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The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire by Tom Zoellner
knitwgrace's review
I'm going to be fair to the author and not rate this book so as not to bring his rating up or down. I picked up this book in my quest to read as much as my library has about the Congo. Therefore I really only read the chapter that related directly to the DRC. Interesting to read as much as I did on how diamonds are produced, exported, and sold, though not a book I would ever pick up and read typically.
pottsmonica's review against another edition
3.0
It would have been a lot better without his personal sob story.
bmwpalmer's review
4.0
http://myadventuresintucson.blogspot.com/2008/09/book-review-heartless-stone.html
reenum's review
4.75
Diamonds are an illusion. Tom Zoellner proves this in his engaging account about the diamond trade. The book’s chapters are divided by geographical location. This format helps make each chapter stand on its own, like a series of essays. But, Zoellner ties the narrative together by talking about his engagement and break up with Anne, his former fiancee. It is through describing the joy that Zoellner and his erstwhile fiancee experienced when the diamond was first given that he frames the insanity and obsession that diamonds can elicit. In the chapters exploring the seedier side of the business, the stories shift to the when relationship begins experiencing turbulence and its ultimate breakup. Zoellner finally conducts his own post mortem on it in the chapters talking about the rise of synthetic diamonds, a perceived challenger to the DeBeers hegemony. These personal anecdotes give the already interesting narrative a glue that really ties everything together.
The main character of this book is the DeBeers cartel. Like the Smoke Monster in Lost, DeBeers permeates every facet of the business, exerting a grip that is total and astonishing in its casual brutality. DeBeers dispatches agents wherever diamonds are found. The beginning of the book shows how certain countries have buckled, the middle shows how other countries are cautiously trying to branch out from DeBeers’ control, and the last few chapters profile the mavericks who are attempting to spectacularly break free and bring some transparency to the industry. That DeBeers has been able to operate a worldwide monopoly and pumped up the value of a gem that is not all that rare through the creation of artificial scarcity and bully tactics is breathtaking to behold. I don’t think we’ll see another company ever control an industry like DeBeers, and that is a good thing.
I highly recommend the book. It is eminently readable and moves along at a fast clip. There are no dead spots within. If you’re looking to buy a diamond ring, read this book before wasting your money on a diamond. If you’ve already made that mistake, then pick this book up to read about the insidious effect that marketing and advertising has had in creating the cultural need to express love with diamonds and diamonds alone. Hell, if you have any interest at all in world affairs, read this book.
The main character of this book is the DeBeers cartel. Like the Smoke Monster in Lost, DeBeers permeates every facet of the business, exerting a grip that is total and astonishing in its casual brutality. DeBeers dispatches agents wherever diamonds are found. The beginning of the book shows how certain countries have buckled, the middle shows how other countries are cautiously trying to branch out from DeBeers’ control, and the last few chapters profile the mavericks who are attempting to spectacularly break free and bring some transparency to the industry. That DeBeers has been able to operate a worldwide monopoly and pumped up the value of a gem that is not all that rare through the creation of artificial scarcity and bully tactics is breathtaking to behold. I don’t think we’ll see another company ever control an industry like DeBeers, and that is a good thing.
I highly recommend the book. It is eminently readable and moves along at a fast clip. There are no dead spots within. If you’re looking to buy a diamond ring, read this book before wasting your money on a diamond. If you’ve already made that mistake, then pick this book up to read about the insidious effect that marketing and advertising has had in creating the cultural need to express love with diamonds and diamonds alone. Hell, if you have any interest at all in world affairs, read this book.
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