Sunday, November 18, 2007
Myanmar Rubies Have Dealers Seeing Red
Mick Elmore writes about gem dealers dilema + the pros and cons of banning Burmese rubies after the recent bloody crackdown + other view points @ http://www.newsweek.com/id/70770
Paul Simon
Paul Simon, is one of America's most respected songwriters and musicians + during his distinguished career he has received many awards and prizes, including 12 Grammy Awards, three for album of the year: 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' in 1970 (with musical partner Art Garfunkel), 'Still Crazy After All These Years' in 1976 and 'Graceland ' in 1986 + he is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as half of the Simon and Garfunkel duo and again in 2001 as a soloist + he is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a 2002 Kennedy Center Honoree + in 2006 Time Magazine named Paul Simon one of the '100 People Who Shaped the World' + he was the first American artist invited by President Nelson Mandela to perform in post-apartheid South Africa. Go to www.paulsimon.com for further information.
(via YouTube): Paul Simon - Graceland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtT7Og2LBbE
Paul Simon - You can call me Al
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4kH15Ny2ho
Paul simon - The obvious child
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJdAAozwq5Y
Paul Simon - Diamonds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNv2MoAghnU&feature=related
A real gem. I love his music.
(via YouTube): Paul Simon - Graceland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtT7Og2LBbE
Paul Simon - You can call me Al
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4kH15Ny2ho
Paul simon - The obvious child
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJdAAozwq5Y
Paul Simon - Diamonds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNv2MoAghnU&feature=related
A real gem. I love his music.
The Palatine Lion
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
In addition to other interesting diamond cuts, the pendant known as the Palatine Lion (in the Schatzkammer der Residenz, Munich) contains the flattest Pointed Star Cut I have ever encountered. The crown faceting is so low that it is almost impossible to distinguish—it does not even appear in a cast or impression. The flatness of the pavilion is emphasized by the culet, which is the size of a normal table facet. In fact, the diamond could just as well be set upside down and considered a thin Mirror Cut.
In addition to other interesting diamond cuts, the pendant known as the Palatine Lion (in the Schatzkammer der Residenz, Munich) contains the flattest Pointed Star Cut I have ever encountered. The crown faceting is so low that it is almost impossible to distinguish—it does not even appear in a cast or impression. The flatness of the pavilion is emphasized by the culet, which is the size of a normal table facet. In fact, the diamond could just as well be set upside down and considered a thin Mirror Cut.
The Birth Of Modern Painting
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
2
While Giotto was laying the foundations of the art of Florence, another school of painting arose in the quiet hill city of Sienna. Its founder, Duccio di Buoninsegna, is said to have been so much influenced by the Byzantine style that he has been called ‘the last of the great artists of antiquity’, as opposed to Giotto, the ‘father of modern painting’. It is not easy to understand this comment if one looks at Duccio’s pictures, one of the most famous of which—‘The Kiss of Judas’. In spite of their color and their gilding the figures are human and life-like, and the picture reflects human emotion entirely in accord with the spirit of St. Francis. There is so much sweetness and grace in the paintings of Duccio and his fellows that they have been called the first lyric painters of modern art.
Among his younger contemporaries the most gifted was Simone Martini (c.1283-1344), whose work has the pensive devoutness that marks Siennese painting and a gay decorative charm. There is a picture by him at Oxford, and another in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, but perhaps his greatest achievement is the series of frescoes at Avignon. These were once attributed to Giotto, but are now recognized to have been the work of Simone Martini and his school. Among other Siennese artists the brothers Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti are noted for the dramatic vigor in their work.
In the Florentine painting of the fifteenth century, the impulse towards naturalism, first given by Giotto, branched out in two opposite directions. One was psychic, the other physical. The expression of intense and strong emotion, together with action and movement was the aim of one school; another strove after realistic probability and correctness of representation. This second school, pushed on by its love of truth, attacked and vanquished one by one various problems of technique. The approach to a closer representation of the appearance of realities involved three main inquiries: (1) the study of perspective, linear and aerial; (2) the study of anatomy, of nude bodies in repose and action; and (3) the detailed truth of facts in objects animate and inanimate.
The Birth Of Modern Painting (continued)
2
While Giotto was laying the foundations of the art of Florence, another school of painting arose in the quiet hill city of Sienna. Its founder, Duccio di Buoninsegna, is said to have been so much influenced by the Byzantine style that he has been called ‘the last of the great artists of antiquity’, as opposed to Giotto, the ‘father of modern painting’. It is not easy to understand this comment if one looks at Duccio’s pictures, one of the most famous of which—‘The Kiss of Judas’. In spite of their color and their gilding the figures are human and life-like, and the picture reflects human emotion entirely in accord with the spirit of St. Francis. There is so much sweetness and grace in the paintings of Duccio and his fellows that they have been called the first lyric painters of modern art.
