November 19, 2004 - The Independent

Bad blood


The historian Susan Ronald is to publish The Sancy Blood Diamond, a book about the famuuos gem that resides at the Louvre. Her publishers met with the Diamond Trading Company - the rough diamond sales arm of De Beers - to ask if they'd like to be involved with its launch.

"De Beers liked the book, but told us they wouldn't touch it because the words "blood" and "diamond" were in the title," I'm told. "This freaked them out. They were totally paranoid."

With all the charm of a minor Bond villian, a DTC representative later let it be known that Mrs Ronald "could be in for a surprise when the press get going" about the book.