Blockchains are forever: DLT makes diamond industry more transparent

cointelegraph.com:

Diamonds are some of the world’s most valued gemstones, and the global diamond industry has managed to remain afloat despite being partially eclipsed by the emergence of modern stocks and novel virtual assets.

The diamond industry, however, appears to be undergoing a paradigm shift in recent times — incorporating modern technology such as blockchain to improve diamond production, tracking and ultimate sales.

Leanne Kemp, CEO of independent technology company EverLedger, stressed the need for blockchain integration in the industry to improve the tracking of a stone’s provenance.

Speaking on the issue of data manipulation concerning a diamond’s provenance four years ago, Kemp noted that “we see document tampering where one stone has been claimed across similar timelines with multiple insurers.”

While it has yet to directly provide a solution to all the concerns of the diamond industry, blockchain is being used to solve a few of them by facilitating transparency that helps track the provenance of diamonds. This is primarily aimed at suppressing the sales of “conflict diamonds.” Diamond mining corporation De Beers Group has pointed out the potential of blockchain in the industry for increased accuracy, trust and transparency with regard to determining a diamond’s origin.

Despite being impacted by the Great Recession of 2008, which saw the general stock market slump by an unprecedented margin, the diamond industry has managed to maintain its prominence notwithstanding a noticeable drop in global production of rough diamonds.

The idea of integrating blockchain into the industry — which was only introduced in recent years — is likely to reawaken mainstream interest and further improve global production.

The years leading to 2008 saw