Beginning with the memorable story of an extraordinary pink diamonddiscovered in Brazil in 1998, Matthew Hart illuminates the rich andobsessive world of diamonds in a fascinating, original narrative. Hart'sstory sparkles with the science and geology of diamonds: Some may be asancient as the universe, formed before the Earth was created, while thoseformed on Earth come via volcanic action and are tremendously hard to find.It introduces an intriguing cast, from the creators of the DeBeers empire atthe turn of the century to some of those who quest after diamonds today. Ittakes readers inside diamond mines in South Africa, to the offices ofdiamond brokers in New York and Amsterdam, to anonymous diamond cutters inIndia, and to a meeting with Louis Glick, the Michelangelo of his field.And, telling the dramatic story of a recent and giant diamond strike inCanada's Northwest Territories, which in some ways reset the balance ofpower in the industry, Matthew Hart makes clear what drives the legendaryobsession behind diamonds, and why should matter to readers everywhere.