Thursday, November 08, 2007
Gorgeous Gorges
Deidre Stein Greben writes about the fortunes in the marketplace of the Hudson River painters (such artists as Thomas Cole, Sanford Robinson Gifford, Fitz Hugh Lane, Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, Martin Johnson Heade, Francis Augustus Silva, Worthington Whittredge, and Jasper Francis Cropsey) + new collectors (emerging on the West Coast from the computer industry) + other viewpoints @ http://artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=1131
A Pyramidal Cut, Fashioned From Triangular Rough
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
No trace of the origin or history of the Dresden Renaissance ring has ever been found. Its main feature is the pointed diamond weighing about 2 ct. This has always been accepted as being fairly normal Point Cut, but if it were so its disproportionate height would have involved an unrealistic reduction in the width.
The exceptionally large internal reflections also suggested to me that the stone merited further investigation. Experiments with rock crystal finally revealed that the gem could only have been produced from a triangular macle or ‘was’. The proportions of the actual diamond are quite remarkable, with its high 60º crown and very shallow 11º pavilion.
No trace of the origin or history of the Dresden Renaissance ring has ever been found. Its main feature is the pointed diamond weighing about 2 ct. This has always been accepted as being fairly normal Point Cut, but if it were so its disproportionate height would have involved an unrealistic reduction in the width.
The exceptionally large internal reflections also suggested to me that the stone merited further investigation. Experiments with rock crystal finally revealed that the gem could only have been produced from a triangular macle or ‘was’. The proportions of the actual diamond are quite remarkable, with its high 60º crown and very shallow 11º pavilion.
A Historical Summary Of The Ancient Commerce In Precious Stones
(via Roman Book On Precious Stones: 1950) Sydney H Ball writes:
While all of the then known world was ransacked by Rome for precious stones, India was considered the source of par excellence of fine gems. The Indians, having neither copper nor lead mines, ‘ are content to part with their pearls and precious stones unto merchants by way of counterchange of metals.’ Indeed, metals have always moved east in exchange for gems, spices, and silk from the Orient. Rome paid for its luxuries, not only with base and precious metals (for even then India was the sink of gold and silver), but to a much lesser extent with textiles, amber, emeralds, peridot, coral, glassware, and wine. Roman gold coins of Tiberius and Nero (42 B.C – 68 A.D) are commonly found on the Malabar coast. Pliny states that yearly precious metals worth the equivalent of $4,250,000 were exported from Rome to India. The debasement of coinage under Nero was, in part at least, due to India’s favorable trade balance.
The Indian origin of sardonyx, of many classical engraved gems, and even of sapphire ornaments is attested by the fact that such gems are pierced for suspension as beads.
Ceylon and India were in commercial contact, at least by 543 B.C, and the name of the island was known to the officers of Alexander the Great. Megasthenes (about 300 B.C) mentions the pearls of Ceylon but not its precious stones. In the time of the Emperor Claudius (reign began 41 A.D), Annius Plocamus had farmed the revenues of the Red Sea. One of his freedmen sailing around Arabia was carried by adverse winds to landfall on Ceylon. He stayed there six months and, as a result, the king of Ceylon, seeking an alliance with Rome, sent Rachias and three others on embassy to Rome. These Singhalese informed the Emperor Claudius that in their country they valued greatly their pearls and precious stones. The precious stones of Ceylon in Pliny’s time, however, were still received indirectly through India, for direct commerce between Rome and Ceylon did not start until about 150 A.D. We may, however, add that the author of the Periplus, a contemporary of Pliny, mentions that Ceylon produces transparent stones. Ptolemy, an Alexandrian living about 150 A.D, mentions beryl and sapphire as products of Ceylon. In his time Graeco-Egyptian traders apparently knew the island well. Cosmas Indicopleustes probably gained his knowledge of Ceylon’s wealth in gems from Sopatrus, a Romanized Greek who visited Ceylon about 519 A.D although Cosmas himself may have visited India. At Sigiriya and other ancient Ceylonese cities, Roman coins of the 2nd and 5th centuries are frequently found.
