Burmese Ruby Grade And Size Classification Terms

1. Top quality stones of deep rich crimson color
- Anyun: 2 carat and above
- Lethi: 1.75 carat average weight
- The-bauk: (haibauk) Average weight 0.75 carat
- Saga-the: Average weight 0.50 carat
- Ame-the: 0.20 carat average weight, or 5 stones to the carat

2. Second quality: stones of a bright crimson hue
- Ani-gyi: 2 – 6 carat in weight

3. Third quality stones
- Ani-te or Bombaing: As they were favored in Bombay, India
- Ante-te: 2 – 6 carat in weight

4. Fourth quality
- Ahte-Kya: Literally meaning fallen from the top. Mixed stones of the better grades, but of slightly defective clarity, color or shape.

Also included in this grade are:
Kyak-me: Very dark stones sold mainly to the Indian market in Madras.

There are many grades of inferior quality stones based on clarity, cut and color. Other terms of interest are:
Pingoo-cho: First quality star rubies; literally ‘spiders thread’.
Pingoo-sa: Silky rubies with or without a star.
Apya: Flat stones of fine quality.

Radiohead

New Business Models: It was a real surprise when Radiohead, the British rock band, announced that it would release its latest album online, without a record label, and let fans pay whatever they wanted to for it, including nothing at all. No one knows for sure the long-term implications, but it's a real eye-opener + the question is whether the concept could be tested in other businesses + expert's reaction (s) to Radiohead's new concept @ http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1821.cfm

Teaching The New Carbon Math

Energy: (via WRI Digest) Earth Council Geneva (ECG) + GHG Experts Network (GEN) + ClimateCHECK have combined to form GHG Management Institute + the network will use WRI's Greenhouse Gas Protocol to train pros on measuring and managing GHG emissions, blending e-learning and interaction with expert instructors.

Useful links:
GHG Management Institute
GHG Protocol

A Technique For Producing Ideas

Good Books: James Young's "A Technique for Producing Ideas" is an interesting book. It was written in the 1940s by an advertiser. It was all about generating ideas for advertising + I think with some modification (s) the concept should work wonders in other businesses. To really make it work you have got to be a specialist + lucky.

What Are They Teaching Art Students These Days?

Gail Gregg writes about new forms of learning art with technology + the encroachment of market forces into academia + developing conceptual skills + intellectual experimentation + other viewpoints @ http://artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=1293

Wind Energy On Demand

Energy: Jean Thilmany writes about a utility-sponsored project and an ambitious company's aim to store wind energy underground for sale + other viewpoints @ http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/oct/tech/jt_wind.html

Useful links:
Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities
Iowa Stored Energy Park
General Compression

Ammonite

Chet Raymo writes about ammonite, a unique jewel box that tells evolutionary stories about drifting continents, asteroid collisions, mountains thrust upwards, wasting erosion and more + a species of fossil ammonite, Hildoceras, named for the holy scholar -- abbess of Whitby + other viewpoints @ http://www.sciencemusings.com/2007/10/wise-saints-and-drifting-continents.html

Diamond Grading

International Diamond Laboratories writes:
The biggest issue with diamond grading as we know it today is inconsistency. A diamond that is awarded an E color grade might receive a D tomorrow and an F the day after. Our research has shown that inconsistency easily reaches up to 25% on average. It’s merely a simple fact related to the imperfections of the human eye as a measuring instrument. Experienced graders will acknowledge that these differences exist. A machine can overcome this subjectivity. IDL commits to offering a level of consistency the diamond market has not yet seen. Diamond grading is to be brought from an art to a science. IDL will offer the much needed consistency through technology. (http://www.diamondlab.org)


Useful link:
Hughes, R.W. (1987) Diamond grading: Does it work? Gemological Digest, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 1–3

In my view diamond grading will always be controversial. A friend of mine who is in the business tells me that diamond grading is a faith-based concept. We have got used to it for so long it's going to be with us forever. So now comes the International Diamond Laboratories' statement (s) that their version is more scientific, fool-proof, sort of a god-like statement. Only time will tell. In the end it's the consumers who will have to raise their standard (s) by gaining appropriate skills to distinguish (which I doubt) diamond grades and believe it. When experts /technology go wrong (they usually do), consumers are always the losers.