The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire
by Tom Zoellner
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Book Summary Information
Author: Tom ZoellnerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-06-12
ISBN: 0312339704
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Picador
Book Reviews of The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire
Book Review: Heartbreaking but necessary information about the toll diamonds take
Summary: 5 Stars
So, I liked Tom's brand-new book about uranium so much I decided to go read some things from his backlist, and The Heartless Stone - a book about diamonds and what the diamond trade has done to the world - was the first book I started with. All I can say about this book is that it is amazing. It's not often that a book can completely change the way you view an object you see everyday, like a diamond. I am not a fan of diamonds personally - and after reading this book I can safely say I never will own a diamond. Basically, those big, perfectly clear, perfectly white diamonds everyone loves come from more or less only one place: an impoverished, war-torn country in Africa where diamonds are sold to buy weapons to continue wars against unarmed civilians, or for a pittance of money totally unrelated to the final purchase price you pay in the jewelry store. The most striking moment in the book came, for me, when Tom writes that "the diamond on the finger of a bride dancing in a Minnesota country club might very well have been fished out of the eviscerated bowels of a miner in Angola." Although the diamond industry would like us to believe that the era of "conflict diamonds" is over, Tom explains that it is not, and there is no concrete way to ensure diamonds of a certain type (clear, large, flawless) have NOT come from a war-torn region of the world. There's also the issue of the racist, terroristic and monopolistic policies of the DeBeers corporation, which still controls a huge percentage of the world's supply of diamonds.
If you still want a diamond after you read this book, there are some alternatives to buying a DeBeers-controlled, African-mined diamond, according to Tom:
- Buy a "synthetic" or "lab-created" diamond. These have gotten better and better over the years and despite DeBeers' efforts to suppress the creation and marketing of lab diamonds, they are widely available. If you want an over-one-carat, colorless diamond free of inclusions, a synthetic diamond (Moissanite is one brand name) is your best bet.
- Buy a colored diamond. Colored diamonds are being mined in Australia, Canada and a few other places, and are not the spoils of war or the product of slave labor, in most cases. Smaller yellow diamonds, "champagne" diamonds and "cognac" diamonds are almost certainly from Australia and are conflict free, although environmental damage is being done to mine them.
- Buy from one of the online jewelers that DOES care about the origins of their stones and will certify to you that the diamonds are conflict-free. Brilliantearth.com is one of these jewelers.
However, I say buck the system and don't get a diamond. The diamond doesn't make you engaged, your commitment to your partner makes you engaged. You don't "need" a diamond just because you're getting married. That big beautiful diamond represents love to some; to me, they now represent concentrated human suffering, and the wholesale rape of the environment. It's all in how you look at it.
It would be great if more people read this book and understood the connection between their consumer choices for an object none of us needs, and how the degradation of human life and the environment gets perpetuated.
Summary of The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire
An American Library Association Notable Book
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. An adventure story in the tradition of Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief, The Heartless Stone is a voyage into the cold heart of the world's most unyielding gem.
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