Entries from Janus Thinking tagged with 'diamonds'
The Crystal Throne
Having recently spotted a diamond-encrusted skull (Damien Hirst's For the Love of God) and a diamond-encrusted Mercedes-Benz (with diamond-encrusted gear shift), this Swarovski crystal-encrusted toilet seems almost common. Almost. With 50,000 hand-set crystals, it's one way to bring a...
Skull Sale
An update to this post--Damien Hirst's For the Love of God, the diamond-encrusted skull that juxtaposes mortality and eternity, recently sold to an unnamed investment group for its asking price of $100 million. Hirst reportedly kept a share of...
Biggest Diamond Ever?
Today the UK's Guardian reported that a new diamond has been found in South Africa that is believed to be twice the size of the Cullinan diamond, the second-largest cut diamond in the world. The Cullinan diamond is 530.2 carats (polished...
"Ice" and Water
Two followups-- One: what goes perfectly with your diamond-encrusted Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster? Why, a diamond-studded gearshift knob of course! I'm not sure where this is from or who the target audience is, though I don't think the producer/seller is trying...
Can commoditisation be good for diamonds prices? Part II: The role of Rappaport
If the volatility of a diamond investment fund is concerning (see my earlier posts), even more concerning for the industry is a diamond futures market based on the price of monthly cash-tenders for brilliant-cut diamonds between 1.01 and 1.19 carats....
Bankers admit diamond lending risks are too high
Antwerp Facets newswire builds on the arguments I have outlined before in their post on on the advent of diamond derivatives. Apparently Bankers are delighted that speculators will bear a stock-financing burden that has become too risky for them. But...
Can commoditisation be good for diamond prices? Part 1.
Two critical diamond industry events have thus far passed under the radar of mainstream media. They deserve an airing here as they signal a shift to open-access, transparent, and globalised diamond trading - a far cry from the industry's...
Blinged Out
Is a diamond-encrusted Mercedes a sign of progress, conspicuous consumption, or extraordinary gaudiness? This Mercedes-Benz SL550 apparently appeared at a Dubai Auto Show recently. It's unclear whether the diamonds are real or fake, but in either case, the effect...
Diamonds Slated
This article over at slate is getting a lot of web pick-up. The story has been blogged by the Captain and Ezra and Constitution Club among many others... Most commentators seem obsessed with De Beers cartel or by the...
Diamond Skull. The Thisness of Diamonds
Damien Hirst's skull, entitled 'For the Love of God' is supposed to evoke a sense of our own mortality - in contrast to the eternity that diamonds endure. Does it do that? Is it beautiful? Is it macabre? Is it...
Designer diamonds
Diamond luminary, Fran Goldstein has just launched a global database of 'special' diamond cuts, with an almost comprehensive listing of what is happening around the world with reference to what she calls 'Designer Diamonds' – differentiated special cuts -...
The best--for what?
I recently came across an article about marketing by Louis Cheskin and L. B. Ward, originally published in the Harvard Business Review in 1948. In discussing the difficulties of marketing nearly 60 years ago, it's interesting to see how there's...
Choosing your diamond part 3
Diamonds are truly priceless It took me many years to understand how diamonds are priced and what a “good price” for luxury goods and diamonds really means. You will not find this information elsewhere as the subject was never researched...
Choosing your diamond. Part 2
Ignore the 4Cs Well perhaps not ignore, but do get them in perspective.... While the infamous 4C’s have known in the industry since its creation, marketing diamonds to the consumer based on these characteristics really started only in the early...
Buying diamonds for oneself
The best book about the diamond industry can now be found online. As it suggests, buying diamonds for oneself has always been seen as unusual, and for some time I have been playing with the following analogy: People spend on...
2,898 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and 5 rubies
Today's State Opening of the UK Parliament was an opportunity to see one of the most spectacular pieces of jewellery in existence — the Imperial State Crown. The crown, with 2,898 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and...
The perfect diamond for a perfect proposal
Pierce Mattie PR post some advice on how to choose the perfect diamond for your proposal. They provide a good guide to the four Cs, too: Color: Angara notes that diamonds are graded not on actual color, but on their...
An exercise in diamond branding
A recent article on Diamond Vues points to the story of Louis Glick, which wanted to revitalise its range of yellow diamonds. Acknowledging that customers have been “brainwashed” about the superiority of white diamonds, JFCD rejected the sentimental stereotypes of...
The diamond bubble: an email conversation (Part 6)
This is the final post in our mini-series documenting an email exchange between Randy Pearson, of Allied Diamonds and Isaac Mostovicz of Janus Thinking. From: Isaac Mostovicz Sent: 09 October 2006 20:39 To: Randy Pearson Dear Randy, Here are my...
The diamond bubble: an email conversation (Part 5)
This is the fifth of six posts documenting an email exchange between Randy Pearson, of Allied Diamonds and Isaac Mostovicz of Janus Thinking. From: Randy Pearson Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 8:55 PM To: Isaac Mostovicz To extend this a...
