InkBlog

Jason Kohn’s thoroughly entertaining film explodes the myth and mystique around diamonds and the De Beers cartel

Once in a while there comes a documentary that has the potential to permanently shift the way you look at its subject. Nothing Lasts Forever is one of them. Jason Kohn’s witty, highly entertaining film takes aim at the diamond industry, at the “cartel” operated by De Beers, at the manufactured idea of a diamond’s worth (they are not, in fact, the precious rarity that we are led to believe). And it explores the seismic impact of artificial, lab-grown diamonds – all but untraceable and already infiltrating the market to an extent that the diamond dealers would prefer not to admit. What makes a diamond valuable? Its beauty? Its size? Or the fact that it was pulled out of a mine in Africa? De Beers puts a premium on the latter, but has staked a claim to the synthetic diamond market as well.

The interview subjects are fascinating throughout, but jewellery designer and author Aja Raden is a particular gift: funny, insightful, dripping with sarcasm and oversized earrings.

• In cinemas now and streaming platforms from 13 February

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