton fish, and Venus looking glass. Experts believe the strong iridescence in paua shell is due to diffraction + the diffraction color (s) are dependent on the thickness of the aragonite platelets.
Paua shell is routinely color enhanced by dyeing to hide commonly seen brownish patches. Visual observation may indicate the distinctive iridescent patterns of Paua shell, but if in doubt always consult a reputed expert or gem testing laboratory.
Paua
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paua
Paua shell is routinely color enhanced by dyeing to hide commonly seen brownish patches. Visual observation may indicate the distinctive iridescent patterns of Paua shell, but if in doubt always consult a reputed expert or gem testing laboratory.
Paua
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paua
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