Your Local Magazine • January 2012
LOCAL INFO | updates
Diss Decorative & Fine Arts Society
Join up January
A Sparkling Presentation
It’s really easy to join Norfolk Libraries and once a member you can discover all that’s on offer. From serious reads and ebooks to children’s events and new release DVDs, there’s something for everyone! Throughout January, Norfolk Library and Information Service is promoting all the benefits of becoming a library member with a monthlong promotion called ‘Join-Up January’. There are county council-run library buildings and mobile libraries across Norfolk, which means there is likely to be one fairly close to where you live, and there’s so much more to them than a place to borrow books. Did you know you can also borrow console games, DVDs and CDs at reasonable rates and return them to any library? An ebooks service allows you to download and borrow ebooks for free from the comfort of your own home. And there are always events, activities and clubs for both children and adults going on in libraries. It’s completely free to join the library and quick and easy. You can do it online at www.norfolk.gov.uk/libraries or drop into your local library and staff will take down your details and get you and up and running in just a couple of minutes. With libraries it’s free to. • borrow books and magazines • use public PCs • borrow ebooks from your own home • attend lots of events including children’s activities and author visits • access information from your local councils and other organisations To find out more about any of our activities and services, look at the website on www.norfolk.gov.uk/libraries or contact your library on 01379 642609.
The reputedly cursed Hope Diamond
The easily recognised jewellery expert and valuer, John Benjamin, a member of the “Antiques Road Show” team, gave the Diss Decorative & Fine Arts Society’s November lecture under the heading of “Romancing the Stone”. A very accomplished speaker – as you might expect – John cleverly combined a technical history of the discovery, mining, trawling and cutting of Diamonds with a lavishly illustrated exhibition of the development of design and desirability over 600 years. The audience was quickly involved as John demonstrated an uncanny knowledge of their diamond heirlooms. A 17th century painting by Jan Brueghel with a domestic jewellery box everyone would recognise today made his point. His lively style and the astounding facts and values of rarer diamonds kept the audience of 100 members enthralled. With the dramatic surge in design and ownership of diamond jewellery from the late 19th century, styles changed rapidly and we recognised many
of the “Cuts” & “Settings” of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. John explained the changes with the extermination of many European jewellery skills in the Holocaust which, combined with the austerity of the 1950’s influenced further design changes and led to the “London Season” jewellery. He also illustrated the influence of a strong Middle East market on subsequent designs and the re-location of the Diamond jewellery centre from London and the Low Countries to Milan. There were many questions for John after his lecture which he dealt with in an open and comprehensive manner. Although very modest about his work on the Television he did relate some stories of discovery and unrecognised values. He even mentioned the sale that was in progress that very afternoon and later we heard that an extremely rare yellow diamond known as the Sun-Drop had sold at auction in Geneva for just over $10.9m (£6.8m). In a change to the published Diss DFAS programme, the January Lecture will deal with Power dressing in the 18th Century. On 17th January 2012 Mary Alexander will speak on Wigs, Waistcoats and Weepers.
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