The Heartless Stone
The Heartless Stone

Author: Tom Zoellner

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 2007-06-12

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 9780312339708

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An American Library Association Notable Book 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. 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.

Treasure Under the Tundra
Treasure Under the Tundra

Author: L. D. Cross

Publisher: Heritage House Publishing Co

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 1926936086

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"It is said that the sparkle from Canadian diamonds mimics the awesome and seductive radiance of the northern lights, and yet, until 1991, no one thought diamonds could even be found in Canada. No one except two geologists who went in search of diamonds and found them on the Lac de Gras Barren Grounds at Point Lake near Yellowknife in Canadas Arctic. The discovery by Chuck Fipke and his partner, Dr. Stu Blusson, caused great excitement in international diamond circles. Today, Canada is the worlds third-largest producer, by value, of rough stones. Why? In contrast to gems mined in Africa, Canadas stones are considered pure ice, and they are also clean--not tainted by bloodshed and war as they are in such parts of the world as Sierra Leone and Angola. The discovery of diamonds in Canadas Arctic is an amazing story of perseverance in the face of immense odds. And the story has a very happy ending."--Back cover.

The Florentine Deception
The Florentine Deception

Author: Carey Nachenberg

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2015-09-01

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 1504027396

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In this action-packed techno-thriller, a routine computer cleanup sets off an electrifying quest for an enigmatic—and deadly—treasure. After selling his dorm-room startup for millions and effectively retiring at the age of twenty-five, Alex Fife is eager for a new challenge. When he agrees to clean up an old PC as a favor, he never expects to find the adventure of a lifetime waiting for him inside the machine. But as he rummages through old emails, Alex stumbles upon a startling discovery: The previous owner, a shady antiques smuggler, had been trying to unload a mysterious object known as the Florentine on the black market. And with the dealer’s untimely passing, the Florentine is now unaccounted for and ripe for the taking. Alex dives headfirst into a hunt for the priceless object. What starts out as a seemingly innocuous pursuit quickly devolves into a nightmare when Alex discovers the true technological nature of the Florentine. Not just a lost treasure, it’s something far more insidious: a weapon that could bring the developed world to its knees. Alex races through subterranean grottos, freezing morgues, and hidden cellars in the dark underbelly of Los Angeles, desperate to find the Florentine before it falls into the wrong hands. Because if nefarious forces find it first, there’ll be nothing Alex—or anyone else—can do to prevent a catastrophic attack. Leading security specialist Carey Nachenberg delivers expert technical details in this gripping, highly entertaining cyber thrill ride—perfect for fans of Neal Stephenson and William Gibson.

Stones of Contention
Stones of Contention

Author: Todd Cleveland

Publisher: Ohio University Press

Published: 2014-05-26

Total Pages: 113

ISBN-13: 0821444824

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Africa supplies the majority of the world’s diamonds, yet consumers generally know little about the origins and history of these precious stones beyond sensationalized media accounts of so-called blood diamonds. Stones of Contention explores the major developments in the remarkable history of Africa’s diamonds, from the earliest stirrings of international interest in the continent’s mineral wealth in the first millennium A.D. to the present day. In the European colonial period, the discovery of diamonds in South Africa ushered in an era of unprecedented greed during which monopolistic enterprises exploited both the mineral resources and the indigenous workforce. In the aftermath of World War II, the governments of newly independent African states, both democratic and despotic, joined industry giant De Beers and other corporations to oversee and profit from mining activity on the continent. The book also considers the experiences of a wide array of Africans—from informal artisanal miners, company mineworkers, and indigenous authorities to armed rebels, mining executives, and premiers of mineral-rich states—and their relationships to the stones that have the power to bring both wealth and misery. With photos and maps, Stones of Contention illustrates the scope and complexity of the African diamond trade as well as its impact on individuals and societies.

