I re-discovered this book when I transferred all my unread books to my new Kindle at Christmas, and started it up as a nice non-fiction option. I really enjoyed the book and found it interesting and well-laid-out with a mix of factual data and flashy recollections/suppositions. The book covers the rise of the modern diamond industry, starting from the first mining in kimberlite pipes in Africa in the 1800s through to the early 2000s, from both a physical "get the diamond and make it into something" standpoint as well as marketing and cultural standpoints.

Much of the book will be roughly familiar to anyone reading it today with even a passing interest in diamonds, due to media coverage over the past twenty years of "blood diamonds" and so on. The details and background that the book provides give a much more in depth picture, not only illuminating the industry and the stones themselves but also the culture in America and across the world.

I most enjoyed the last few chapters, especially those about hip-hop and other modern culture groups using diamonds as status symbols, and I learned a lot about them. This is a solid 4-4.5 stars for me, it's not a five-star book because I tend to rate books that also affect my emotions as that rating, but this is definitely a good interesting book that handles its subject matter well.

This book outlasted the job I was reading it for.

Great read. Easy to read, but not because it’s unintelligent. The author has done her research and tells a fair and balanced story. Her subtitle, “a biography of diamonds” is accurate because that’s the style of the book — biographical. I’m thankful that this one was easy to pay attention to while I read the last half on a noisy family vaca.

An interesting social history of diamonds. I would have enjoyed geologic/scientific discussion.

Bergstein avoids the boring ‘Geology 101’ and instead dives into the historical legends and myths of that penultimate gemstone, the diamond. It’s important to recognize, which Bernstein does, that diamond provenance has influenced our culture’s appreciation of, and value for, diamonds. We would not feel the way we do about this simple crystal without having seen Elizabeth Taylor sporting her collection, or Audrey Hepburn at Tiffany’s, or Marilyn Monroe singing “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” or all the royalty and stars flaunting their diamonds (the latter every year on countless red carpets)! This is the story Bergstein shares and, frankly, it’s the most important one that influences your impression of diamonds today.
[Oh yes, I know, you’re so aware of conflict diamonds and that diamonds aren’t *really* rare, but if someone offered you an 8 carat pear shaped D internally flawless, let’s be real: you’d take it in a heartbeat.]
One more thing—Bergstein has done her gemological homework. It’s the first layman’s description of simulant versus synthetic versus naturally occurring I’ve read that gets it right. People with a decade in the industry screw this up, so Bergstein’s contribution to educating the public is very welcome. Buy the book, be entertained and informed, and know that you’ll finish knowing much more (correctly) about diamonds that you did before picking it up.