(via Forbes): World's Ultimate Jewels
1. Chopard
Blue Diamond Ring
www.chopard.com
2. Garrard
Heart of the Kingdom Ruby
www.garrard.com
3. Neil Lane
Diamond Necklace
www.neillanejewelry.com
4. DeBeers
Marie Antoinette Necklace
www.debeers.com
5. H. Stern
Venus Necklace
www.hstern.net
6. Chopard
Emerald Ring
www.chopard.com
7. Tiffany
Novo Yellow Diamond Ring
www.tiffany.com
8. Van Cleef and Arpels
Zip Necklace
www.vancleef-arpels.com
9. Oscar Heyman
Sapphire Ring
www.oscarheyman.com
10. Bulgari
Elisia Sapphire and Diamond Necklace
www.bulgari.com
Monday, December 24, 2007
Beyond The Clouds
(via The Guardian) Zaha Hadid's magnificent designs + other viewpoints @ http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/architecture/story/0,,2229161,00.html
Useful link:
www.zaha-hadid.com
Useful link:
www.zaha-hadid.com
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
Directed by: Don Siegel Screenplay: Richard Collins (uncredited); Jack Finney (novel); Daniel Mainwaring, Sam Peckinpah (uncredited)
Cast: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter
(via YouTube): Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-jzblCbsuA
A nightmare kiss: "Invasion of the body snatchers" (1956)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPl8G5cvdNw
One of the best science fiction movies + suspenseful. I enjoyed it.
Directed by: Don Siegel Screenplay: Richard Collins (uncredited); Jack Finney (novel); Daniel Mainwaring, Sam Peckinpah (uncredited)
Cast: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter
(via YouTube): Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-jzblCbsuA
A nightmare kiss: "Invasion of the body snatchers" (1956)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPl8G5cvdNw
One of the best science fiction movies + suspenseful. I enjoyed it.
Da Vinci Drawings Affected By Mold
Colleen Barry writes about the state of Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus, the largest collection of drawings and writings by the Renaissance master + other viewpoints @
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071221/ap_en_ot/da_vinci_codex
Useful links:
www.ambrosiana.it
www.opificio.arti.beniculturali.it
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071221/ap_en_ot/da_vinci_codex
Useful links:
www.ambrosiana.it
www.opificio.arti.beniculturali.it
The So-Called Van Goghs
Timothy W. Ryback writes about Vincent van Gogh fakes + provenance issues/endless debates + van Gogh authenticators + other viewpoints @ http://www.artnewsonline.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=751
The Pride Of Flanders
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
A story is told that the Dean of Malines Cathedral was furious when, having ordered a ‘Last Supper’ from Rubens, a young man named Justus van Egmont came down to begin the work. Later on
The great man appeared with his fine calm presence and the urbane manner that was a bulwark against offence or misappreciation. As Rubens corrected the work, enlivened the color or action of the figures, and swept the whole composition with his unerring brushwork towards a beautiful unity of effect, the churchman acknowledged the wisdom of the master, and admitted that the money of the chapter had been safely invested.
Even the beautiful portrait of ‘Susanne Fourment’, known as the ‘Chapeau de Poil,’ a canvas of 1620, which shows Rubens second manner merging into his third—in which the pigment is less solid and fusion of color more subtle—even this work has been thought by some critics to be not altogether the work of Rubens. The late R A M Stevenson considered that ‘the comparatively rude folds of the dress and the trivial details of the feather’ betrayed another hand at work.
The fame of the Flemish master had spread all over Europe, and in January 1622 Rubens was summoned to Paris by the Queen Mother, Marie dé Medici, who wished him to decorate her favorite Luxembourg Palace. ‘The great series of wall paintings, which were the result of this commission, are now one of the glories of the Louvre. These pictures were designed to emphasize the greatness of the Medicis and the splendor resulting from the marriage of Marie dé Medici to King Henri IV of France. How cleverly Rubens fulfilled his double role of courtier and decorator may be seen in ‘Henri IV Receiving the Portrait of Marie dé Medici.’ Here, in a wonderful blending of fable with reality, the artist idealizes the King as monarch and lover, and turns a marriage dictated by reasons of state into a romantic love-match in which Cupid and all the deities of Olympus are deeply concerned.
