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Journey Through ‘Diamonds Across Time’ With This New Book
It’s the World Diamond Museum’s first proprietary publication.
The World Diamond Museum’s first book, “Diamonds Across Time”
London—The World Diamond Museum has released its first book.
The World Diamond Mark Foundation opened the online museum during JCK Las Vegas 2016. The virtual platform aims to expand love for and knowledge of diamonds, gems and jewelry.
And now, it’s gone physical with the release of “Diamonds Across Time: Facets of Mankind.”
Compiled and edited by the World Diamond Museum’s chief curator and renowned jewelry expert Usha R. Balakrishnan, the book covers every facet of the stone and its history.
Through 432 pages and 309 rich illustrations—the majority of which are in color but some of which are presented in black and white—its authors dive into new discoveries, top jewelry collections and designers, the trade, diamond’s spectrum of colors and legendary gems, underpinning it all with humans’ longtime adoration of diamonds.
Balakrishnan and nine other authors wrote 10 essays for the book:
--“The Nizam Diamond, Bala Koh-i-noor, the Little Koh-i-noor in the Sacred Trust of the Nizam of Hyderabad,” by Balakrishnan;
--“Diamonds of the French Crown Jewels – Between West and East,” by François Farges;
--“A Concise History of Diamonds from Borneo,” by Derek J. Content;
--“Indian Diamonds and the Portuguese During the Rise of the Mughal Empire,” by Hugo Miguel Crespo;
--“Two Large Diamonds from India,” by Jack Ogden;
--“The Romanov Diamonds – History of Splendour,” by Stefano Pappi;
--“The Londonderry Jewels 1819-1959,” by Diana Scarisbrick;
--“Dress to Impress in South East Asia,” by René Brus;
--“Powerful Women, Important Diamonds,” by Ruth Peltason; and
--“One in Ten Thousand – the Unique World of Coloured Diamonds,” by John King.
--“The Nizam Diamond, Bala Koh-i-noor, the Little Koh-i-noor in the Sacred Trust of the Nizam of Hyderabad,” by Balakrishnan;
--“Diamonds of the French Crown Jewels – Between West and East,” by François Farges;
--“A Concise History of Diamonds from Borneo,” by Derek J. Content;
--“Indian Diamonds and the Portuguese During the Rise of the Mughal Empire,” by Hugo Miguel Crespo;
--“Two Large Diamonds from India,” by Jack Ogden;
--“The Romanov Diamonds – History of Splendour,” by Stefano Pappi;
--“The Londonderry Jewels 1819-1959,” by Diana Scarisbrick;
--“Dress to Impress in South East Asia,” by René Brus;
--“Powerful Women, Important Diamonds,” by Ruth Peltason; and
--“One in Ten Thousand – the Unique World of Coloured Diamonds,” by John King.
A page from “Diamonds Across Time.” The images on white background show the famous Nizam Diamond from front, side and back views, while the figure to the right shows the stone’s actual size.
“The establishment of the World Diamond Museum marks the first step in the long journey to reignite the passion for diamonds, chronicle traditions, explore cultures, and show the eternal relevance of beauty, even in present times,” World Diamond Museum founder Alex Popov wrote in his foreword.
“This volume unites diverse stories that reveal the many meanings of the diamond and how human emotions and beliefs are reflected in its thousands of facets. The book is illustrated with incredible photographs of rarely seen gems and jewels from closely held collections and reconstructions of historical diamonds, done with the help of state-of-the-art computer technology.”
The book can be purchased now at FacetsofMankind.org/shop for £95 (about $128 at current exchange rates).
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