This environment presents downstream players with two major challenges: securing a long-term supply of stones and verifying those stones’ traceability. The verification process includes two primary elements. The first is to confirm that the diamonds were traded through official channels and that they comply with the Kimberley Process, which bars trading in diamonds mined in conflict zones and other embargoed areas. The second is to authenticate the diamonds as natural—an increasingly necessary measure that reflects growing industry concern over the threat of synthetic diamonds entering the production pipeline undetected