“Pointon tells a rich story of diamonds that includes illuminating information on the industry and trade, enhancing her book throughout with wonderful photos, diagrams, and illustrations. The author writes in approachable prose about how diamonds have been conceptualized, cut and polished through the ages, and traded. She details symbolic and artistic designs inspired by the diamonds’ shapes and physical qualities. Pointon considers the contradiction that this hardest of substances can shatter under particular circumstances: the frailty of gemstone manufacture looms as a constant threat to the polishing that diamonds must undergo for trade. Her book chronicles how diamonds have been considered in literature, poetry, fable, and religion; tells tales of the diamond trade in past centuries; documents the rich history of families and firms in the trade; describes the making of the myth of diamond rarity through advertising; and details how they are used for luxury. The last chapter recounts numerous stories of theft through the ages. A scholarly and entertaining read. . . . Highly recommended.”

Choice

“A story of glitter and the dark side of history. Here are diamonds as objects of desire but also as magnets for human cupidity: theft, fraud, and murder. This is a rich and compelling cultural history, cool, precise, and laser-sharp in its analysis. And it sparkles with style.”

Carol Dyhouse, author of Glamour: Women, History, Feminism