ISBN: 0312339704 9780312339708

Category: Business & Economics / Industries / Manufacturing

Page count: 352

<p><b>An adventure story in the tradition of Susan Orlean's <i>The Orchid Thief,</i> <i>The Heartless Stone</i> is a voyage into the cold heart of the world's most unyielding gem.</b><br><br>When he proposed to his girlfriend, Tom Zoellner gave what is expected of every American man--a diamond engagement ring. But when the relationship broke apart, he was left with a used diamond that began to haunt him. His obsession carried him around the globe, from the "blood diamond" rings of Africa; to the sweltering polishing factories of India; to mines above the Arctic Circle; to illegal diggings in Brazil; to the London headquarters of De Beers, the secretive global colossus that has dominated the industry for more than a century and permanently carved the phrase "A diamond is forever" on the psyche. <br><br><i>The Heartless Stone</i> goes beyond investigative reporting into the regions of the human heart that make the diamond empire possible. It has been called "a dazzling display of intrepid reporting" (<i>Entertainment Weekly</i>) and "an illuminating expose of a mineral and an industry" (<i>The Wall Street Journal</i>).<br><br><b>An American Library Association Notable Book</b></p>