Working on Labor
Working on Labor

Author: Marcel M. van der Linden

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2012-08-09

Total Pages: 450

ISBN-13: 9004229523

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Using comparative and long-term perspectives the seventeen essays in this collection discuss the development of labor relations and labor migrations in Europe, Asia and the US from the thirteenth century to the present.

Blood, Sweat and Earth
Blood, Sweat and Earth

Author: Tijl Vanneste

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2021-09-16

Total Pages: 433

ISBN-13: 1789144361

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A sweeping history of our enduring passion for diamonds—and the exploitative industry that fuels it. Blood, Sweat and Earth is a hard-hitting historical exposé of the diamond industry, focusing on the exploitation of workers and the environment, the monopolization of uncut diamonds, and how little this has changed over time. It describes the use of forced labor and political oppression by Indian sultans, Portuguese colonizers in Brazil, and Western industrialists in many parts of Africa—as well as the hoarding of diamonds to maintain high prices, from the English East India Company to De Beers. While recent discoveries of diamond deposits in Siberia, Canada, and Australia have brought an end to monopolization, the book shows that advances in the production of synthetic diamonds have not yet been able to eradicate the exploitation caused by the world’s unquenchable thirst for sparkle.

Commodity Activism
Commodity Activism

Author: Roopali Mukherjee

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 0814763014

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Buying (RED) productsofrom Gap T-shirts to Appleoto fight AIDS. Drinking a Caring Cup of coffee at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to support fair trade. Driving a Toyota Prius to fight global warming. All these commonplace activities point to a central feature of contemporary culture: the most common way we participate in social activism is by buying something. Roopali Mukherjee and Sarah Banet-Weiser have gathered an exemplary group of scholars to explore this new landscape through a series of case studies of commodity activism. Drawing from television, film, consumer activist campaigns, and cultures of celebrity and corporate patronage, the essays take up examples such as the Dove Real Beauty campaign, sex positive retail activism, ABC's Extreme Home Makeover, and Angelina Jolie as multinational celebrity missionary. Exploring the complexities embedded in contemporary political activism, Commodity Activism reveals the workings of power and resistance as well as citizenship and subjectivity in the neoliberal era.Refusing to simply position politics in opposition to consumerism, this collection teases out the relationships between material cultures and political subjectivities, arguing that activism may itself be transforming into a branded commodity.

Gender and Jewelry
Gender and Jewelry

Author: Rebecca Ross Russell

Publisher: Rebecca Ross Russell

Published: 2010-06-05

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 1452882533

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Jewelry responds to our most primitive urges, for control, honor, and sex. It is at once the most ancient and most immediate of art forms, one that is defined by its connection and interaction with the body. In this sense it is inescapably political, its meaning bound to the possibilities of the body it lies on. Indeed, the fate of the body is often bound to the jewelry. This study looks at gender and jewelry in order to gain some understanding into how jewelry is constructed by and constructs not just a single society, but human societies. It will explore how societal traditions that have sprung up around jewelry and ornamentation have affected the possibilities available to women across a broad spectrum of social and ethnic circumstances, determining which have served women well and which are constrictive and destructive. It also examines the possibilities for the intentional creation of feminist jewelry, including an overview of the author's own work.

Encyclopedia of Transnational Crime and Justice
Encyclopedia of Transnational Crime and Justice

Author: Margaret E. Beare

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2012-04-26

Total Pages: 545

ISBN-13: 1412990777

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Accessible and jargon-free and available in both print and electronic formats, the one-volume Encyclopedia of Transnational Crime and Justice contains a range of up-to-date entries that not only reflect transnational crime, but transnational justice.

The Political Economy of the Kimberley Process
The Political Economy of the Kimberley Process

Author: Nathan Munier

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-09-03

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 1108879500

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Investigating state responses to the Kimberley Process, an ambitious international agreement meant to reduce the trade of conflict diamonds, this study looks at the political economy of resource-wealthy states in Africa to understand why some African states have higher levels of compliance and co-operation than others.