Among his younger contemporaries the most gifted was Simone Martini (c.1283-1344), whose work has the pensive devoutness that marks Siennese painting and a gay decorative charm. There is a picture by him at Oxford, and another in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, but perhaps his greatest achievement is the series of frescoes at Avignon. These were once attributed to Giotto, but are now recognized to have been the work of Simone Martini and his school. Among other Siennese artists the brothers Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti are noted for the dramatic vigor in their work.
In the Florentine painting of the fifteenth century, the impulse towards naturalism, first given by Giotto, branched out in two opposite directions. One was psychic, the other physical. The expression of intense and strong emotion, together with action and movement was the aim of one school; another strove after realistic probability and correctness of representation. This second school, pushed on by its love of truth, attacked and vanquished one by one various problems of technique. The approach to a closer representation of the appearance of realities involved three main inquiries: (1) the study of perspective, linear and aerial; (2) the study of anatomy, of nude bodies in repose and action; and (3) the detailed truth of facts in objects animate and inanimate.
The Birth Of Modern Painting (continued)
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier’s Travels In India
A continuation of the Author’s Journeys to the Diamond Mines
(via Jean-Baptiste Tavernier’s Travels In India / V Ball / Edited by William Crooke)
From the fortress of Rohtas to Soumelpour it is 30 coss. Soumelpour is a large town with houses built only of clay, and thatched with the branches of the coconut tree. Throughout this march of thirty coss there are jungles which are dangerous, because the thieves, who know that merchants do not visit the mine without carrying money, attack them and sometimes murder them. The Raja lives half a coss from the town, and in tents placed on an eminence. The Koel passes the fort, and it is in this river that the diamonds are found. It comes from the high mountains to the south and loses its name in the Ganges.
This is the manner in which diamonds are sought for in this river. After the great rains are over, that is to say usually in the month of December, the diamond seekers await the conclusion of the month of January, when the river becomes low, because at that time, in many parts, it is not more than two feet deep, and much of the sand is left uncovered. Towards the end of January or commencement of February, from the town of Soumelpour and also from another town 20 coss higher up the same river, and from some small villages on the plain, about 8000 persons of both sexes and of all ages capable of working assemble.
Those who are expert know that the sand contains diamonds, when they find small stones in it which resemble those we call ‘thunder stones’. They commence to search in the river at the town of Soumelpour and proceed upstream to the mountains where it takes its rise, which are situated about 50 coss from the town. In the places where they believe there are diamonds they excavate the sand in the following manner. They encircle these places with stakes, fascines, and clay, in order to remove the water and dry the spot, as is done when it is intended to build the pier of a bridge. They then take out the sand, but do not excavate below the depth of two feet. All this sand is carried and spread upon a large space prepared on the banks of the river and surrounded by a low wall a foot and half high, or thereabouts. They make holes at the base, and when they have filled the enclosure with as much sand as they think proper, they throw water upon it, wash it and break it, and afterwards follow the same method as is adopted at the mine which I have above described.
It is from this river that all the beautiful points come which are called pointes naives (natural points), but a large stone is rarely found there. It is now many years since these stones have been seen in Europe, in consequence of which many merchants have supposed that the mine has been lost, but it is not so; it is true, however, that a long time has elapsed since anything has been obtained in this river on account of the wars.
I have spoken elsewhere of another mine of diamonds in the Province of Carnatic, which Mir Jumla, General-in-Chief and Prime Minister of State of the King of Golkonda, commanded to be closed, not wishing that it should be worked further, because the stones from it, or rather from these six mines—for there are six of them, close to one another—were all black or yellow, and not one of good water.
There is, finally, in the Island of Borneo, the largest of all islands in the world, a river called Succadan, in the sand of which beautiful stones are found, which have the same hardness as those of the river Koel, or of the other mines of which I have made mention.
General Vandime once sent me at Surat six of them, of 3 to 4 carats each, from Batavia, and he believed that they were not so hard as those from other mines, in which he was mistaken, because there is no difference in that respect; it was in order to ascertain the fact that he sent them to me. When I was at Batavia one of the chief officers of the company showed me a point naive of 25½ carats, a perfect stone, obtained in this river of Succadan. But at the price which he told me it had cost him he had paid more than 50 percent than I should have been willing to give for it. It is true that I have always heard that these stones are very dear. The principal reason which has prevented me from going to this river of Borneo is that the Queen of the Island does not allow foreigners to carry away the stones, and there are great difficulties in conveying them thence—the insignificant number which are carried away secretly are sold at Batavia. I shall be asked, without doubt, why I only mention the Queen of Borneo, and not the King. The reason is that in this Kingdom it is the women who govern and not the men, because the people are so particular about having for their sovereign a legitimate heir to the throne that, the husband not being certain that the children which he believes he has had by his wife are his very own, and wife being, on the contrary, quite certain that the children are hers, they prefer to have a woman for their ruler, to whom they give the title of Queen, her husband being her subject, and not having more power than that which she chooses to confer upon him.