Endowed by nature with a splendid presence, tactful in disposition and charming in manners, Rubens was a man to win the confidence of any Court. After the death of the Archduke Albert in 1621, his widow the Regent Isabella took Rubens into her inner counsels and employed him in semi-official visits to foreign courts. The great object of the rulers of Flanders was to keep England and Holland friendly with Spain and apart from France. One of the first missions which Rubens received was to secure a renewal of the treaty between Holland and Flanders, a task which took him to The Hague in 1623. It was at this time that he was ennobled by the King of Spain.
When visiting Paris the painter had made the acquaintance of the Duke of Buckingham, the virtual ruler of England under Charles I, and this nobleman had been greatly taken by the talents of the Fleming both as artist and diplomatist. It was Buckingham himself who suggested that Rubens should be sent to Spain in the summer of 1628 to ascertain the real feelings of Philip IV in the war which Buckingham planned against France through hatred of Richelieu, who had separated him from Anne of Austria.
Rubens arrived at Madrid in the course of the summer, bringing with him eight pictures as a present to Philip; but the assassination of Buckingham on September 2nd, 1628, changed the political aspect of affairs and enabled Rubens to give his whole attention to art. An important event in the history of painting was the meeting in Spain of Rubens, now fifty two, with Velazquez, then a man of thirty; the two became great friends, that the younger man was considerably influenced by his elder.
Politically the great result of the Fleming’s stay in Spain was that Philip IV consented to Rubens going as his official representative to King Charles I of England. The artist-diplomat arrived in London on May 25, 1629, and not only arranged the terms of peace between England and Spain but gave a new direction to English painting. Charles commissioned him to paint the ceiling which may still be seen in the Banqueting Saloon in Whitehall, now the United Services Museum, and many of his pictures were bought by the Royal Family and nobility of England.
The Pride Of Flanders (continued)
A story is told that the Dean of Malines Cathedral was furious when, having ordered a ‘Last Supper’ from Rubens, a young man named Justus van Egmont came down to begin the work. Later on
The great man appeared with his fine calm presence and the urbane manner that was a bulwark against offence or misappreciation. As Rubens corrected the work, enlivened the color or action of the figures, and swept the whole composition with his unerring brushwork towards a beautiful unity of effect, the churchman acknowledged the wisdom of the master, and admitted that the money of the chapter had been safely invested.
Even the beautiful portrait of ‘Susanne Fourment’, known as the ‘Chapeau de Poil,’ a canvas of 1620, which shows Rubens second manner merging into his third—in which the pigment is less solid and fusion of color more subtle—even this work has been thought by some critics to be not altogether the work of Rubens. The late R A M Stevenson considered that ‘the comparatively rude folds of the dress and the trivial details of the feather’ betrayed another hand at work.
The fame of the Flemish master had spread all over Europe, and in January 1622 Rubens was summoned to Paris by the Queen Mother, Marie dé Medici, who wished him to decorate her favorite Luxembourg Palace. ‘The great series of wall paintings, which were the result of this commission, are now one of the glories of the Louvre. These pictures were designed to emphasize the greatness of the Medicis and the splendor resulting from the marriage of Marie dé Medici to King Henri IV of France. How cleverly Rubens fulfilled his double role of courtier and decorator may be seen in ‘Henri IV Receiving the Portrait of Marie dé Medici.’ Here, in a wonderful blending of fable with reality, the artist idealizes the King as monarch and lover, and turns a marriage dictated by reasons of state into a romantic love-match in which Cupid and all the deities of Olympus are deeply concerned.
Endowed by nature with a splendid presence, tactful in disposition and charming in manners, Rubens was a man to win the confidence of any Court. After the death of the Archduke Albert in 1621, his widow the Regent Isabella took Rubens into her inner counsels and employed him in semi-official visits to foreign courts. The great object of the rulers of Flanders was to keep England and Holland friendly with Spain and apart from France. One of the first missions which Rubens received was to secure a renewal of the treaty between Holland and Flanders, a task which took him to The Hague in 1623. It was at this time that he was ennobled by the King of Spain.
