Art Market Update

Souren Melikian report. In the current art drought, rarity is becoming a passport to world record performance. So true. www.christies.com

Gold Report

The Economist report on gold was interesting. As long as the world economy remains uncertain and investors fear inflation and sovereign default, gold will keep its allure. Eventually, however, the price will weaken: it is even possible that the recent slide to below $1,200 marks the turn. And investors may look back on the bull run of 2009-10—or 2009-11—with the sort of wonder that humanity has too often reserved for the yellow metal itself. So true.

Five Myths About Diamonds

Tom Zoellner's opinion piece in the Washington Post about diamonds was interesting. Many thanks. www.tomzoellner.com

Gary Hamel Viewpoint

I thought Vineet Nayer was spot on. Employees First, Customers Second. The world has become too complex for the CEO to connect the dots.

We must destroy the concept of the CEO. The notion of the ‘visionary,’ the ‘captain of the ship’ is bankrupt. We are telling the employee, ‘You are more important than your manager.’ Value gets created between the employee and the customer, and management’s job is to enable innovation at that interface. To do this, we must kill command-and-control.
- Vineet Nayer

Useful links:
www.garyhamel.com
http://blogs.wsj.com/management
www.vineetnayar.com

Konrad Bernheimer

The Economist report on Konrad Bernheimer and the Colnaghi gallery was interesting. Now the owner of London’s venerable Colnaghi gallery, currently celebrating its 250th anniversary, he has long known that client confidentiality and keeping contacts to oneself are cardinal rules of the trade. So true. www.colnaghi.co.uk

Steve McCurry Photography

Truly amazing. I loved it. Many thanks. www.stevemccurry.com

Turner's Modern Rome - Campo Vaccino

An 1839 Turner masterpiece of a view of Rome has sold for £29.7m in London, breaking the artist's auction record. Check it out.

Turner's Modern Rome - Campo Vaccino has achieved a tremendous and much-deserved result this evening. This breathtaking image shows the artist at his absolute best and, for collectors, it ticked all the boxes - quality, superb condition, provenance and freshness-to-the-market. Over the last few months it has been wonderful to observe the response that the painting has received from collectors who come from all over the world.
- David Moore-Gwyn
www.sothebys.com

Diamond Branding Opportunity

Avi Krawitz was spot on. For the average consumer, a diamond is a diamond no matter where it comes from and Zimbabwe represents Africa, despite the positive achievements of its neighbors. So true. The Blood Diamond movie message: “January 2003, 40 nations signed The Kimberley Process — an effort to stem the flow of conflict diamonds. But illegal diamonds are still finding their way to market. It is up to the consumer to insist that a diamond is conflict-free.”

Useful links:
www.diamonds.net
www.forevermark.com
www.riotintodiamonds.com/diamantaire
www.canadamark.com