Diamonds

The Cook inspecting one of the diamonds to have been sold during the opening cinematic of Grand Theft Auto IV. The diamonds are being mixed into a cake batter, presumably to be smuggled into the country after being stolen from Rodislav Bulgarin.

The Diamonds are featured in Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony wherein they are involved in many scenarios also involving the protagonists, Niko Bellic, Johnny Klebitz and Luis Fernando Lopez as well as many others. Detailed below are the many different scenarios that take place involving the diamonds and the different people that gain possession of them each time. The diamonds are the main purpose which led to the Impossible Trinity in GTA IV and Diamonds Forever in TBOGT achievements.

Description

The diamonds arrived in Liberty City on the Platypus, the ship that also brought Niko Bellic to the city. They are believed to have been stolen from original owner Rodislav Bulgarin, who is a previous employer of Niko's. The cook on the ship hid them inside a cake in order to smuggle them into the city.

Bulgarin later arrived in the city for two reasons: to find a retrieve his diamonds, and to find and kill Niko whom he believed to have intentionally sunk one of Bulgarin's ships and fled with his money. In fact, the ship was raided and did sink, though Niko bailed and had to swim for his life.

Below explains how the diamonds went around Liberty City, who was invloved with them and why.

Fate/Consequences

Nobody who struggled for the diamonds ever owned them permanently Apparently, all of the protagonists in GTA IV and both episodes never accomplished in permanently owning the diamonds in their storylines, apart from stealing them. Most everyone aside from the GTA player characters that had physically touched the diamonds are killed between the three games, either in a directly related way, or in some unrelated mission.

In addition, the original owner of the diamonds was Bulgarin, though he was the owner, he was killed by Luis for getting revenge on him. Below are the consequences of the people that stole and owned them. The consequences are been based on the storyline.

Protagonists

Niko Bellic

Niko arrived in Liberty City on the Platypus to meet his cousin Roman. Unfortunately, Roman was in serious debt, forcing Niko to fight off his attackers. Eventually, this led to his invlovement with the Russian Bravta and Dimitri Rascalov, a friend of Rodislav Bulgarin, Niko's previous employer. Niko befriended the McReary family and was soon introduced to Ray Boccino. Seeing this as an opportunity to make some real money, Niko lended his skills and worked as a hired gun.

Niko only held the diamonds twice. The first time, only for a few minutes, after he took them from Luca Silvestri's body in the mission Meltdown and handed them back to Ray Boccino. The second, before and during the trade with Isaac Roth at the Libertonian museum. After he handed them to Mori Green, Luis Lopez interrupted in meeting with AK fire. Johnny Klebitz grabbed the $2,000,000 and escaped, Luis took the diamonds and returned them to Tony, while Niko was only interested in getting out alive and escaped with nothing. Later, Gerald McReary, who was in league with Ray and the Pegorinos, got his brother Packie, and Niko, a friend of the McReary family to kidknap Gracie Ancelotti to force Luis and Tony into trading the diamonds for Gracie. Niko saw them again in the meeting with Luis, during the exchange, but he and Packie were forced to fight off Ray Bulgarin's goons after he ambushed the deal. They were ultimately unsuccessful when the diamonds were dropped into a garbage truck by one of Bulgarin's men, and Niko and Packie's efforts were all for nothing as they left empty handed.

Johnny Klebitz

Like Niko, Johnny did not know or care who owned the diamonds, he only wanted the money for himself and the Lost MC, as a side note, Johnny's ex-girlfriend, Ashley was also friends with Ray. Johnny first held the diamonds after he picked them up from Evan Moss' corpse, but then placed them in garbage bags afterwards and never touched them again. They were soon recovered from the garbage by Niko and Luca.

After Johnny stole the $2,000,000 that was meant for Ray Boccino and Jimmy Pegorino, Ray ordered Niko to kill Johnny's best friend Jim and sent multiple hit squads after Johnny. Ray also trashed the Lost MC clubhouse and conspired with Billy against Johnny. After this, Thomas Stubbs III advised Johnny to leave Ray alone and take out Billy. Eventually, Ray was killed by Niko after being ordered to do so by Jimmy Pegorino. After the theft of the diamond money, The Lost MC is wiped out at the end of the game as they suffered from a massive in war caused by Brian Jeremy, and the trashing of the Clubhouse by Ray's men. Johnny decided it was best to burn the clubhouse down.

