Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Precious Objects by Alicia Oltuski - Available

Precious Objects

A Story of Diamonds, Family, and a Way of Life

by Alicia Oltuski
Alicia Oltuski
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 2 copies available
In the middle of New York City lies a neighborhood where all secrets are valuable, all assets are liquid, and all deals are sealed with a blessing rather than a contract. Welcome to the diamond district. Ninety percent of all diamonds that enter America pass through these few blocks, but the inner workings of this mysterious world are known only to the people who inhabit it. Alicia Oltuski, daughter and granddaughter of diamond dealers, seamlessly blends family narrative with literary reportage to reveal the fascinating secrets of the diamond industry and its madcap characters, including her own eccentric father. Entertaining and illuminating, Precious Objects offers an insider's look at the history, business, and society behind one of the world's most coveted natural resources.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 11, 2011

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781666600209
      • File size: 268147 KB
      • Duration: 09:18:38

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Alicia Oltuski has a fresh, appealing voice, and her youthful tonality works well in this memoir of growing up in the Diamond District of New York City. Both the district and the history of the diamond trade are shrouded in mystery. One fascinating element of the story is Cecil Rhodes--of Rhodes Scholar fame and the namesake of Rhodesia--who was a ruthless, racist imperialist who nearly single-handedly controlled the De Beers diamond mining operation. This book is full of interesting history surrounding the jewelry trade, along with Oltuski's own take on how "precious objects" have affected her own family and Jewish culture. Oltuski's delivery is charming and upbeat and keeps the story moving. D.G. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 21, 2011
      The diamond trade has long been as shrouded in mystery as the precious gem itself. Oltuski, daughter of a diamond dealer, brings clarity in this study of the industry, with a special emphasis on New York's diamond district, the small neighborhood that handles 90% of the diamonds entering the U.S., its ties to the Hasidim and their unique bargaining vocabulary. Hers is a workmanlike account of the various aspects of the tradeâits South African origins, the intricacies of mining and grading, and the growing online commerce in stonesâsparked by her own desire to better understand her father's business. Oltuski diligently covers the darker side of diamondsâhow the brutal conflicts in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, and Angola were financed by and fought over the gemstoneâleavening it with precisely observed accounts of the delicate, almost balletic haggling among the New York dealers. Oltuski makes a commendable effort at literary journalism, with revealing observations on the centuries-old link between Jews and the diamond industry, and sparkling accounts of her familial ties to the business.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading