Vatican Splendors

The Vatican Splendors exhibition will be on display at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul, Minnesota beginning September 27, 2008. To be notified when advance tickets go on sale, go to www.mnhs.org/vatican

Useful links:
http://vaticansplendors.com
www.mnhs.org

A must visit.

Random Thoughts

What we . . . refer to confidently as memory. . . is really a form of storytelling that goes on continually in the mind and often changes with the telling.

- William Maxwell

How true!

Fine Wine Market

I found the article on fine wine market @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7521282.stm intriguing. In fact the fine wine market craze parallels more recent big diamond, rubies and emerald purchases by the rich and famous speculators. Amazingly buying wine through auctions, like gems and jewelry are becoming increasingly popular.

Useful links:
www.zachys.com
www.auctionconsultants.net

Wine is the new must have thing of the ultra-rich. Nothing says 'I'm rich' like pulling a $10,000 (£5,000) cork out of a bottle and in cultures like Asia and Russia that sort of behaviour is really a part of new wealth.
- Scott Zenko

With art you can collect it and enjoy it at the same time. Unless you are into the pleasures of simply looking at bottles the only way to enjoy a wine collection is to open the bottles and consume what' s inside, so you have just destroyed the value, if you will, of that particular piece of your collection.
- Douglas Barzelay

We believe wine is there to be drunk. We will try and make sure that the market is a bit more fair than simply one person having complete control and using it as a commodity really, as opposed to various bottles of slightly intoxicating fermented grape juice, which is really what we are talking about in the end.
- Simon Berry

The Gridlock Economy

The Gridlock Economy: How Too Much Ownership Wrecks Markets, Stops Innovation, and Costs Live by Michael Heller is a brilliant book on the tragedy of the anticommons (a phrase I like) + too many people blocking each other from creating or using a scarce resource. How true!

Useful links:
www.gridlockeconomy.com
www.law.columbia.edu/fac/Michael_Heller

A must read.

James Biber's Idea

I found James Biber's Starbucks proposal + a better experience concept @ http://blog.pentagram.com/2008/07/james-biber-remakes-starbucks.php interesting and insightful. I think it was brilliant.

Useful link:
www.pentagram.com/en/partners/james-biber.php

JVC, One Spin Too Many

Chaim Even Zohar writes about FTC/JVC cultured diamond debate + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp

I fully agree with Chaim. The JVC spin was unnecessary.

Luxury Interest Group

LuxuryLifestyle + Luxury Institute = Business opportunities to serve their clients' needs.

Useful links:
www.luxurylifestyle.com
www.luxuryinstitute.com
www.luxuryboard.com

I wish them good luck.

Hyderabad Jewelry Fair

The Hyderabad Jewellery, Pearl and Gem Fair (HJF) 2008, the largest international jewelry show in South India, commenced on July 24, 2008 at HITEX Exhibition centre, Madhapur. The fair will be on till July 27, 2008.

Useful link:
www.jewelleryfair.in