This paper examines the mining crisis in Diamantina between 1870 and 1890 and the consequences it produced on the great miners and diamond dealer's business. It enphazises the regional trajectory of the lapidary industry, that represented an attempt to aggregate value to the gemstones mined in the Upper-Jequitinhonha. The paper also analyses the investments carried out by the businessmen in commercial and industrial partnerships (especially fabric factories), as well as the regional development projects fostered by Diamantina's entrepreneurs in the period. This paper utilizes several local sources like inventories, liquidations processes, contracts, newspapers, political speeches and political pamphlets.
Diamantina; mining crises; lapidary industry; entrepreneurs; regional development
