The cartel insists that the diamonds be paid for in full within seven days of the sight. Consequently, for most sight holders, particularly those who cut and polish the rough themselves, access to credit is essential-it takes three-four months from the sight date for a manufacturer to sort, cut, polish, and sell the contents of his box. Sight holders, however, rarely have difficulty securing financing. In the diamond industry, having a sight is considered a near guarantee of financial success. The cartel actively monitors the decisions and activities of sight holders; if a sight holder continues to play by the cartel's "rules," he is rewarded with a more profitable selection of stones. Consequently, because most monitoring costs are shifted to the cartel, sight holders generally have access to bank capital.

Lisa Bernestein, Opting out of the Legal Sys…, loc. 25