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by Matthew Hart

Earth Sciences

Author:

Matthew Hart
ISBN:

1841152803
ISBN13:

978-1841152806
Genre:

Science / Math
Publisher:

Harpercollins Pub Ltd (January 31, 2003)
Pages:

304 pages
Subcategory:

Earth Sciences
Language:

English
FB2 format

1972 kb
ePUB format

1352 kb
DJVU format

1161 kb
Rating:

4.4
Votes:

864
Formats:

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Ships from and sold by thelonewriter. Ships from and sold by LKF Booksellers. His articles on diamonds have been published in The Atlantic Monthly, W, and The Financial Post.

Diamond: The History of a Cold-Blooded Love Affair

Diamond: The History of a Cold-Blooded Love Affair. 0452283701 (ISBN13: 9780452283701).

He knows how to tell a good yarn, in a brisk, gripping style; but he can also write confidently enough about carats, cutters and cleaving to give his book more authority than most previous histories.

The history of man's love affair with a completely useless ge. Matthew Hart's Diamond is an appealing title on many levels, blending geology with a survey of the science and history of the diamond.

The history of man's love affair with a completely useless gem. Diamonds are almost completely useless but prized above all other gems. Hart follows the 'diamond trail' around the world, from a great diamond cutter's works to smugglers and businesspeople. An unusual guide to the heart of an obsession. A truly excellent read. com User, January 9, 2002.

276 pages : 22 cm. An examination of the diamond trade, telling the stories of some of the more colorful characters who mine and market the valuable gems, and discussing the dark side of dealing in diamonds. Includes bibliographical references (pages 255-258) and index.

This item:Diamond: The History of a Cold-Blooded Love Affair by Matthew Hart Paperback £. 9. Matthew Hart conveys the glamour, adventure, ruthlessness and even murderous nature of the trade with a novelist’s grasp of narrativ. xcellent. Wonderfully absorbing. Only 4 left in stock. Hart writes, as it were, from the hear. e cares so intimately, knows so much and selects so impeccabl. e has sketched a vignette of 20th-century social and economic change from the point of view of a most atypical industry.

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Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Diamond: The History of a Cold-Blooded Love Affair . item 1 Diamond by Matthew Hart New Paperback Book -Diamond by Matthew Hart New Paperback Book.

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Diamonds also have their dark side.

Listen to unlimited audiobooks on the web, iPad, iPhone and Android. Diamonds also have their dark side. Malfeasance rustles in the background of the diamond world like a snake in dry grass," writes Hart as he documents the relentless and ingenious thievery that pervades the business and the even more damaging revelations of "war diamonds" financing brutal conflicts in Africa. The diamond world is at a crossroads, he notes, and "who will rule diamonds now and what form the once-secretive business will take are the issues of the da.

Paperback. Pub Date :2003-02-03 Pages: 304 Language: English Publisher:. HarperCollins UK Diamonds are almost completely useless but prized above all other gems Historically they have attracted crimes of passion and awful cold-blooded efficiency. have bedazzled the greatest filmstars and the most opulent courts. and provided the incentive for adventure. destruction and greed on a monumental scale. No one company is more identified with diamonds than the South African-based De Beers.Until the collapse of the Iron Curtain they controlled the diamond . market After the collapse. they still controlled it - once they had bought up most of the diamonds emerging from the former Soviet Union They are secretive. discreet and very. very powerful A strike in Northern Canada could hardly seem to trouble them... Except that it prefigured a diamond rush in a territory over which they had ...

