The Museum Of Everything

Hats off to James Brett, the brain behind The Museum of Everything. In fact I liked it because it was simply about personal creativity/expression. Period.

Useful link:
www.musevery.com

Benetton Case Study

Peter Gumbel's opinion piece in the Time magazine on Benetton's unique business management was brilliant and insightful.

Generational shifts in family businesses are notoriously tricky. A rule of thumb is that only 1 in 3 family firms survives the transition from the founding generation to the next, and only 1 in 10 makes the jump successfully from the second to the third generation. The more numerous and distant the cousins involved, the harder the task of keeping them all in line — although sometimes the biggest problems come from the closest relatives.
- Peter Gumbel

Useful link:
www.benetton.com

The Art And Design Fair

Souren Melikian's viewpoints on the art and design fair in the New York Times was interesting. The show is a must-attend event for art lovers merely interested in looking + keen collectors looking to buy.

Useful links:
www.hopkins-custot.com
www.yveskleinarchives.org
www.barryfriedmanltd.com

Bill Cunningham Viewpoint

On the Street/Animated. A marvelous surprise, really. Beautifully done. Thanks Bill.

Silvermist Diamonds

Coming soon! Rio Tinto will be introducing Silvermist, its new silvery-gray colored diamonds that can be used to create more affordable diamond jewelry piece. I loved the name. Something really different from colorless diamonds. I hope the price is sweet/consumer-friendly.

Useful links:
www.riotintodiamonds.com
www.argylediamonds.com.au
www.ncdia.com

Random Thoughts

Jewelry is not a fad product. Archeologists have solid proof that it has been around for at least 50 millennia – and some would now argue that jewelry has been around for at least 100,000 years. In its earliest days, people wore jewelry to denote their social and cultural identities: wealth, power and privilege. Early jewelry also provided identification of gender, age and social class. After thousands of years, these same factors continue to drive demand for jewelry. The 2008-09 recession will not derail consumers’ cultural affinity for jewelry.

- Ken Gassman
www.kennethgassman.com

So true!

Pantone Team

Ask the Pantone Color Institute. Its members travel the world to find out what hues will move product.

People are wanting someplace to go, somewhere to retreat to. My challenge is to come up with a color that speaks to how we can create a feeling of escape -- to get away from the problems of the everyday world. Even if it's a fantasy.
- Leatrice Eiseman

Useful links:
www.pantone.com
www.colorexpert.com

Art Market Update

The Economist art review was insightful. The work on display at London's Frieze Art Fair was intellectually intriguing as ever. A great place to connect the dots.

Useful links:
www.friezeartfair.com
www.galleriazero.it
www.gavinbrown.biz/artists/view/rirkrit-tiravanija
www.helgadealvear.com
www.marianneboeskygallery.com/artists/barnaby-furnas
www.michaelwerner.com
www.salon94.com