| The Heartless Stone: A Journey Throught the World of Diamonds, Deceit And Desire |
Tom Zoellner |
ISBN: 0312339690, Hardcover - $16.47 BUY
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. After his fiancée dumps him and he's left with a diamond ring to unload, Men's Health contributing editor Zoellner crisscrosses the globe unlocking the mystique of this glittering stone "that brings misery to millions of people across the world." Zoellner probes how "blood diamonds" are used to fund vicious civil wars in Africa; how De Beers, seeing new markets to exploit, linked diamonds to the ancient yuino ceremony in Japan and played on caste obsession in India; and how India is pushing Belgium and Israel out of the gem trade. The author is expert with vivid prose: Australia's Argyle deposit is "shaped a little like a human molar"; impoverished urchins in the diamond-smuggling haven of the Central African Republic get high on bread-and-shoe polish sandwiches; and a Brazilian miner finds a rich concentration of river diamonds but fritters away much of the loot on prostitutes and booze, and eventually is ruined by a dishonest money changer. Politically conscious consumers can now avoid African and Brazilian mines teeming with human rights abuses. Canada pulls $1.2 billion worth of rough diamonds out of the tundra every year while enforcing tough environmental laws, and a Florida company uses Siberian high-pressure chambers to create low-cost chemically perfect diamonds. This is a superior piece of reportage.
|
| Diamond: A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession |
Matthew Hart |
ISBN: 0452283701, Paperback - $12.30 BUY
From Publishers Weekly
Any book that details the diamond trade must contend with the brilliance of Stefan Kanfer's 1993 gem, The Last Empire. And Hart's book picks up roughly where Empire left off. When Hart (editor of the New York trade magazine Rapaport Diamond Report) traces the diamond frenzy that struck Canada in the 1990s, his writing is as polished and fiery as when Kanfer re-created the machinations of Cecil Rhodes and Barney Barnato, the Romulus and Remus of the South African diamond cartel. But when the two mine the same territory, Hart's book looks like indicator minerals in comparison: Hart is less successful when he depicts De Beers's origins, the creation of the company's monopoly, and Ernest Oppenheimer, who turned De Beers into a profitable company. Hart, however, has a good eye for intriguing figures in the industry, including a part-wolf sled dog named Thor who was suspected of espionage. In the end, the author expertly takes readers into theft-riven African mines, the back rooms of Brazilian dealers, the polishing rooms in both midtown Manhattan and India's slums, and the sorting rooms in London.
|
| Diamond Ring Buying Guide: How to Evaluate, Identify and Select Diamonds & Diamond Jewelry (6th Edition) |
Renee Newman |
ISBN: 0929975324, Paperback - $12.21 BUY
Library Journal
"Highly recommended! Excellent photographs. Another easily read and understood guide by a respected gemologist"
|
| Successful Diamond & Jewelry Selling |
Doris Schaffer |
ISBN: 0975898302, Ring-bound - $179.00 BUY
This unique jewelry sales training course is for the owners, managers and salespeople in retail jewelry stores and those who want to enter that field. A ten lesson workbook, a ten cassette album and an audio CD demonstrate with dramatic dialogue what to say and how and when to say it. It includes psychological selling techniques and knowledge on the grading and selling of diamonds. It is practical, proven and easy to learn and will increase sales.
|
| The Nature of Diamonds |
George E. Harlow |
ISBN: 0521629357, Paperback - $29.70 BUY
The paragon of physical perfection and a sparkling example of Earth's forces at work, the diamond has fascinated all realms of society, from starlets to scientists. The Nature of Diamonds is a comprehensive look at nature's most coveted gem. A handsome, large-format book, The Nature of Diamonds is an authoritative and richly-illustrated tribute to the diamond. Leading geologists, gemologists, physicists, and cultural observers cover every facet of the stone, from its formation in the depths of the Earth, its ascent to the surface, and its economic, regal, social, and technological roles. Cutting-edge research takes the reader to the frontiers of diamond exploration and exploitation, from the Arctic wastes to the laboratories where diamonds are created for massive road shredders that rip up and then re-create superhighways. Here also is an overview of cutting, from the rough stones in Roman rings to the highly-faceted stones we see today, and a glimpse into the business of diamonds. Finally, The Nature of Diamonds chronicles scientific and cultural history and explores the diamond as both a sacred and a social symbol, including a picture history of betrothal rings. Wide-ranging illustrations explain the geology of diamonds, chart the history of mining from its origins in India and Brazil through the diamond rush in South Africa and today's high-tech enterprises, and capture the brilliance and beauty of this extraordinary gem.
|
| Diamonds--The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide : How to Select, Buy, Care for Diamonds With Confidence and Knowledge |
Antoinette L. Matlins |
ISBN: 0943763320, Paperback - $11.86 BUY
All the Information You Need to Buy, Collect, Sell--or Simply Enjoy--Diamonds with Confidence and Knowledge
Whether you are buying a diamond for an engagement ring, anniversary, to commemorate a special moment, or for personal pleasure, today it is more important than ever to understand what you are buying. There are new shapes and cuts, fancy colors, high-tech treatments, and sophisticated frauds. There are new ways to buy--such as internet auctions and TV shopping. Buyers need a source of expert guidance. Practical, comprehensive, and easy to understand, this book offers in depth all the information you need to buy sparkling diamonds with confidence, including:
* What is a diamond?
* The factors affecting quality differences in diamonds.
* Diamond grading reports and how to interpret them.
* How to compare prices.
* How to spot differences in stones that may appear to be the same quality.
* How to protect yourself from misrepresentation.
* Questions to ask when buying any diamond.
* What to get in writing.
* How to get what you want within your budget.
And much, much more!
Written by an "insider," this easy-to-read guide is the "unofficial diamond bible" for anyone who wants to get the most for their money and enjoy what they have purchased.
|
|
