In 2000, Tom Zoellner purchased a diamond engagement ring and proposed. His girlfriend said, "yes" and then, suddenly, walked out of his life making Tom the owner of a used engagement ring. Instead of hitting the self-help shelves of his local bookstore, he hit the road travelling to diamond mines in Africa, Canada, India, Brazil and Russia to discover the true worth of this shining gem. He travelled to Japan to understand how diamonds were linked with engagements and delved into the history of our own romance with the diamond ring. He gained entry to DeBeers, the London diamond merchants. He visited shopping mall jewellers with starry-eyed couples. Through all of his travels, he searched for an answer to the question "How has one stone created empires, ruined lives, inspired lust and emptied wallets throughout history?" A diamond version of Susan Orleans' "The Orchid Thief", Tom Zoellner's The Heartless Stone is a journey to the cold heart of the world's most unyielding gem.

汤姆 · 佐尔纳（Tom Zoellner），生于1968年，曾任《男士健康》（Men,s Heal th ）特约编辑、《旧金山纪事报》（San Francisco Chronicle ）记者，亦是卢旺达饭店经理保罗 · 卢斯沙巴吉纳（Paul Rusesabagina）传记《我辈凡人》（An Ordinary Man ）的共同作者，根据传主经历改编的电影《卢旺达饭店》（HotelRwanda ）获得了十余项国际电影节奖项。