Precious Objects

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

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Precious Objects

By: Alicia Oltuski

Narrated by: Alicia Oltuski

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About this listen

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.

Business

Earth Sciences

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Critic reviews

"With revealing observations on the centuries-old link between Jews and the diamond industry, and sparkling accounts of her familial ties to the business... Oltuski, daughter of a diamond dealer, brings clarity in this study of the industry." ( Publishers Weekly)

"...an impassioned love letter to the industry, to its traditions and to the author's father, her most compelling character." ( Wall Street Journal)

"A piercing, intensely readable book. Ms. Oltuski guides us through New York's diamond business, one of the world's most fascinating and hard-to-penetrate communities, with great aplomb." (Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story)

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