为什么蓝锥矿如此昂贵 | 昂贵之谜 | Business Insider：英语精读讲义

This small blue gemstone is one of the rarest in the world. 語法

这颗小小的蓝色宝石，是世界上最稀有的宝石之一。

And because of the unique way it forms in the Earth,

而由于它在地球内部的形成方式十分独特，

benitoite sparkles even brighter than diamonds,

蓝锥矿的闪耀程度甚至超过钻石，

making it incredibly expensive. 語法

因此价格高得惊人。

A single carat can cost over $12,000. 用詞

一克拉的价格可能超过 1.2 万美元。

But you can only really find this gem in one place.

但真正能找到这种宝石的地方只有一个。

So why is benitoite so hard to find?

那么，蓝锥矿为什么这么难找？

And what makes it so expensive? 語法

又是什么让它如此昂贵？

How is benitoite different from other gemstones? 短語搭配

蓝锥矿与其他宝石有何不同？

It has a brighter vitreous luster. 用詞

它有更明亮的玻璃光泽。

That means it looks like glass,

也就是说，它看起来像玻璃，

but brighter, shinier.

却更明亮、更有光泽。

It also has a high dispersion or fire, 用詞

它还具有很高的色散，也就是火彩，

meaning it can sparkle more than other gemstones.

这意味着它能比其他宝石更加闪耀。

So, here we are on the top of the mine.

现在，我们来到了矿山顶部。

This is a private mine.

这是一座私人矿山。

It's part of Benitoite Mining Company,

它隶属于 Benitoite Mining Company，

owned by John and Dave Schreiner. 語法

矿主是 John 和 Dave Schreiner。

The company is stationed here because facet grade benitoite can be found in only one location, 用詞

公司驻扎在这里，是因为能切割刻面的宝石级蓝锥矿只有一个产地，

San Benito County, California.

那就是加利福尼亚州圣贝尼托县。

That's why it's the state's gem. 文化背景

所以，蓝锥矿才会成为加州的州宝石。

There have been um microscopic deposits found in Japan,

日本也曾发现过一些，嗯，微小到只能用显微镜观察的矿藏，

but so far this is the only place where you can find it 短語搭配

但截至目前，只有在这里才能找到

where it's actually big enough to hold in your hand and to put in jewelry. 語法

大到可以拿在手里、镶进珠宝的蓝锥矿。

Not knowing how rare it was, 語法

由于过去不知道它有多么稀有，

miners used to extract benitoite just like any other gem, 語法

矿工曾像开采其他宝石一样开采蓝锥矿，

with explosions and blunt force. 短語搭配

采用爆破和强力敲击的方式。

And now the supply is finite. 用詞

如今，存量已经十分有限。

Gemstones like benitoite are generally scattered,

像蓝锥矿这样的宝石通常分散各处，

but sometimes there's a vein underground 用詞

但地下有时会形成一条矿脉，

where concentrated amounts of the gem collect.

大量宝石集中在其中。

Benitoite formed when an oceanic plate and a crustal plate came together.

蓝锥矿形成于海洋板块与地壳板块相遇之时。

One plate slid under the other and water got trapped in the fault line. 語法

一个板块滑到另一个板块下方，水被困在断层线中。

Magma then intruded into the fault line and mixed with the trapped water. 用詞

随后，岩浆侵入断层线，与被困住的水混合。

As cracks and veins formed in the surrounding rock,

周围岩石中逐渐形成裂缝和矿脉，

the superheated mixture flowed into them.

过热的混合物流入其中。

Here, the rare element barium bound with titanium,

在这里，稀有元素钡与钛、

silica, and other elements.

二氧化硅及其他元素结合。

Together, they formed benitoite.

这些元素共同形成了蓝锥矿。

But finding the gem is a bit of a guessing game. 習語

但寻找这种宝石多少有点像猜谜。

And if John and Dave guess incorrectly,

如果 John 和 Dave 判断错误，

the cost is high.

