The nonprofit Resource Generation offer programs and seminars for wealthy adults to better understand themselves as philanthropists, their place in the socio-economic system, and their capacities to contribute to social change + I liked the concept.
Useful links:
www.resourcegeneration.org
www.ackerman.org
www.criticalresistance.org
www.thresholdfoundation.org
www.fordfound.org
www.philanthropy.iupui.edu
Friday, March 14, 2008
Harding Brothers
The Bristol-based Harding Brothers operates a number of cruise ships whose itineraries take them, literally, all over the world + the jewelry sales have gone up with the introduction of leading brands which I believe is due to a magic combination of offering the right brands, targeting product to the location and employing salespeople who really know the business.
I think it's a brilliant idea.
Useful link:
www.hardingretail.co.uk
I think it's a brilliant idea.
Useful link:
www.hardingretail.co.uk
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Update
The U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued new guidelines for the jewelry industry via http://www.fincen.gov/20080310.html which I think might impact compliance obligations.
Useful links:
www.fincen.gov
www.jvclegal.org
Useful links:
www.fincen.gov
www.jvclegal.org
Marc Prensky
Don't Bother Me Mom--I'm Learning! by Marc Prensky is a fascinating book + the educational value of the games are priceless.
Useful link:
www.marcprensky.com
Useful link:
www.marcprensky.com
Jeffries’ Square Brilliant
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
David Jeffries was the first writer to describe the Square Brilliant Cut. In 1750, when his Treatise on Diamonds first appeared, the Square Cut had been in fashion for about fifty years and was the dominant Brilliant Cut. Round, oval and drop-shaped Brilliants were also fashioned but were considered Fancy Cuts; to these Jeffries only devoted a single page.
Jeffries, a jeweler and a dealer in diamonds, was fortunate enough to live in London at a time when cutters in that city were famous for the quality of their work. He devoted himself to the study of diamond fashioning and discussed his theories in great detail with the master cutters, selecting for analysis only the most perfect Brilliants. The results were theoretical, in that they ignored the fact that cutters were obliged to produce the most profitable gem possible from each crystal or piece of rough. However, Jeffries was a pioneer in that he showed the way for both jewelers and laymen to discover ‘a well or even ill made Brilliant’. His fifty-five diagrams show ideally proportioned Brilliants for weights from 1-100ct. For each diamond he gave the correct depth and the correct culet size. A comparison of any Square Cut Brilliant would show whether it matched the weight indicated for its size or whether it was lumpy or spread.
Unlike that of the ‘Peruzzi’ design and the Round Brilliants, the table facet of Jeffries’ Square Brilliant is not a regular octagon. Instead, it has fourfold symmetry with the facet edges meeting alternately at 150° and 120°, a shape which goes suprisingly well with the outline. The facet edges forming the internal star are not straight, but bent at an angle towards the center of the gem and therefore not parallel to the other facet edges. The main angles of both crown and pavilion are 45°. The height of the crown and depth of the pavilion have a ratio of 1:2, resulting in a table size of about 56 percent. The girdle should be as thin as possible, though not ‘knife-edged’ (to avoid chipping). The size of the culet conforms with the results of the calculations made by Eppler roughly two hundred years later, i.e. 8 to 10 percent.
David Jeffries was the first writer to describe the Square Brilliant Cut. In 1750, when his Treatise on Diamonds first appeared, the Square Cut had been in fashion for about fifty years and was the dominant Brilliant Cut. Round, oval and drop-shaped Brilliants were also fashioned but were considered Fancy Cuts; to these Jeffries only devoted a single page.
Jeffries, a jeweler and a dealer in diamonds, was fortunate enough to live in London at a time when cutters in that city were famous for the quality of their work. He devoted himself to the study of diamond fashioning and discussed his theories in great detail with the master cutters, selecting for analysis only the most perfect Brilliants. The results were theoretical, in that they ignored the fact that cutters were obliged to produce the most profitable gem possible from each crystal or piece of rough. However, Jeffries was a pioneer in that he showed the way for both jewelers and laymen to discover ‘a well or even ill made Brilliant’. His fifty-five diagrams show ideally proportioned Brilliants for weights from 1-100ct. For each diamond he gave the correct depth and the correct culet size. A comparison of any Square Cut Brilliant would show whether it matched the weight indicated for its size or whether it was lumpy or spread.
Unlike that of the ‘Peruzzi’ design and the Round Brilliants, the table facet of Jeffries’ Square Brilliant is not a regular octagon. Instead, it has fourfold symmetry with the facet edges meeting alternately at 150° and 120°, a shape which goes suprisingly well with the outline. The facet edges forming the internal star are not straight, but bent at an angle towards the center of the gem and therefore not parallel to the other facet edges. The main angles of both crown and pavilion are 45°. The height of the crown and depth of the pavilion have a ratio of 1:2, resulting in a table size of about 56 percent. The girdle should be as thin as possible, though not ‘knife-edged’ (to avoid chipping). The size of the culet conforms with the results of the calculations made by Eppler roughly two hundred years later, i.e. 8 to 10 percent.
The Victorian Age
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
5
Watts for nobility of thought and conception and Stevens for grandeur of design and execution will, in all probablity, be considered by posterity to have been the two most eminent artists of the Victorian era, but though it may be less easy to find, among the painters, the outstanding giants who mark the same period in literature, the very number of names as distinguished as they as they are familiar show how active and flourishing the arts were during the Queen’s long reign. Many artists who enjoyed, and still enjoy, a wide popularity must necessarily be omitted from this Outline, but no survey, however hasty, of Victorian painting can ignore the band of Scottish artists who won fame in the south as well as in the north. Among them we may mention the historical and romantic painter John Pettie (1839-93); Peter Graham, the cattle painter; John MacWhirter, the popular painter of the Highlands; William M’Taggart, unrivalled in his delicate yet vigorous renderings of foaming seas and windy shores; and Sir W Q Orchardson, the leader of this band of Scottish students, and one of the most polished, typical, and popular of all Victorian artists. William Quiller Orchardson (1835-1910) was born in Edinburgh and came to London about 1862, and thereafter maintained and held his position as one of the most popular of Academy exhibitors. He excelled in a variety of subjects: his ‘Sir Walter Gilbey’ and ‘Master Baby’—a group of his wife and child—rank among the great portraits of the nineteenth century; ‘Napoleon on Board the Beellerophon is one of the best known and most admired of modern historical paintings; but perhaps the best loved of all his works are those paintings of contemporary life, like ‘The Tender Chord’, which, without being positively ‘anecdotal,’ yet suggest a story and convey a sentiment. It was the distinction of Orchardson that his story-telling was never crude and obvious, his sentiment was always gentle and refined, his execution was suave and accomplished, so that his pictures, often representing moods of wistful reverie, charmed the eye of the beholder and at the same time conjured up a scene which dwelt in the memory and made its own appeal to the imagination.
5
Watts for nobility of thought and conception and Stevens for grandeur of design and execution will, in all probablity, be considered by posterity to have been the two most eminent artists of the Victorian era, but though it may be less easy to find, among the painters, the outstanding giants who mark the same period in literature, the very number of names as distinguished as they as they are familiar show how active and flourishing the arts were during the Queen’s long reign. Many artists who enjoyed, and still enjoy, a wide popularity must necessarily be omitted from this Outline, but no survey, however hasty, of Victorian painting can ignore the band of Scottish artists who won fame in the south as well as in the north. Among them we may mention the historical and romantic painter John Pettie (1839-93); Peter Graham, the cattle painter; John MacWhirter, the popular painter of the Highlands; William M’Taggart, unrivalled in his delicate yet vigorous renderings of foaming seas and windy shores; and Sir W Q Orchardson, the leader of this band of Scottish students, and one of the most polished, typical, and popular of all Victorian artists. William Quiller Orchardson (1835-1910) was born in Edinburgh and came to London about 1862, and thereafter maintained and held his position as one of the most popular of Academy exhibitors. He excelled in a variety of subjects: his ‘Sir Walter Gilbey’ and ‘Master Baby’—a group of his wife and child—rank among the great portraits of the nineteenth century; ‘Napoleon on Board the Beellerophon is one of the best known and most admired of modern historical paintings; but perhaps the best loved of all his works are those paintings of contemporary life, like ‘The Tender Chord’, which, without being positively ‘anecdotal,’ yet suggest a story and convey a sentiment. It was the distinction of Orchardson that his story-telling was never crude and obvious, his sentiment was always gentle and refined, his execution was suave and accomplished, so that his pictures, often representing moods of wistful reverie, charmed the eye of the beholder and at the same time conjured up a scene which dwelt in the memory and made its own appeal to the imagination.
Art: Creative Ways To Manufacture Demand
The article Pump and Dump by Gady A. Epstein via http://www.forbes.com/global/2008/0324/022.html explains the tricks of the art business in China + here is what Liang Changsheng, art director of the Contemporary Artwork Auction firm in Beijing has to say: The trick of creating that next hot artist is an idiot's game. First get critics to write about him (The critics are paid by artists, auction houses and galleries for this service). Then organize exhibitions to introduce his work (That's paid for, too, even at the most prestigious national museums). Then you can put the work in auction with an establishing price and buy it back yourself in order to set an example for the public. Of course, it would be better if some other bidders join in.'
SAD Syndrome
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder + the sufferers experience depressive symptoms in the winter + when the depressive symptoms occur in summer rather than winter, the condition is often referred to as Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder (RSAD) and can include heightened anxiety, fatigue, etc + the seasonal mood variations are believed to be related to light + I have come across many dealers, diamond/colored stone graders and jewelers who are SAD and the best thing to do is not to show stones or jewelry when you recognize the symptoms.
Useful links:
www.sada.org.uk
www.mayoclinic.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder
Useful links:
www.sada.org.uk
www.mayoclinic.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder
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