EditorsNov 22, 2024
Out & About: Inside the CD Peacock MansionStep inside the nearly 21,000-square-foot suburban Chicago jewelry store with Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff.
OtherAug 05, 2014
Five new, potentially good reads for August
Online book discussion website Goodreads has just come out with its list of new releases for the month of August, and National Jeweler has chosen four from the assortment that could be useful to business owners.
This month’s selection of books from Goodreads.com includes a lesson in unleashing “bad” creativity and the story of a man who used smarts and force to pave the way for modern-day Las Vegas.
New York--Online book discussion website Goodreads has just come out with its list of new releases for the month of August, and National Jeweler has chosen four from the assortment that could be useful to business owners.
This is the fourth installment of National Jeweler’s Goodreads picks, which also ran in April, May, June and July. A staff pick is included as the last read in each.
Among August’s reads are Make it Mighty Ugly, a lesson in harnessing fear of creativity; a historical novel following an innovative man who helped to shape modern-day Las Vegas; and Violins of Hope, which explores the importance of violins during the Holocaust and a man who made hundreds to honor those who perished.
The following list includes a brief summary of each book and links to additional information on Goodreads.
1. Make it Mighty Ugly: Exercises and Advice for Getting Creative Even When it Ain’t Pretty
Kim P. Werker
What better way to tackle a fear of creativity than to create something, well, mighty ugly? Werker encourages her readers to do just that in this book, which encourages its readers to pick up their pen, paintbrush or scissors and make something mighty ugly to get “failure” out of the way. Through essays, interviews, exercises and prompts, Make it Mighty Ugly dares its reader to get crafty to banish their creative fears. This book is 240 pages.
2. Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, the Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas Poker
Doug J. Swanson
Blood Aces tells the story of the crucial role Benny Binion--cowboy, pioneering casino owner, gangster and founder of the World Series of Poker--played in shaping modern Las Vegas, through vision, determination and brutal expediency. His formula? Run a good business, cultivate the big boys, kill your enemies and own the cops. Journalist and author Swanson uses once-secret government documents and reporting to show how Binion outsmarted his adversaries, including J. Edgar Hoover, in this untold piece of American history. This book is 368 pages.
3. Positive: A Memoir
Paige Rawl, Ali Benjamin
In this memoir, Rawl shares her experience of being HIV-positive since birth, a condition that didn’t define her until she disclosed it to a friend in middle school and faced social repercussions that led to an attempt to end her life. The failed attempt, however, proved to be only the beginning for
Rawl, and she shares how choosing compassion over cruelty can change the life of a stigmatized individual. This memoir is 288 pages.
4. Violins of Hope: Violins of the Holocaust--Instruments of Hope and Liberation in Mankind’s Darkest Hour
James A. Grymes
In Violins of Hope, Grymes tells the stories of the violins played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust and of the Israeli violinmaker dedicated to bringing these instruments back to life. It also explores how the violin assumed extraordinary new roles within the Jewish community, from liberator to savior, from comforter to, surprisingly, avenger. Ultimately, this book expresses how these instruments during the Holocaust represented strength and optimism for the future and the man who dedicated 20 years to restoring them as a tribute to those who were lost. This book is 336 pages.
5. Editor’s recommendation: High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed
Michael Kodas
Senior Editor Hannah Connorton just discovered and begun this non-fiction novel, a first-hand account of journalist Michael Kodas’ life on top of the world, and the changes Mount Everest has seen in past years caused by a tremendous boom in traffic. Here, Kodas explores cases of beatings, thugs, drugs, prostitution, coercion, threats and abandonments on the mountain’s highest slopes, and how these actions have become the rule rather than the exception.
More on Other
The Latest
CollectionsNov 22, 2024
Piece of the Week: Xander Jane’s ‘Spiked’ Pearl StudsThese punk-inspired earrings from the new Canadian brand’s debut collection reveal the alter ego of the classic pearl.
SourcingNov 22, 2024
Facets of Fire Expands to Include Pear, Marquise DiamondsThe company brings its nanotechnology to two new fancy cuts for diamonds that feature its signature color and brilliance.
Brought to you by
Navigating Cybersecurity: Essential Guidance for JewelersFrom protecting customer data to safeguarding inventory records, it's crucial to learn how to tackle cybersecurity challenges.
Supplier BulletinNov 21, 2024
Tasha R Releases 2025 Labbelle Lab Diamond Jewelry CatalogSponsored by Tasha R
Weekly QuizNov 21, 2024
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
AuctionsNov 21, 2024
Gold Watch Gifted to Titanic Rescue Ship Captain Sells for $2MThree Titanic survivors presented him with the personalized Tiffany & Co. timepiece about a year after the tragedy.