Roman coins of the 2nd century A.D have recently been found among the ruins of Indo-Chinese towns. India and China seem to have had commercial relations as early as the 4th century B.C. Alexander the Great’s admiral, Nearchus, knew of ‘Seriancloths which reached India from the north.’ In 140 B.C. Chinese ships with cargo of gold and silks sailed for Conjevaram, a port near Madras. This cargo they expected to exchange for pearls, crystal, and precious stones. An embassy from China was received by Mithridates II of Parthia (124-88 B.C). Of course, Rome and Parthia were in commercial contact in the 1st century B.C. Horace (65-8 B.C) mentions the Seres. Virgil in the Georgics, published in 31 B.C, knew of Chinese silk and how the ‘Seres comb the slender fleeces from the leaves’. In the time of the Emperor Augustus, overland trade continued between China and Parthia, the Chinese traders going westward as far as the Stone Tower, approximately were Balkh now stands. Silk was the great trade incentive between China and the West, and this trade expanded markedly toward the second half of the 2nd century B.C. The historian Florus mentions Chinese among the foreigners who came to the court of Augustus. He says: ‘Nay the Seres came likewise and the Indians who dwelt beneath the vertical sun, bringing the presents of precious stones and pearls and elephants.’ But even in Pliny’s time, Rome and China were not yet in direct commercial contact, although the products of the two countries were known to one another. Amber from Rome reached China probably through Syria, while jade was used to a small extent by the Romans. It may be added that Roman coins have been found in the Chinese province of Shansi dating from the time of Tiberius (14-37 A.D) to that of Aurelian (212-275 A.D). Pliny mentions the iron and furs of Seres. So, for a considerable time, India served as the link between the two great empires of the time, China and Rome. Marinus of Tyre, in the 2nd century A.D, says that in his time Rome exported amber to China and a Chinese work of 350 A.D. mentions amber as an export of Rome to China. In 97 A.D. Pan Ch’ao, the famous Chinese general, dispatched his aide westward as an ambassador, and he at least reached Babylonia. He speaks of the tenfold profits enjoyed by the Roman merchants trading in India, and of the riches in precious stones of what must have been modern Antoich. Marcus Aurelius is said to have sent ambassadors to China in 166 A.D, but instead of an official embassy, it may have been but a party of Syrian merchants.
The Egyptians apparently first instituted tariffs on precious stones and a century before Pliny’s time we know what duties were paid on gems upon entering Egypt and again at Alexandria when re-exported. Tiberius Gracchus, about 133 B.C, established duties on various luxuries entering Rome. Cicero (106-43 B.C) in Pro lege Manilia mentions three Roman import duties, the first being the Portoria, or that paid at a Roman port of entry. Later, precious stones, like other luxuries, paid a high duty on entering the Roman empire; for example, under the Emperor Augustus (31 B.C – 14 A.D), articles of luxury paid from two and one half of twelve and one half percent ad valorem, precious stones being in the higher brackets. Customs duties also existed between various Roman provinces. Other tariff laws were enacted under the Emperors Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, and Alexander Severus. Under the law of Severus (222-235 A.D), the diamond and the emerald paid a duty of twelve and one half per cent.
While all of the then known world was ransacked by Rome for precious stones, India was considered the source of par excellence of fine gems. The Indians, having neither copper nor lead mines, ‘ are content to part with their pearls and precious stones unto merchants by way of counterchange of metals.’ Indeed, metals have always moved east in exchange for gems, spices, and silk from the Orient. Rome paid for its luxuries, not only with base and precious metals (for even then India was the sink of gold and silver), but to a much lesser extent with textiles, amber, emeralds, peridot, coral, glassware, and wine. Roman gold coins of Tiberius and Nero (42 B.C – 68 A.D) are commonly found on the Malabar coast. Pliny states that yearly precious metals worth the equivalent of $4,250,000 were exported from Rome to India. The debasement of coinage under Nero was, in part at least, due to India’s favorable trade balance.
The Indian origin of sardonyx, of many classical engraved gems, and even of sapphire ornaments is attested by the fact that such gems are pierced for suspension as beads.
Ceylon and India were in commercial contact, at least by 543 B.C, and the name of the island was known to the officers of Alexander the Great. Megasthenes (about 300 B.C) mentions the pearls of Ceylon but not its precious stones. In the time of the Emperor Claudius (reign began 41 A.D), Annius Plocamus had farmed the revenues of the Red Sea. One of his freedmen sailing around Arabia was carried by adverse winds to landfall on Ceylon. He stayed there six months and, as a result, the king of Ceylon, seeking an alliance with Rome, sent Rachias and three others on embassy to Rome. These Singhalese informed the Emperor Claudius that in their country they valued greatly their pearls and precious stones. The precious stones of Ceylon in Pliny’s time, however, were still received indirectly through India, for direct commerce between Rome and Ceylon did not start until about 150 A.D. We may, however, add that the author of the Periplus, a contemporary of Pliny, mentions that Ceylon produces transparent stones. Ptolemy, an Alexandrian living about 150 A.D, mentions beryl and sapphire as products of Ceylon. In his time Graeco-Egyptian traders apparently knew the island well. Cosmas Indicopleustes probably gained his knowledge of Ceylon’s wealth in gems from Sopatrus, a Romanized Greek who visited Ceylon about 519 A.D although Cosmas himself may have visited India. At Sigiriya and other ancient Ceylonese cities, Roman coins of the 2nd and 5th centuries are frequently found.
