SKU: 50494382893

Empire of Diamonds: Victorian Gems in Imperial Settings

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Empire of Diamonds: Victorian Gems in Imperial SettingsIn 1850, the legendary Koh i noor diamond, gem of Eastern potentates, was transferred from the Punjab in India and, in an elaborate ceremony, placed into Queen Victoria's outstretched hands. This act inaugurated what author Adrienne Munich recognizes in her engaging new book as the empire of diamonds. Diamonds were a symbol of political power only for the very rich and influential. But, in a development that also reflected the British Empire's

In 1850, the legendary Koh-i-noor diamond, gem of Eastern potentates, was transferred from the Punjab in India and, in an elaborate ceremony, placed into Queen Victoria's outstretched hands. This act inaugurated what author Adrienne Munich recognizes in her engaging new book as the empire of diamonds.

Diamonds were a symbol of political power--only for the very rich and influential. But, in a development that also reflected the British Empire's prosperity, the idea of owning a diamond came to be marketed to the middle class. In all kinds of writings, diamonds began to take on an affordable romance. Considering many of the era's most iconic voices--from Dickens and Tennyson to Kipling and Stevenson--as well as grand entertainments such as The Moonstone, King Solomon's Mines, and the tales of Sherlock Holmes, Munich explores diamonds as fetishes that seem to contain a living spirit exerting powerful effects, and shows how they scintillated the literary and cultural imagination.

Based on close textual attention and rare archival material, and drawing on ideas from material culture, fashion theory, economic criticism, and fetishism, Empire of Diamonds interprets the various meanings of diamonds, revealing a trajectory including Indian celebrity-named diamonds reserved for Asian princes, such as the Great Mogul and the Hope Diamond, their adoption by British royal and aristocratic families, and their discovery in South Africa, the mining of which devastated the area even as it opened the gem up to the middle classes. The story Munich tells eventually finds its way to America, as power and influence cross the Atlantic, bringing diamonds to a wide consumer culture.



Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Published: 05/19/2020
ISBN: 9780813944005
Pages: 296
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.50w x 0.80d
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SKU: 50494382893

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Valerie
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 1
Stopped working within 3 days
Color: Blue
Worked for 3 plays. My 11 week old puppy loved this item. Unfortunately, it only lasted 3 tries before the motor stopped working. $30 for a total of 30 minutes over 3 days is robbery! I'd look at another vendor for the same type of item. We charged it after each attempt but now the motor won't turn on.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2026
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M Girven
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 3
Item was returned
Color: Blue
Used it one day and partially the following day. Put on charger. Never worked again. My dog played with it but returned it as defective.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2026
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L
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 4
Not for super chewers
Color: Blue
This ball seems to be of good quality; has held a charge well and is easy to use. Sadly, the cover lasted less than 15 minutes with our dog.... not for aggressive chewers for sure. Pretty funny to watch the hound dog jowls shake though.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2026
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Jessica S.
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
Great fun for dogs!
Color: Orange
Two of our dogs really love this! It caused a lot of barking and chasing and running around trying to grab it. It's really funny to use the remote to control it (and especially make it stop when things get a little too chaotic!) It feels durable even when pawed and bumped into and stepped on. The battery life seems good. I plugged it in overnight to charge so not sure how long it took to charge, but it has lasted quite a while with the dogs playing with it and still doesn't need a charge. It's easy to screw off one side of the ball to plug it in to charge. The size is a little bigger than a tennis ball I would say and has a soft texture.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2026
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Kathy Stefanski
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 1
It doesn't work.
Color: Blue
The two halves of the ball shell come apart again and again when the dog plays with them. When it is time to recharge the core, it will not take a charge. The dog loves it, but it's unsafe to play with.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2026

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