RAPAPORT... Early projections for the US holiday season are upbeat, but that sentiment hasn't filtered through to the rest of the diamond market, Rapaport's editorial team observed. "I was a bit surprised by the optimism," noted Senior Analyst Avi Krawitz, chatting with News Editor Joshua Freedman on the Rapaport Diamond Podcast. "The economic activity, [with] inflation, rising interest rates and volatile stock markets, [is] having an impact on sentiment and [potentially] on discretionary spending. So I think we've got to take these predictions in context and temper them a little bit."The episode also features Joshua and Avi's take on the high-end market, the growing importance of the GemGen??ve show, the lab-grown diamond segment, De Beers' negotiations with Botswana, and the recent Kimberley Process (KP) plenary meeting. Listen to the podcast here: