The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire

Tom Zoellner

Picador, Jun 12, 2007 - Business & Economics - 340 pages

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.

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.

The Heartless Stone goes beyond investigative reporting into the regions of the human heart that make the diamond empire possible. It has been called "a dazzling display of intrepid reporting" (Entertainment Weekly) and "an illuminating expose of a mineral and an industry" (The Wall Street Journal).

An American Library Association Notable Book

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - reenum - LibraryThing

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 ...

THE HEARTLESS STONE: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire

User Review  - Kirkus

Sparkling debut from adventuresome journalist Zoellner, who traveled the world to tell the dirty, glorious and sometime bloody story of diamonds.When his fiancée returned her engagement ring, the ...

About the author

Tom Zoellner is a contributing editor for Men's Health magazine and has worked as a reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle, The Salt Lake Tribune, and The Arizona Republic. The 2002 recipient of the Knight Fellowship in Specialized Reporting, he lives in New York City.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire
• Author: Tom Zoellner
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Picador, 2007
• ISBN: 0312339704, 9780312339708
• Length: 340 pages
• Subjects: Business & Economics / Industries / Manufacturing; Travel / Africa / General; Travel / Essays & Travelogues