| Edition |
First edition. |
| Description |
xvii, 375 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [323]-352) and index. |
| Contents |
The buyers: how the American rich came to love diamonds -- The seekers: how one sickly Englishman took over the diamond industry -- The lovers: how young women came to expect diamond rings, part I -- The show-offs: how a single stone bewitched its owners, and captivated America -- The optimists: how the industry survived two World Wars and the Great Depression -- The sellers: how young women came to expect diamond rings, part II -- The queens: how Wallis Simpson earned her diamonds -- The stars: how an advertising agency got diamonds ready for their close-up -- The winners: how Elizabeth Taylor learned to speak Italian -- The meddlers: how little stones got big -- The inventors: how to make a diamond (and provoke De Beers) -- The illusionists: how the magicians protected their tricks -- The masters: how the Australians democratized diamonds -- The stunners: how tough guys started wearing diamonds -- The critics: how a global crisis changed the meaning of 'forever' -- The innovators: how to sell diamonds in a (more) enlightened world. |
| Summary |
"Sheds new light on the enticing, often surprising, story of our society's enduring obsession with the hardest gemstone, offering a fascinating history of its origins and revealing its greatest champions and most colorful enthusiasts. 25,000 first printing,"--NoveList. |
| Subject |
Diamonds.
|
|
Diamonds -- Social aspects.
|
|
Diamond industry and trade -- History.
|
| ISBN |
0062323776 (hardcover) |
|
9780062323774 (hardcover) |
|
