Dia­man­ti­na, a colo­nial vil­lage set like a jew­el in a neck­lace of inhos­pitable rocky moun­tains, recalls the exploits of dia­mond prospec­tors in the 18th cen­tu­ry and tes­ti­fies to the tri­umph of human cul­tur­al and artis­tic endeav­our over the envi­ron­ment.