roternow

Although the title of the book does little to convey the true allure of the book, I found it to be an excellent piece of engaging research. Mr. Hart demonstrates not just "knowledge" about diamonds but a complete mastery in the field. He grabs reader attention through very interesting stories about major finds, tracing the provenance of several well known gems, highlighting the history behind the treasure and managing to pack in a good dose of easily understandable geology as well. All this makes for a very interesting book. As one interested in economics and business, I found the Mr. Hart's treatment of the business dimensions to be very insightful.
Diamond mining is apparently a very risky business that comes complete with its own cast of colorful characters, schemers, backstabbers, awfully unethical companies, very talented artisans. Mr. Hart captures the nuances of the careers of this varied cast and does so with a thoroughness that is seldom seen. For example he discusses the intricacies of polishing and cleaving diamonds and brings the entire process to life through his vivid descriptions of the skilled people in New York, and Antwerp who make it happen. The way in which an expert labors, actually obsesses, about the potential cut and the number of facets that he'd like to use on a piece of diamond rough, the mathematical precision with which he brings his vision to life and the single minded attention to detail in an enterprise that could make or break fortunes with the tiny slip of a cutters wheel.....remarkable prose. His discussion of the evolution of the Centenary diamond owned by De Beers is scintillating in that it illustrates the dilemmas that the artisans face when they have to turn a rough diamond into an object of desire.
In equal measure he discusses the developments in Brazil, India and South Africa showing how industry performance drivers are changing and how these factors make or break the viability of new finds. His elucidation of the latest developments in geology and prospecting are equally interesting even to those with a passing interest.
I know I am waxing poetic about this book. I really feel very strongly positive about the contents that Mr. Hart has placed in his reader's hands. Thank you for a wonderful read Mr. Hart.

Vozilkree

This is a terrific book, very well researched and a fascinating journey through the industry; from the mining and manufacturing of rough goods, to the final sale of the beautiful finished product. I bought this book because I was an apprentice diamond sawyer (not the same as a diamond "cutter") from 1978-1982 and it was fun to read about so many familiar people in the industry, including my father Ned Salzman who was a master diamond sawyer for over 50 years. For those readers not familiar with Manhattan's Diamond District on W. 47th Street off Fifth Avenue in the heart of NYC, this book will read like an exciting novel. For those of us associated with the business, especially those who worked on "the block," it reads like a nostalgiac novel about our friends and family. I would have liked it if this book had more pictures (of my dad marking stones with Herbie Lieberman, of Billy Goldberg in his office, of my uncle George Saltzman, of some of the smaller manufacturers on the block)... all in all I highly recommend this book to all readers.

Survivors

Learn the history of the diamond industry, namely DeBeers, including the market manipulation and cutthroat business practices. An expose as brilliant as its subject matter.

Bluecliff

Interesting reading giving insight into an unknown world

Jieylau

A must read.

JoJoshura

If you want to understand the history and social context of diamonds this is a great educational read. Told through wonderful little vignettes.

ACOS

At one point in the book there is a brief description of the opening remarks at an international gathering of diamond merchants. The featured speaker was explaining the two reasons diamonds have value, "vanity and greed". For those unfamiliar with the diamond industry and the control that DeBeer's has held over the prices of diamonds, the book's contents may be somewhat of a shock. The monopoly this company holds is so complete, the executives of the company cannot come to The United States for they are likely to be subpoenaed if they did. Events described in the book of major new diamond finds together with owners may greatly diminish DeBeer's hold on their monopoly, but they would likely still control 50% of the world's market.
Massive diamonds and a variety of stones that are rare due to their color understandably command whatever price a person is willing to pay. The diamonds that are on the hands of women throughout the world are extremely common, unless they are wearing a golf ball size rock like Elizabeth Taylor. One example the author shares of market manipulation is with a relatively small but perfect stone. When graded d-flawless a diamond is just as the description describes, the price is an entirely different matter. DeBeer's has manipulated the market so that at times such a stone would cost a person $10,000 and when they get greedy or angry, the price becomes $70,000. The price of this grade and size of stone will also change dramatically based on where you make a purchase, head to Tiffany's and you pay for their 5th Avenue location and their name. Head to a less flashy address in the same city, and you will save many thousands of dollars.
Matthew Park also covers a wide variety of topics related to these stones, the history of some of the most famous gems, the efforts to control the sale of stones that finance wars, and the people that are out searching and finding massive fortunes of their own. One particularly fascinating tale is of a young woman who finds an area that will yield billions of dollars of value in Canada. At 24 years of age it was her persistence to keep her father interested, and not walking from a site that brought the find to fruition. The other aspect that is covered is the art of taking a rough stone, and then cleaving and polishing it to a gem. One interesting example was the creation of, "The Centenary Stone". The man who cut and polished the stone took 3 years to create the masterpiece. He spent an entire year studying the rough before making a single move to change it.
This book will whet your appetite for reading more about this phenomenon, for the book covers many areas but does not have the length to cover them in depth. It was also unfortunate that all of the pictures of these remarkable jewels were in black and white, which did little to visually communicate how stunning they are.

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