代价会非常高昂。

To help them find where benitoite might be,

为了帮助判断哪里可能有蓝锥矿，

they look for this.

他们会寻找这种岩石。

The white part of the rock is natrolite, and the dark part blueschist.

岩石的白色部分是钠沸石，深色部分是蓝片岩。

These are two minerals that surround and protect benitoite.

这两种矿物包围并保护着蓝锥矿。

If they see the white,

如果看到白色部分，

it may mean they've found a benitoite vein.

就可能意味着他们找到了蓝锥矿脉。

And when the vein breaks out onto the surface,

当矿脉延伸到地表时，

it's referred to as an outcrop. 講解

就称为“露头”。

A big vein or a big outcrop of benitoite was right here,

这里原本就有一条很大的蓝锥矿脉，也就是一大片露头，

and had fallen against the mountain.

它塌落后倚在山体上。

That was dug out, 短語動詞

后来这里被挖开，

dynamited,

又用炸药爆破，

all the material off the top of it's gone.

上层的所有物料都已经没了。

That doesn't mean there's not stones here. 語法

但这不代表这里没有宝石。

They're all over the place. 習語

它们到处都是。

Yet a benitoite vein hasn't been found here since the late 1990s. 語法

然而，自 20 世纪 90 年代末以来，这里就再没发现过蓝锥矿脉。

So today, John and Dave are mining in a location they think has potential. 短語搭配

所以今天，John 和 Dave 正在一处他们认为有潜力的地点采矿。

They have to narrow down where they think the vein is, 短語動詞

他们必须缩小矿脉可能所在的范围，

because excavating and drilling is expensive

因为挖掘和钻探成本高昂，

and they can't afford to be wrong. 習語

他们承担不起判断失误的后果。

Core drilling alone will cost them $200,000. 用詞

光是岩芯钻探，就要花费 20 万美元。

Funding is always an issue.

资金始终是个问题。

Um mining is not a cheap venture.

呃，采矿可不是一项便宜的事业。

Normally, that's what's holding us back, 短語動詞

通常，阻碍我们的就是这个，

just having the funds to actually move forward.

也就是缺少真正推进项目所需的资金。

So as they work up to that funding,

所以，在筹措这笔资金的同时，

they're also working to confirm exactly where the vein is.

他们也在设法确认矿脉的确切位置。

After they load all the material they excavated,

把挖出的所有物料装运好后，

they can begin processing it to see if there's a concentration of benitoite.

他们就可以开始处理，看看其中是否有蓝锥矿集中分布。

That starts with sorting. 短語搭配

第一步是分拣。

This is the first stage of the wash plant. 用詞

这是洗矿设备的第一道工序。

Um right over here is where the material gets dumped in originally.

呃，物料最初就是从这边倒进去的。

So everything above an inch and a half 語法

所以，所有大于 1.5 英寸的物料

uh gets stopped right there.

呃，都会被挡在这里。

After this, John can locate larger specimens that need to be acid-etched, 用詞

之后，John 就能找出需要酸蚀处理的大块标本，

where acid is used to carefully break off the benitoite from its surroundings. 講解

用酸小心地把蓝锥矿与周围的矿物分离。

They also screen for everything under an eighth-inch, and the sorted material goes up a long conveyor belt to be washed in the trommel. 用詞

他们还会筛出小于八分之一英寸的物料，分拣后的物料则沿着长长的传送带向上输送，进入滚筒筛清洗。

The trommel shakes and cleans the rocks before they hit the black light room. 用詞

滚筒筛会摇动并清洗这些岩石，然后它们才会进入黑光灯室。

Benitoite is fluorescent, 用詞

蓝锥矿会发出荧光，

so the Schreiners use UV light to identify the gem without damaging it.

因此，Schreiner 一家用紫外线辨认这种宝石，不会对其造成损伤。

After he screens and washes all the fluorescent pieces and collects the best ones.

