.RUSSIA'S ruby business is under pressure. On January 1st the G7, a group of rich countries, and the European Association prohibited imports of rough diamonds unearthed in Russia-- a third of the overall removed worldwide in 2022. On January 3rd the EU added Russia's condition exploration provider, and its own leader, to its sanctions checklist. This is actually the first period of a comprehensive penalties plan: in March the G7 and EU will definitely outlaw Russian treasures that have been reduced and fine-tuned abroad. In September they will definitely launch a license program to verify where diamonds were unearthed. These steps amount to the greatest improvement to the business in decades. Why has it taken so long to impose sanctions on Russia's diamond industry-- and also what effect will they have?