Luis Lopez

Luis got inolved as a favour to his boss, Tony "Gay Tony" Prince, who did want to keep the diamonds. He and Luis did not know who the diamonds belonged to when they bought them. Luis tagged along when Gay Tony went to buy the diamonds from the cook. This purchase was crashed by Johnny and the Lost. The cook fled, and Tony's boyfriend Evan Moss tried to get back to Maisonette 9 with the diamonds. Johnny ordered a group of Lost members to chase Luis and Tony, while he caught up with Evan, killed him and took the diamonds, then put them in the trash for Niko to collect. Luis managed to keep the Lost members at bay by using sticky bombs. Eventually, Tony informed Luis that the diamonds were ready to be sold in the museum, prompting Luis to head there and recover them in the mission Not So Fast. Niko handed the diamonds over to Mori Green to inspect, but Luis pops up and shoots him. Johnny grabs the loose cash and Issac Roth grabed the diamonds from Mori's body and hid under a table. While Niko and Johnny were busy fighting off the Jewish mob, Luis found Issac hiding and knocked him out with his his AK, taking the diamonds. Luis escaped and delivered them back to Tony, who secured them in his safe.

After Ray Bulgarin finds out that Tony and Luis have his diamonds, he lures Luis into a trap to try and kill him. Luis escapes and warns Tony that Bulgarin is now after them. As a result of the botched deal, Niko and the McReary mob kidknap Tony's friend Gracie Ancelotti in order to coax Tony and Luis into trading the diamonds for Gracie herself. Gracie's father threatens to kill both Luis and Tony unless they go through with the deal and return Gracie. Under threat from Bulgarin also, they decide to take their chances with Bulgarin and trade the diamonds. As stated, Bulgarin crashes the exchange and orders his men to attack both parties. One of Bulgarin's men gets the diamonds, and while Niko and Packie fight off the goons to get them, Luis, Tony and Gracie escape on their boat.

Others

Rodislav "Ray" Bulgarin

Bulgarin is the former employer of Niko Bellic, and claims he is the owner of the diamonds. They were stolen from him and found their way into the hands of the cook, who smuggled them into Liberty City. He is after both Niko and the diamonds. First, he meets with old friend Dimitri Rascalov, to help him kill Niko whom he believes stole his money. Niko and his friend Jacob kill the Russians however while Bulgarin and Dimitri escape.

After learning that the cook was in posession of his diamonds, and that Tony and Luis Lopez were buying them from him, he murdered the cook and lured Luis into a trap. Luis escaped and warned Tony. He next appeared at the diamond exchange, where he tried to kill Niko and Luis again, but both escaped for a second time, and his diamonds were lost for good.

He would eventually try to get Luis to kill Tony in exchange for his own life, but Luis chased Bulgarin to his private jet, before he was about to escape back to Russia. He detonates a grenade, killing himself after Luis shoots him.

Ray Boccino

Ray was the first person to introduce the diamonds to Niko and Johnny. Initially ordering Johnny to attack Tony at the meet with the cook and steal the diamonds. Most of Ray's tasks to Niko and Johnny succeed, until they eventually come to sell the diamonds to the Jewish mob. After the deal is ambushed by Luis, who takes the diamonds, Johnny decides to steal all of the cash for the Lost MC, instead of splitting it with Niko and Ray. Niko only escaped with his life. Ray immediatley sends Niko out to kill Johnny and the Lost, however Niko only finds and kills Jim Fitzgerald, Johnny's best friend. Ray sends a hit squad to Alderney to deal with Johnny instead. Johnny calls on his friends Terry and Clay to help deal with Ray's guys, while Niko is introduced to Jimmy Pegorino. In anger, Ray destroys the Lost MC clubhouse, and conspires with their former leader Billy Grey, who is in prison, to turn states and rat on the club in order to get Johnny sent down. However, Thomas Stubbs III, a congressman who Johnny had previously assisted, persuades Johnny to stay well away from Ray, as Stubbs predicted he would soon be killed also. His prediction proved correct, when Pegorino ordered Niko to do the job.

Luca Silvestri, Joseph DiLeo and John Barbosa

Ray Boccino asked Niko to collect the diamonds that Johnny had stashed, from the trashbags. Niko, Luca, Joseph and John, all disguised as binmen, recovered the diamonds, and Niko left Luca to deliver them to Ray. Instead, Ray's plan hit a minor hiccup when Luca and his crew attepted to make off with the diamonds to Las Venturas. He told Niko to get the diamonds back. Niko impulsively killed Luca's crew in Middle Park, and then Luca also, taking the diamonds and returning them to Ray.

