An afternoon with hobbyist diamond miners in Arkansas is a thing of rare beauty

Located atop an eroded volcanic crater, the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas is the world’s only diamond-bearing site open to the public. There, on a 37-acre plowed field, hobbyists dig for – and sometimes even find, at a rate of two discoveries a day – the precious gemstones. Via gorgeous cinematography and a poignant score, the short documentary The Diamond immerses viewers in the park, introducing them to the regulars who find satisfaction and relief in the pastime. Sharing in the delicate, persistent patience of her subjects, the US filmmaker Caitlyn Greene builds something quite dazzling herself as she slowly unearths stories of trauma, struggle and love among the searchers.