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier’s Travels In India (continued)
(via Jean-Baptiste Tavernier’s Travels In India / V Ball / Edited by William Crooke)
From the fortress of Rohtas to Soumelpour it is 30 coss. Soumelpour is a large town with houses built only of clay, and thatched with the branches of the coconut tree. Throughout this march of thirty coss there are jungles which are dangerous, because the thieves, who know that merchants do not visit the mine without carrying money, attack them and sometimes murder them. The Raja lives half a coss from the town, and in tents placed on an eminence. The Koel passes the fort, and it is in this river that the diamonds are found. It comes from the high mountains to the south and loses its name in the Ganges.
This is the manner in which diamonds are sought for in this river. After the great rains are over, that is to say usually in the month of December, the diamond seekers await the conclusion of the month of January, when the river becomes low, because at that time, in many parts, it is not more than two feet deep, and much of the sand is left uncovered. Towards the end of January or commencement of February, from the town of Soumelpour and also from another town 20 coss higher up the same river, and from some small villages on the plain, about 8000 persons of both sexes and of all ages capable of working assemble.
Those who are expert know that the sand contains diamonds, when they find small stones in it which resemble those we call ‘thunder stones’. They commence to search in the river at the town of Soumelpour and proceed upstream to the mountains where it takes its rise, which are situated about 50 coss from the town. In the places where they believe there are diamonds they excavate the sand in the following manner. They encircle these places with stakes, fascines, and clay, in order to remove the water and dry the spot, as is done when it is intended to build the pier of a bridge. They then take out the sand, but do not excavate below the depth of two feet. All this sand is carried and spread upon a large space prepared on the banks of the river and surrounded by a low wall a foot and half high, or thereabouts. They make holes at the base, and when they have filled the enclosure with as much sand as they think proper, they throw water upon it, wash it and break it, and afterwards follow the same method as is adopted at the mine which I have above described.
It is from this river that all the beautiful points come which are called pointes naives (natural points), but a large stone is rarely found there. It is now many years since these stones have been seen in Europe, in consequence of which many merchants have supposed that the mine has been lost, but it is not so; it is true, however, that a long time has elapsed since anything has been obtained in this river on account of the wars.
I have spoken elsewhere of another mine of diamonds in the Province of Carnatic, which Mir Jumla, General-in-Chief and Prime Minister of State of the King of Golkonda, commanded to be closed, not wishing that it should be worked further, because the stones from it, or rather from these six mines—for there are six of them, close to one another—were all black or yellow, and not one of good water.
There is, finally, in the Island of Borneo, the largest of all islands in the world, a river called Succadan, in the sand of which beautiful stones are found, which have the same hardness as those of the river Koel, or of the other mines of which I have made mention.
General Vandime once sent me at Surat six of them, of 3 to 4 carats each, from Batavia, and he believed that they were not so hard as those from other mines, in which he was mistaken, because there is no difference in that respect; it was in order to ascertain the fact that he sent them to me. When I was at Batavia one of the chief officers of the company showed me a point naive of 25½ carats, a perfect stone, obtained in this river of Succadan. But at the price which he told me it had cost him he had paid more than 50 percent than I should have been willing to give for it. It is true that I have always heard that these stones are very dear. The principal reason which has prevented me from going to this river of Borneo is that the Queen of the Island does not allow foreigners to carry away the stones, and there are great difficulties in conveying them thence—the insignificant number which are carried away secretly are sold at Batavia. I shall be asked, without doubt, why I only mention the Queen of Borneo, and not the King. The reason is that in this Kingdom it is the women who govern and not the men, because the people are so particular about having for their sovereign a legitimate heir to the throne that, the husband not being certain that the children which he believes he has had by his wife are his very own, and wife being, on the contrary, quite certain that the children are hers, they prefer to have a woman for their ruler, to whom they give the title of Queen, her husband being her subject, and not having more power than that which she chooses to confer upon him.
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier’s Travels In India (continued)
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Loving America
Total internal reflections of Jay Dubashi on America @ http://www.valueresearchonline.com/story/storyview.asp?str=10618
I enjoyed it.
I enjoyed it.
Richard Wagner
(via YouTube): Richard Wagner Tannhäuser Karajan Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvieObtpItA
Beautiful music. I enjoyed it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvieObtpItA
Beautiful music. I enjoyed it.
Boris Gelfand
(via Dailyspeculations) Nigel Davies writes:
Very interesting Chessbase interview with Boris Gelfand.
Two of his most instructive comments:
'During the tournament I was concentrated solely on my games and was not thinking at all about my chances. It is a very strong tournament and I had to ensure that I'd have maximum concentration in every game and leave aside all the thoughts which could distract me. But of course, you have to keep on working hard on chess, keep you motivation and health in order to compete with younger players.'
Useful link:
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4216
Brilliant!
Very interesting Chessbase interview with Boris Gelfand.
Two of his most instructive comments:
'During the tournament I was concentrated solely on my games and was not thinking at all about my chances. It is a very strong tournament and I had to ensure that I'd have maximum concentration in every game and leave aside all the thoughts which could distract me. But of course, you have to keep on working hard on chess, keep you motivation and health in order to compete with younger players.'
Useful link:
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4216
Brilliant!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)