The Cook

The cook smuggled the diamonds into Liberty City. He sold them to Gay Tony and fled the scene when the Lost MC crashed the meet. He was eventually captured and interogated by Bulgarin. When he revealed that Tony and Luis bought the diamonds, Bulgarin killed the cook and put his severed head in a box for Luis to discover.

Evan Moss

During the missions Diamonds in the Rough/Frosting on the Cake, when Tony buys the diamonds, Evan Moss, Tony's boyfriend asked if he could hold them. Luis handed the cook his money, but turned around and saw Johnny approaching. Luis shouted at Evan, telling him to take the diamonds to Maisonette 9, but Johnny chased him down, killed him and stole the diamonds before he reached the club.

Isaac Roth

Isaac Roth was the buyer Ray had found for the stolen diamonds. Johnny and Niko again teamed up to sell them on behalf of Ray, but after Luis shot up the deal, he took the diamonds and tried to hide in the museum. He was found by Luis and tried to make a deal with Luis to split the loot if he helped him escape. Luis knocked Isaac unconcious and took the diamonds to Tony. When Isaac awoke to find most of his crew dead, he hid by taking a room in the Majestic Hotel. However, as Ray was without his money or the diamonds, he sends Niko to the hotel, where Isaac and his crew are killed.

Mori Green

Mori was the partner of Issac Roth. They were about to buy the diamonds off of Niko and Johnny, but as Mori ispected the diamonds, Luis popped out of his hiding spot and shot Mori with an AK, killing him. This sparked the chaos in the museum.

Bulgarin's Goon

One of Bulgarin's goons was fast enough to take the diamonds off the ground in front of Niko and Packie, after Tony had placed them there in return for Gracie, during the exchange. Luis, Tony and Gracie quickly fled the scene, but Niko and Packie fought through Bulgarin's men until they cornered the one holding the diamonds. Packie promised to let the goon go if he handed the diamonds over, but the man said Bulgarin would kill him if he did. He decided he would not let anybody have them and dropped them into a waste truck, Packie killed the goon as a result, calling him a "selfish cocksucking peice of shit". Niko remarked that the whole thing had "Fucked up, as usual".

Jerry Kapowitz

Jerry was a homeless man living in Liberty City. He is first seen when Vladimir Glebov tells Niko Bellic to steal a Blista for him, not long after Niko first arrives in the city. Jerry asks Vlad for some change, but he is nastily scolded by Vlad. He is not seen again in the main game, but is mentioned on the internet. He finally appears in the final cutscene for Departure Time. After the diamonds were dropped into the waste truck by Bulgarin's goon, they eventually got transported to a rubbish bin in Meadows Park. Luis Lopez was walking through the park to meet Tony, shortly after parachuting from Bulgarin's plane. He accidentally bumped into Jerry knocking him and the rubbish bin over. Luis apologized and continued on, while Jerry noticed the pouch of diamonds amidst the spilt trash. Jerry was overwhelmed with glee and ran away with the diamonds. Soon, over 100 people falsely claimed ownership of them, but Mayor Julio Ochoa decided to allow Jerry to keep them. The credits for The Ballad Of Gay Tony reveal he bought a mansion in Alderney, contrary to reports that he planned to open a liquor shop and gun store in Vice City.

Mission appearances

Note the following missions are been sorted in chronological order of the timeline.

• Opening cutscene of GTA IV.
• Diamonds in the Rough (TLAD) and Frosting on the Cake (TBOGT)
• Taking in the Trash (GTA IV)
• Meltdown (GTA IV)
• Museum Piece (GTA IV), Collector's Item (TLAD) and Not So Fast (TBOGT)
• Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (GTA IV) and Ladies Half Price (TBOGT)
• Departure Time (TBOGT)
• Mentioned on Weazel News (radio).

Trivia

• Niko mentions that the diamonds have been cursed and caused nothing but problems, which may actually be true, since everybody, except the protagonists, Gay Tony and the final owner of the diamonds, who touched the diamonds in some way, have been killed.
• The chronology of the missions in which this diamond deal takes place is a bit off between games. In The Lost and Damned, Johnny is sent by Ray to the deal immediately after kidnapping Roman for the Russians, whereas in GTA IV Niko has already rescued Roman from the Russians before he has even met Ray.
• Where the diamonds ended up is not chronologically correct either. On the Liberty Tree website the diamonds were supposedly heading to the dump (after which one of Bulgarin's men threw them onto the back of a truck). However Jerry Kapowitz finds them in the trash at the Monoglobe in Meadows Park.

The Lost and Damned

The Ballad of Gay Tony