Dear Friends,Greetings and best wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperousand peaceful New Year. The New Year is an important time for introspection. Forthinking about our past, present and future. This New Year has special importance for the Rapaport Groupas we celebrate 40 years of continuous publication of the Rapaport DiamondReport. While it is nice to announce longevity, celebrate survival and shareperspective, the key issue before us is - what now? What should the RapaportGroup be doing after 40 years? What goals should we have for the future? Obviously, we will stay true to our values of creatingethical, transparent, competitive, efficient markets. We will continue tointroduce innovations that add value and make money for our clients andourselves. We will continue to promote good and speak out against wrong. But isthat enough? Is there more that we can and should do? Fair TradeAfter careful consideration, the Rapaport Group has decidedto celebrate its 40-year anniversary by dedicating itself to the creation ofsustainable markets for ethically sourced and fair-trade diamonds and jewelry. Whilewe will continue to support all legitimate ethical market participantsregardless of size, we will dedicate special resources and efforts to smaller marketparticipants. In particular, we will go out of our way to create benefit and marketsfor artisanal diggers in Africa and small-scale manufacturers in India.Our first project will focus on artisanal diggers in Sierra Leone.We will support government efforts to provide tangible benefits to diggers thatsell through legitimate markets. For more information about our efforts, pleaseread this week's Bloomberg article "TheQuest for a Moral Diamond," and view the "Peace Diamond Video"and the "SierraLeone Diggers Speak" video.I am also pleased that for the first time ever, the villageof Koryardu now has solar-powered lighting and electricity. Seevideo here. It should be clear that the more our industry and government benefitartisanal miners, the more diamonds will be sold through legitimate channels.Our goal is to create a virtuous cycle of benefit and taxation that willlegitimize the artisanal sector and its diamonds.Rapaport Travel OpportunitiesSo as to promote relationships and communication within diversesectors of the diamond industry, the Rapaport Group is organizing two importanttrade missions. The trip to Sierra Leone will take place from Monday, April 1,to Thursday, April 4, and the Surat, India, trip will take place from Monday,April 8, to Thursday, April 11.Both trips will be led by Martin Rapaport and will includeall ground arrangements. There will be optional add-on trips for interestedparties. Please note that we are in the process of initial planning, and detailedinformation will only be available mid-January. If you would like to travelwith us, please email travel@rapaport.comas soon as possible, as space will be strictly limited.ConclusionThe New Year will bring many new opportunities andchallenges. Let us use the opportunity of the New Year to dedicate ourselves tonew ideals and ideas that will raise us to higher levels of communityconsciousness. Let us recognize that the diamond business is about much morethan making money. It is about people and the good that we can do helpingothers.Let us consider that there is a reason G-D gave diamonds tothe poorest people and made the richest people desire them. Improving the livesof artisanal diggers is Tikkun Olam - making the world a better place.If my words have created interest, please contact medirectly at rap@diamonds.net.With best wishes to you and yours for a happy, healthy,prosperous and peaceful New Year.Martin RapaportChairmanRAPAPORTrap@diamonds.netFor additional information about Rapaport Fair Trade Efforts,view the following links: BloombergArticle: "TheQuest for a Moral Diamond"PeaceDiamond VideoSierraLeone Diggers Speak Rapaport Brings Lightto Koryardu