South African author and geologist Nick Norman’s The Extraordinary World of Diamonds provides an insightful look into the formation of diamonds and the history of diamond mining in each diamond-rich region on the world’s various continents.

The book is divided into three parts: an overview of the unfolding history of the industry, a summary of the geography and geology of the distribution of diamonds and a section on how deposits are formed and mined.

The second part covers the history of diamonds, treated in chronological order by region, covering India, South East Asia, Brazil, Venezuela, South Africa, the rest of Africa, Russia, North America and Australia.

The third section details how mining and exploration have evolved as technology and come of age, and the remarkable geology deep within and across the surface of the earth; as well as the laboratory findings on the only mineral that can legitimately claim to last forever.

The stories of exploration and discovery are recounted in the book with close attention to the larger-than-life characters who often prospected against the odds and finally struck it lucky and then went on to build mines, companies and even empires with the funds.

The book also details the practical aspects of diamonds. It describes in detail how geologists search for diamonds and how miners extract them. It also explains the art of cutting and polishing gems, explores the development of a single global supply chain, which South African diamond miner De Beers controlled for over a century, and looks at the underworld of illicit diamond buying and how conflict diamonds have fuelled some of Africa’s worst rebellions.

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