之后，他会筛选并清洗所有发荧光的碎块，再收集其中品质最好的。

There's one of them.

这里就有一块。

That is a benitoite.

这就是蓝锥矿。

Even though John found some good pieces of benitoite,

虽然 John 找到了一些不错的蓝锥矿，

today's excavation was just okay. 語氣意圖

但今天的挖掘成果只能算一般。

This is good.

这块不错。

Um we've done better.

呃，我们以前的收获更好。

Still, he and Dave remain hopeful.

尽管如此，他和 Dave 仍然抱有希望。

They're confident that they're getting really close to locating that vein. 語法

他们相信，自己已经非常接近找到那条矿脉了。

Finding another benitoite vein would be outstanding. 語法

要是能再找到一条蓝锥矿脉，那就太棒了。

It would change a lot of things.

这会改变很多事情。

Um that is the direction we're going in and that we want to go in.

呃，这就是我们正在前进、也希望继续前进的方向。

It's uh financially uh hindering,

这个，呃，在资金方面，呃，确实是个阻碍，

but we are getting there. 習語

但我们正一步步接近目标。

But even if John and Dave find a vein, 語法

但即使 John 和 Dave 找到矿脉，

it doesn't mean all the benitoite they excavate can be sold for top dollar. 習語

也不代表他们挖出的所有蓝锥矿都能卖出最高价。

Benitoite is a naturally small gem, like diamonds.

蓝锥矿和钻石一样，天然尺寸就很小。

So most of the rocks they find can't be faceted into a clean clear gem. 用詞

因此，他们找到的大多数原石都无法切磨成纯净透明的宝石。

On average, you lose about 80% of the stone during the cutting process.

在切割过程中，平均会损耗大约 80% 的原石。

It also depends on how clean you want the stone to be. 語法

这也取决于你希望成品有多纯净。

But the remarkable and highly valuable properties of benitoite

但蓝锥矿拥有非凡且价值极高的特性，

make all this work worth it. 短語搭配

让这一切付出都变得值得。

What's also very unique about benitoite is that it is doubly refractive. 講解

蓝锥矿还有一个非常独特的地方，就是它具有双折射性。

So when the light enters the stone,

所以当光线进入宝石时，

it splits into two rays.

会分裂成两束光。

This creates a doubling effect,

这会产生重影效果，

giving benitoite a complex internal appearance.

让蓝锥矿的内部呈现出复杂的视觉效果。

Yet on the surface,

但从表面看，

it looks like light bounces off the gem on all sides. 短語動詞

光线仿佛从宝石的各个方向反射出来。

The depth these qualities create is enriched by the stone's color,

这些特性营造出的深邃感，又因宝石的颜色而更加丰富，

which shows in the price. 用詞

而这也体现在价格上。

In a color gemstone, is color.

对彩色宝石来说，关键就在于颜色。

Color, color, color is the first and last and most important factor affecting value in a color gemstone. 表達脈絡

颜色、颜色、颜色，是影响彩色宝石价值的首要、最终，也是最重要的因素。

And depth also holds the color.

而宝石的深度也能留住颜色。

Like, a deeper stone can have a deeper color and that makes it more valuable. 用詞

比如，宝石越深，颜色就可能越浓，价值也就越高。

The darker the color, the more valuable the stone typically is. 語法

通常来说，颜色越深，宝石越值钱。

It is amazing.

这太不可思议了。

Anytime you look at something like this and you think,

每次看到这样的东西，你都会想，

how in the world did this ever happen 習語

这一切究竟是怎么发生的，

that I could be holding something in my hand that represents

我竟然能把这样一件东西握在手中，它代表着

such a major amazing geological formation and event

如此重大而惊人的地质形成过程与事件，

and what had to happen for all of this to occur.

以及这一切发生前所必须具备的种种条件。