This book is dedicated to a unique stone - the hardest and at the same time very fragile mineral, the most famous and most mysterious, the most precious and deadly - diamond. The authors set themselves several tasks: to show the place and importance of diamonds and diamonds in the life of society. Show Russia's place in the global diamond market and highlight the history of the creation of the Russian diamond-diamond complex. The first volume of the book presents the memoirs of the participants in the diamond epic regarding the discovery of precious stones, the construction of the first cities and towns, diamond mining enterprises, and the development of mining and processing. The book is richly illustrated. For a wide range of readers.