Aztec Exhibition

The latest Aztec exhibition held at the British Museum was educational and insightful. A must visit.

Useful link:
www.britishmuseum.org

Real Diamond Stories

We relied on diamonds, and they betrayed us.
- Vilas Khoyani

It is possible to pull too many diamonds out of the ground and cut and polish too many of them and try to cram them down the gullets of the American customer. It’s like making foie gras. You wind up with a very unhappy goose.
- Christopher Ellis

This wasn’t just a bubble, this was a balloon, a hot-air- balloon explosion. We were living a fairy tale for the last 10 years or so, and you can’t do that.
- Jon Bridge

We are deeply in this -- in a recession -- and it’s going to take a long time to get out of it.
- Warren Buffett

We took a cash cow and turned it into a credit pig.
- Martin Rapaport

There is a growing realization that the government won’t be able to spend at the levels it has. Everyone knows that diamonds are not forever.
- Razia Khan

People are reluctant to be seen purchasing luxury goods. Previously we relied on the feel-good factor. Now even people with the money have the feel-guilty factor stopping them from buying.
- Johann Rupert

Useful links:
www.diamondwww.com
www.gjepc.org
www.consensusadvisors.com
www.awdc.be
www.igcgroup.com
www.debswana.com
www.debeersgroup.com
www.jewelersboard.com
www.benbridge.com
www.helzberg.com
www.diamonddistrict.org
www.oroalexander.com
www.antwerpen.be
www.diamantkring.org
www.diamonds.net
www.jcklasvegasshow.com
www.vibrantgujarat.com
www.suratmunicipal.org
www.labourandemployment.gov.in
www.kimberleyprocess.com
www.afdb.org

Vo Trong Nghia

Vo Trong Nghia's beautiful/sustainable bamboo designs were brilliant and inspiring. I liked it.

Useful links:
www.votrongnghia.com
www.chi-athenaeum.org/intarch

Bioenergy Projects

The Economist report on ethanol from rubbish, the latest biofuel was interesting. I hope there will be more innovation to fuel efficiency without raising food prices globally.

Useful links:
www.epa.gov/OMS/renewablefuels
www.fulcrum-bioenergy.com
http://greenhouseintl.com
www.microfueler.com

Luxury Market Update

The Economist report on LVMH, the world’s largest luxury-goods group was insightful.

There are four main elements to our business model—product, distribution, communication and price. Our job is to do such a fantastic job on the first three that people forget all about the fourth.
- LVMH
www.lvmh.com

Useful links:
www.bernsteinresearch.com
www.bain.com

Random Thoughts

Many traders feel they need to play the market all the time. Rea­sons vary. Some crave the excitement. Others see it as a crutch to prop up their hopes. If you are out of the market, you cannot look forward to its providing financial gain.. When everything else in your life results in disappointment, the trade or invest­ment serves as something on which you can pin your hopes. In such situations, the trader or investor is using the market to compensate for his frustrations. For others, the motivation of con­stantly being in the market is nothing less than pure greed. In all these cases, the motivations are flawed so it is not surprising that the results are also.

- Martin J. Pring
www.pring.com

So true!

Open House

I thought London's annual Open House weekend where the public get a chance to see inside some of the capital's architectural gems was brilliant.

Useful link:
www.openhouse.org.uk

The Informant

Check out Steven Soderbergh's take on corporate malfeasance in modern-day America via The Informant! http://theinformantmovie.warnerbros.com