pbAn adventure story in the tradition of Susan Orlean's iThe Orchid Thief, i iThe Heartless Stonei is a voyage into the cold heart of the world's most unyielding gem.bppWhen 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. ppiThe Heartless Stonei goes beyond investigative reporting into the regions of the human heart that make the diamond empire possible. It has been called a dazzling display of intrepid reporting iEntertainment Weeklyi and an