The discovery of diamonds on the remote and arid west coast of Southern Africa sparked a rapid transformation of the region. Within just a few decades, entire towns sprang up to serve the burgeoning mining industry, fences were strung to restrict public access, and vast tracts of land were stripped by heavy machinery to extract the diamonds that lay below. Yet, in less than a century, the major deposits of this limited resource were all but exhausted, leading to the closure or significant downsizing of mining operations. Security booms have been lifted and the once guarded towns are now open to the public. In a bittersweet moment, the unveiling of the region coincides with its economic decline.