Diamond

The discovery of a rare pink diamond can make a hard man burst into tears. Diamonds, bought mainly by men for women, symbols of infinity, light, treachery and covetousness, were formed long before the earth and solar system came into being. Diamonds are abundant in the universe - 'If more light were present, one might see the long reaches of space glittering with jewels.' Read this book on their brilliant story and you'll become hooked on the magic of these sparklers - it's like a door opening onto a mysterious, exceedingly glamorous world. There's something about diamonds which makes humans go mad in pursuit of them, from the poor garimpeiros in Brazil, home to alluvial diamonds, to the prospectors in South Africa and NW Canada, where every square foot of land thought to contain them is staked out in a claim. De Beers alone saw #6 million worth found on their farm in 100 years. Diamonds are mainly found in formations in the earth's crust known as 'pipes'. The book tells how diamonds are made, where and how they are found, how they are cut (it can take three years to polish a diamond, to the detriment of family life, so great is the focus of the skilled polisher), and details the manoeuvrings of the entrepreneurs, diamond brokers and cartels. Histories of famous diamonds including the fist-sized Cullinan (it was thrown out of a window in disbelief when it first appeared) the Koh-i-Nor, and the Hope diamond, also feature. Recently a woman discovered in Canada the highest grade cluster of diamond pipes in the world. Everyone tries to smuggle and steal diamonds, from miners to those who work in the diamond capitol, Charterhouse Street, London, where tens of millions of carats a year pour into two ugly, anonymous buildings, and where employees' every move is closely watched. In 1948 a copywriter came up with the slogan 'diamond is forever'. This book quickens the pulse, too, and has a nice lustre all of its own. (Kirkus UK)