Roman coins of the 2nd century A.D have recently been found among the ruins of Indo-Chinese towns. India and China seem to have had commercial relations as early as the 4th century B.C. Alexander the Great’s admiral, Nearchus, knew of ‘Seriancloths which reached India from the north.’ In 140 B.C. Chinese ships with cargo of gold and silks sailed for Conjevaram, a port near Madras. This cargo they expected to exchange for pearls, crystal, and precious stones. An embassy from China was received by Mithridates II of Parthia (124-88 B.C). Of course, Rome and Parthia were in commercial contact in the 1st century B.C. Horace (65-8 B.C) mentions the Seres. Virgil in the Georgics, published in 31 B.C, knew of Chinese silk and how the ‘Seres comb the slender fleeces from the leaves’. In the time of the Emperor Augustus, overland trade continued between China and Parthia, the Chinese traders going westward as far as the Stone Tower, approximately were Balkh now stands. Silk was the great trade incentive between China and the West, and this trade expanded markedly toward the second half of the 2nd century B.C. The historian Florus mentions Chinese among the foreigners who came to the court of Augustus. He says: ‘Nay the Seres came likewise and the Indians who dwelt beneath the vertical sun, bringing the presents of precious stones and pearls and elephants.’ But even in Pliny’s time, Rome and China were not yet in direct commercial contact, although the products of the two countries were known to one another. Amber from Rome reached China probably through Syria, while jade was used to a small extent by the Romans. It may be added that Roman coins have been found in the Chinese province of Shansi dating from the time of Tiberius (14-37 A.D) to that of Aurelian (212-275 A.D). Pliny mentions the iron and furs of Seres. So, for a considerable time, India served as the link between the two great empires of the time, China and Rome. Marinus of Tyre, in the 2nd century A.D, says that in his time Rome exported amber to China and a Chinese work of 350 A.D. mentions amber as an export of Rome to China. In 97 A.D. Pan Ch’ao, the famous Chinese general, dispatched his aide westward as an ambassador, and he at least reached Babylonia. He speaks of the tenfold profits enjoyed by the Roman merchants trading in India, and of the riches in precious stones of what must have been modern Antoich. Marcus Aurelius is said to have sent ambassadors to China in 166 A.D, but instead of an official embassy, it may have been but a party of Syrian merchants.
The Egyptians apparently first instituted tariffs on precious stones and a century before Pliny’s time we know what duties were paid on gems upon entering Egypt and again at Alexandria when re-exported. Tiberius Gracchus, about 133 B.C, established duties on various luxuries entering Rome. Cicero (106-43 B.C) in Pro lege Manilia mentions three Roman import duties, the first being the Portoria, or that paid at a Roman port of entry. Later, precious stones, like other luxuries, paid a high duty on entering the Roman empire; for example, under the Emperor Augustus (31 B.C – 14 A.D), articles of luxury paid from two and one half of twelve and one half percent ad valorem, precious stones being in the higher brackets. Customs duties also existed between various Roman provinces. Other tariff laws were enacted under the Emperors Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, and Alexander Severus. Under the law of Severus (222-235 A.D), the diamond and the emerald paid a duty of twelve and one half per cent.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
How To Sell Natural Color Diamonds
Log onto The Natural Color Diamond Association's website @ www.ncdia.com + you learn a lot more about color, grading and origin + good source of info for retailers and consumers.
The Wisdom Of Napoleon Hill
(via YouTube): The Wisdom of Napoleon Hill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz4Wl3jsHMc
Napoleon Hill talks about his meeting with Andrew Carnegie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GCaEZscfvA
A great inspiration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz4Wl3jsHMc
Napoleon Hill talks about his meeting with Andrew Carnegie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GCaEZscfvA
A great inspiration.
Billie Holiday
(via YouTube): Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs
Billie Holiday - Good Morning Heartache
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ3PVm6YbmU
Billie holiday - Lady sings the blues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUtPODn7cCc
[Fine And Mellow] 1944 Billie Holiday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I2a5AJUk7M
Beautiful voice. I love her songs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs
Billie Holiday - Good Morning Heartache
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ3PVm6YbmU
Billie holiday - Lady sings the blues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUtPODn7cCc
[Fine And Mellow] 1944 Billie Holiday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I2a5AJUk7M
Beautiful voice. I love her songs.
Don Giovanni Unmasked
Russia's Dmitri Hvorostovsky, retells the Mozart masterpiece from the point of view of Don Giovanni's servant, Leporello + set in two separate eras - 1930s Hollywood and 17th-century Spain + Click here for more info.
The Modern Art Of Finance
The Economist writes about the state of the auctions houses (Sothebys / Christies) + the concept of guaranteed prices in a rising market + the methodology + other viewpoints @ http://www.economist.com/daily/columns/artview/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10087308
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