MajorsNov 21, 2024
Harris Jewelry Ordered to Reopen Claims Portal for Refund RequestsA federal court found that the jewelry store chain violated terms of the settlement reached after it was accused of defrauding customers.
Brought to you by
Enhance Your Expertise with IGI’s In-Person Courses in NYCThis fall, sharpen your skills in jewelry grading, quality control and diamond assessment.
CollectionsNov 21, 2024
Channel Elphaba in Muse’s ‘Have a Heart x Cynthia Erivo’ CollectionCynthia Erivo chose Dreams of Hope, an organization dedicated to empowering LGBTQA+ youth, as the charity for this year’s collection.
MajorsNov 21, 2024
Rocksbox Opens Pop-Up Store in San FranciscoThe new space was designed to evoke a warm, inviting vibe.
IndependentsNov 21, 2024
Mary Moses Kinney Is Now Part of The Edge’s Team Kinney, who spent nearly 30 years at IJO, has been hired to head Abbott Jewelry Systems’ new virtual marketplace.
CrimeNov 20, 2024
Sotheby’s to Pay $6.25M Settlement to NY State for Alleged Tax FraudThe auction house was accused of helping clients avoid paying taxes on millions of dollars’ worth of art purchased from 2010 to 2020.
Events & AwardsNov 20, 2024
Kering Debuts New Jewelry Award With Sustainability FocusThe four finalists will present their pieces at the 2025 JCK Las Vegas show.
CollectionsNov 20, 2024
Pamela Love Channels Surrealist Artists in New CollectionThe “Camera Oscura” collection showcases earring designs celebrating female Surrealist artists Claude Cahun and Leonor Fini.
Policies & IssuesNov 20, 2024
Columbia Gem House Raises $10K for Reforestation EffortsThe money will fund the planting of 10,000 trees in critical areas across Oregon, Arizona, Montana, and other regions.
Events & AwardsNov 20, 2024
The Jewelry Symposium Opens Registration, Scholarship ApplicationsThe event centered on advancing jewelry manufacturing technology will return to Detroit in May 2025.
CrimeNov 19, 2024
Woman Killed in Armed Robbery of Sacramento Jewelry StoreLocal reports identified the woman as the wife of the jewelry store owner.
AuctionsNov 19, 2024
‘A Tsar’s Treasure’ Fetches $2.9M at Sotheby’s Jewelry SaleA collection of pieces owned by Ferdinand I, the first king of modern Bulgaria, and his family, blew away estimates in Geneva last week.
MajorsNov 19, 2024
Trove Opens First US Flagship in NYCThe Australian jewelry box brand’s new West Village store will showcase new jewelers each month through its Designer in Residence program.
CollectionsNov 19, 2024
Snoop Dogg’s New Jewelry Collection Is All About Love“Lovechild” was created in partnership with Carolyn Rafaelian’s Metal Alchemist brand.
EditorsNov 18, 2024
Q&A: Helzberg CEO Brad Hampton on the Jeweler’s RebrandHampton discussed how Helzberg is improving the customer experience and why it was inspired by the company formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts.
Policies & IssuesNov 18, 2024
Reciprocity Jewels Returns to NYC Jewelry WeekThe group will host several curated events and an exhibition of designer jewelry made with Peruvian gold traceable to the miners’ names.
CollectionsNov 18, 2024
Dolly Parton Shines in Collaboration with Kendra ScottThe collection honors the 50th anniversary of Dolly Parton’s “Love is Like a Butterfly” song, which shares a birth year with Kendra Scott.
Events & AwardsNov 18, 2024
IGI Jewelry Design Competition ReturnsThis year’s theme asks designers to take inspiration from classic fairy tales.
EditorsNov 15, 2024
Why Fine Jewelry Belongs at New York Comic ConSenior Editor Lenore Fedow makes the case for why more jewelers should be appealing to nerds at the annual event.
CollectionsNov 15, 2024
Marie Lichtenberg Battles Counterfeits with New ‘Raiz’in Scapular’ DesignsThe latest “Raiz’in” drop showcases a newly designed “Scapular” necklace and donates a portion of the proceeds to Make-A-Wish France.
WatchesNov 15, 2024
Piece of the Week: Citizen’s Commemorative Pocket WatchNo. 1 out of 100, the timepiece was created to mark Citizen’s 100th anniversary and will be auctioned off at Sotheby’s next month.
