When diamonds are not forever

Rough diamonds, ready to be packaged at the (pic, below) Diavik mine’s splitting facility in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. After decades of growth driven by diamond mining, Canada’s Northwest Territories are facing the closure of three major mines. — Pat Kane/The New York Times

CANADA’s Northwest Territories hit the jackpot twice.

At the turn of the 20th century, a gold rush established the capital, Yellowknife, and brought development to the vast, sparsely populated region of boreal forests and Arctic tundra.