When visiting Paris the painter had made the acquaintance of the Duke of Buckingham, the virtual ruler of England under Charles I, and this nobleman had been greatly taken by the talents of the Fleming both as artist and diplomatist. It was Buckingham himself who suggested that Rubens should be sent to Spain in the summer of 1628 to ascertain the real feelings of Philip IV in the war which Buckingham planned against France through hatred of Richelieu, who had separated him from Anne of Austria.
Rubens arrived at Madrid in the course of the summer, bringing with him eight pictures as a present to Philip; but the assassination of Buckingham on September 2nd, 1628, changed the political aspect of affairs and enabled Rubens to give his whole attention to art. An important event in the history of painting was the meeting in Spain of Rubens, now fifty two, with Velazquez, then a man of thirty; the two became great friends, that the younger man was considerably influenced by his elder.
Politically the great result of the Fleming’s stay in Spain was that Philip IV consented to Rubens going as his official representative to King Charles I of England. The artist-diplomat arrived in London on May 25, 1629, and not only arranged the terms of peace between England and Spain but gave a new direction to English painting. Charles commissioned him to paint the ceiling which may still be seen in the Banqueting Saloon in Whitehall, now the United Services Museum, and many of his pictures were bought by the Royal Family and nobility of England.
The Pride Of Flanders (continued)
I Pass From Paris To London: ‘Malacoot’
Louis Kornitzer's book, Gem Trader, is partly autobiographical and partly woven round the lore of pearls. It's educational + explains the distribution chain of gems, as they pass from hand to hand, from miner to cutter, from merchant to millionaire, from courtesan to receiver of stolen goods, shaping human lives as they go + the unique characters in the gem industry.
(via Gem Trader) Louis Kornitzer writes:
One of my experiences at that time of my apprenticeship I mention, because it shows something of the way in which the trade regulates its business morals from within. A firm had given me a parcel of gems with instructions to sell in the open market at a price they had fixed as their lowest. Speed was the essence of the transaction, and they wanted results, and cash, the same day.
The instructions were verbal and unfortunately I had misheard the price; and being a novice, I did not realize that I was going to quote an exceptionally low figure, several hundred francs per carat below normal. I took the parcel to a certain M Behrens, to whom my people had been very kind when he was in Vienna. He was a sort of family friend, and when he had seen my goods he at once bought them with great goodwill and paid in cash, asking no questions. Back I went to hand over the money to my principals, who forcefully pointed out my mistake. I returned to M. Behrens, whose bonhomie had now somewhat abated, and who flatly refused to rectify the trouble, although he knew perfectly well what he was taking advantage of my inexperience, and that I was losing more than I could hope to make in a year.
At this point I thought to appeal to the good offices of the chairman of the Diamond Club, which is to the trade what the Jockey Club is to racing. Monsieur Behrens was cited before the committee, and it was pointed out to him in no equivocal terms that in the ordinary way he could not have hoped for such a bargain except with stolen goods. He was unusually tenacious. The opinion of his fellows appeared to leave him unmoved and he refused to obey the Club’s ruling. I only got out of my stupid mess by consenting to be mulcted of a penalty sum heavy enough to cripple a beginner.
A second early adventure is pleasing at this distance of time, because it displays one of those curiosities of human nature which constantly astound the most experienced students of that strange phenomenon.
A certain man in Paris was a personage of considerable means, a gem expert, and so big a buyer that his business connections in several continental centres made him a power to be reckoned with. He was also a notorious liar and thief, and everyone knew his reputation. I had been warned against him, but as he went out of his way to be friendly to me, I thought I knew better, particularly as he himself took pains to warn me against the very people who had impeached his character. Unfortunately I had been warned in vague terms and had not been told that he was no better than a common thief and that no broker or dealer would go near him without first counting the stones in each parcel and the number of parcels in his wallet. They would even watch his hands while he was examining the goods and count the stones before leaving.
He began by letting me make a safe profit in several small transactions. Then one day he asked to see a large parcel of jagers (Jagersfontein brilliants). I obtained the goods from a client, he looked them over, found fault with the price, and finally refused to make an offer. I came away disappointed and was presently thrown into great perturbation by the discovery that the largest and best stone in the parcel was missing. Its value was not less than £250 (today such a stone would easily fetch £900 in the open market). I was near collapse. My clients demanded to know the name of the potential customer. I mentioned it. Without a word the principal took his hat from the peg and motioned to me to follow him. We returned to the office whence I had come, and were received immediately.
