Coral Update

Tiffany & Co today unveiled store windows worldwide with an 'Under the Sea' theme to raise awareness about the damage coral harvesting inflicts on critically important marine ecosystems. Check out the link www.tiffany.com

In 2002 we discontinued selling coral jewelry, concluding that in a world where corals and reef communities are under siege, we could not be complicit in their destruction. It is our hope to raise consumer awareness of this important issue and to urge fellow jewelers to join us in refusing to sell coral jewelry.
- Michael J. Kowalski, Chairman/CEO, Tiffany & Co.

Useful links:
www.tiffanyandcofoundation.org
www.tooprecioustowear.org
www.seaweb.org
www.cites.org
http://coralreef.noaa.gov/crca.html

That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.
- Neil Armstrong

Just do it.

Chaim Even Zohar Viewpoint

Russians to Resolve Overhang with Upcoming Sales
http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp

Useful links:
www.diamondintelligence.com
http://eng.alrosa.ru

It was interesting to learn that by volume, Russia’s production has surpassed Botswana and is now the world’s largest producer. Thanks Chaim.

Time Jumper

Stan Lee will be releasing 'Time Jumper', an animated comic about a boy who can travel in time using his mobile phone, in stages on the internet and mobile phones, free of charge. I hope the experiment succeeds.

Useful links:
www.comic-con.org/cci
www.powentertainment.com

New Art + New Ideas

The Generational: Younger than Jesus, via New Museum in New York, includes work by 50 artists from 25 countries – all younger than 33. New generation = New people. Don't miss!

Useful link:
www.newmuseum.org

François Pinault's Contemporary Art Collection

How the French Charles Saatchi became the merchant of Venice
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/jun/03/francois-pinault-venice-art

Useful link:
www.palazzograssi.it

As a true patron of art, Pinault's art collection = Who’s Who of global art today.

Jim Fiebig

Jim Fiebig is a retailer turned color gemstone consultant. According to Jim, of the $68 billion global gemstone and jewelry industry, colored stones account for only 10 percent of sales. That means 90 percent of those billions are spent on diamonds, gold, and silver. He believes jewelers aren't promoting colored stones with passion. Check out the link www.sellmorecolor.com

Video Game Update

The behavioural effects of video games
http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13726738&source=hptextfeature

The upshot of both studies is that video games are like any other medium. Feed the user with aggressive thoughts and you risk making him aggressive. Feed him with the milk of human kindness and the opposite will probably happen. No great surprise, perhaps. But a salutary reminder both that the older generation should not rush to judgment on youthful habits it does not understand, and that the medium is not always the message.
- Economist

Useful links:
www.psychology.iastate.edu/~dgentile
www.sussex.ac.uk/psychology/profile208149.html
www.psy.lmu.de/soz/personen/mitarbeiter/osswald/index.html

Interesting article. From my point of view, the twig is bent so shall the tree grow. I would like to see a research done on what effect more complex games have on people.

Forms Bank

Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) has launched Forms Bank to help jewelry retailers. These forms include store receipts, take in forms, credit applications, cash transaction reports and more. Check out the link www.jvclegal.org