At once my client stated in a menacing tone that the stone was missing. The suspect, not pretending to misunderstand the veiled accusation, became at once abusive and threatened to have us thrown out.
‘Sit down!’ thundered my client. ‘You are accusing yourself of I don’t know what. It is, after all, not uncommon when a man shows goods that he leaves a stone behind by mistake. But your attitude forces me to remind you, monsieur, that I know your reputation as well you know mine. If you do not produce the stone at once I shall knock you down and turn the place upside down until I find my property. And you know that I am a man of my word.’
I Pass From Paris To London: ‘Malacoot’ (continued)
(via Gem Trader) Louis Kornitzer writes:
One of my experiences at that time of my apprenticeship I mention, because it shows something of the way in which the trade regulates its business morals from within. A firm had given me a parcel of gems with instructions to sell in the open market at a price they had fixed as their lowest. Speed was the essence of the transaction, and they wanted results, and cash, the same day.
The instructions were verbal and unfortunately I had misheard the price; and being a novice, I did not realize that I was going to quote an exceptionally low figure, several hundred francs per carat below normal. I took the parcel to a certain M Behrens, to whom my people had been very kind when he was in Vienna. He was a sort of family friend, and when he had seen my goods he at once bought them with great goodwill and paid in cash, asking no questions. Back I went to hand over the money to my principals, who forcefully pointed out my mistake. I returned to M. Behrens, whose bonhomie had now somewhat abated, and who flatly refused to rectify the trouble, although he knew perfectly well what he was taking advantage of my inexperience, and that I was losing more than I could hope to make in a year.
At this point I thought to appeal to the good offices of the chairman of the Diamond Club, which is to the trade what the Jockey Club is to racing. Monsieur Behrens was cited before the committee, and it was pointed out to him in no equivocal terms that in the ordinary way he could not have hoped for such a bargain except with stolen goods. He was unusually tenacious. The opinion of his fellows appeared to leave him unmoved and he refused to obey the Club’s ruling. I only got out of my stupid mess by consenting to be mulcted of a penalty sum heavy enough to cripple a beginner.
A second early adventure is pleasing at this distance of time, because it displays one of those curiosities of human nature which constantly astound the most experienced students of that strange phenomenon.
A certain man in Paris was a personage of considerable means, a gem expert, and so big a buyer that his business connections in several continental centres made him a power to be reckoned with. He was also a notorious liar and thief, and everyone knew his reputation. I had been warned against him, but as he went out of his way to be friendly to me, I thought I knew better, particularly as he himself took pains to warn me against the very people who had impeached his character. Unfortunately I had been warned in vague terms and had not been told that he was no better than a common thief and that no broker or dealer would go near him without first counting the stones in each parcel and the number of parcels in his wallet. They would even watch his hands while he was examining the goods and count the stones before leaving.
He began by letting me make a safe profit in several small transactions. Then one day he asked to see a large parcel of jagers (Jagersfontein brilliants). I obtained the goods from a client, he looked them over, found fault with the price, and finally refused to make an offer. I came away disappointed and was presently thrown into great perturbation by the discovery that the largest and best stone in the parcel was missing. Its value was not less than £250 (today such a stone would easily fetch £900 in the open market). I was near collapse. My clients demanded to know the name of the potential customer. I mentioned it. Without a word the principal took his hat from the peg and motioned to me to follow him. We returned to the office whence I had come, and were received immediately.
At once my client stated in a menacing tone that the stone was missing. The suspect, not pretending to misunderstand the veiled accusation, became at once abusive and threatened to have us thrown out.
‘Sit down!’ thundered my client. ‘You are accusing yourself of I don’t know what. It is, after all, not uncommon when a man shows goods that he leaves a stone behind by mistake. But your attitude forces me to remind you, monsieur, that I know your reputation as well you know mine. If you do not produce the stone at once I shall knock you down and turn the place upside down until I find my property. And you know that I am a man of my word.’
I Pass From Paris To London: ‘Malacoot’ (continued)
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Heard On The Street
Most people are not innately positive or optimistic + they are surrounded by people + their negative destructive attitudes + the markets are cyclical + the markets we have today is because of the skills and mind set of very few men/women + they actually create something of value in this world.
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