為什麼藍錐礦如此昂貴 | 昂貴之謎 | Business Insider：英語精讀講義

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

這顆小小的藍色寶石，是世界上最稀有的寶石之一。

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

而由於它在地球內部的形成方式十分獨特，

benitoite sparkles even brighter than diamonds,

藍錐礦的閃耀程度甚至超過鑽石，

making it incredibly expensive. 文法

因此價格高得驚人。

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

一克拉就可能要價超過 1.2 萬美元。

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

但真正找得到這種寶石的地方只有一個。

So why is benitoite so hard to find?

那麼，藍錐礦為什麼這麼難找？

And what makes it so expensive? 文法

又是什麼讓它如此昂貴？

How is benitoite different from other gemstones? 片語搭配

藍錐礦與其他寶石有什麼不同？

It has a brighter vitreous luster. 用詞

它有更明亮的玻璃光澤。

That means it looks like glass,

也就是說，它看起來像玻璃，

but brighter, shinier.

卻更明亮、更有光澤。

It also has a high dispersion or fire, 用詞

它還具有很高的色散，也就是火彩，

meaning it can sparkle more than other gemstones.

這表示它能比其他寶石更加閃耀。

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

現在，我們來到了礦場頂端。

This is a private mine.

這是一座私人礦場。

It's part of Benitoite Mining Company,

它隸屬於 Benitoite Mining Company，

owned by John and Dave Schreiner. 文法

礦主是 John 和 Dave Schreiner。

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

公司會駐點在這裡，是因為可切割琢面的寶石級藍錐礦只有一個產地，

San Benito County, California.

那就是加州聖貝尼托郡。

That's why it's the state's gem. 文化背景

所以，藍錐礦才會成為加州的州寶石。

There have been um microscopic deposits found in Japan,

日本也曾發現過一些，嗯，微小到只能用顯微鏡觀察的礦藏，

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

但到目前為止，只有在這裡才能找到

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

大到可以拿在手上、鑲進珠寶的藍錐礦。

Not knowing how rare it was, 文法

由於過去不知道它有多稀有，

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

礦工曾像開採其他寶石一樣開採藍錐礦，

with explosions and blunt force. 片語搭配

採用爆破和強力敲擊的方式。

And now the supply is finite. 用詞

如今，存量已經十分有限。

Gemstones like benitoite are generally scattered,

像藍錐礦這樣的寶石通常散落各處，

but sometimes there's a vein underground 用詞

但地底有時會形成一條礦脈，

where concentrated amounts of the gem collect.

大量寶石集中在其中。

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

藍錐礦形成於海洋板塊與地殼板塊相遇之時。

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

一個板塊滑到另一個板塊下方，水被困在斷層線中。

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

隨後，岩漿侵入斷層線，與受困的水混合。

As cracks and veins formed in the surrounding rock,

周圍岩石中逐漸形成裂縫和礦脈，

the superheated mixture flowed into them.

過熱的混合物流入其中。

Here, the rare element barium bound with titanium,

在這裡，稀有元素鋇與鈦、

silica, and other elements.

二氧化矽及其他元素結合。

Together, they formed benitoite.

這些元素共同形成了藍錐礦。

But finding the gem is a bit of a guessing game. 慣用語

但尋找這種寶石多少有點像猜謎。

And if John and Dave guess incorrectly,

如果 John 和 Dave 判斷錯誤，

the cost is high.

代價會非常高昂。

To help them find where benitoite might be,

為了幫助判斷哪裡可能有藍錐礦，

they look for this.

他們會尋找這種岩石。

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

岩石的白色部分是鈉沸石，深色部分是藍片岩。

These are two minerals that surround and protect benitoite.

這兩種礦物包圍並保護著藍錐礦。

If they see the white,

如果看到白色部分，

it may mean they've found a benitoite vein.

就可能表示他們找到了藍錐礦脈。

And when the vein breaks out onto the surface,

當礦脈延伸到地表時，

it's referred to as an outcrop. 講解

就稱為「露頭」。

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

這裡原本就有一條很大的藍錐礦脈，也就是一大片露頭，

and had fallen against the mountain.

它崩落後靠在山體上。

That was dug out, 片語動詞

後來這裡被挖開，

dynamited,

又用炸藥爆破，

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

上層的所有物料都已經不見了。

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

但這不代表這裡沒有寶石。

They're all over the place. 慣用語

它們到處都是。

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

然而，自 1990 年代末以來，這裡就再也沒發現過藍錐礦脈。

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

所以今天，John 和 Dave 正在一處他們認為有潛力的地點採礦。

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

他們必須縮小礦脈可能所在的範圍，

because excavating and drilling is expensive

因為挖掘和鑽探成本高昂，

and they can't afford to be wrong. 慣用語

他們承擔不起判斷失誤的後果。

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

光是岩心鑽探，就要花費 20 萬美元。

Funding is always an issue.

資金始終是個問題。

Um mining is not a cheap venture.

嗯，採礦可不是一項便宜的事業。

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

通常，阻礙我們的就是這個，

just having the funds to actually move forward.

也就是缺少真正推進計畫所需的資金。

So as they work up to that funding,

所以，在籌措這筆資金的同時，

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

他們也在設法確認礦脈的確切位置。

After they load all the material they excavated,

把挖出的所有物料裝運好後，

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

他們就可以開始處理，看看其中是否有藍錐礦集中分布。

That starts with sorting. 片語搭配

第一步是分類。

This is the first stage of the wash plant. 用詞

這是洗礦設備的第一道程序。

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

嗯，物料一開始就是從這邊倒進去的。

So everything above an inch and a half 文法

所以，所有大於 1.5 英吋的物料

uh gets stopped right there.

呃，都會被擋在這裡。

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

之後，John 就能找出需要酸蝕處理的大塊標本，

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

用酸小心地把藍錐礦與周圍的礦物分離。

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

他們還會篩出小於八分之一英吋的物料，分類後的物料則沿著長長的輸送帶向上運送，進入滾筒篩清洗。

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

滾筒篩會搖動並清洗這些岩石，然後它們才會進入黑光燈室。

Benitoite is fluorescent, 用詞

藍錐礦會發出螢光，

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

因此，Schreiner 一家會用紫外線辨認這種寶石，又不會對它造成損傷。

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

之後，他會篩選並清洗所有發螢光的碎塊，再收集其中品質最好的。

There's one of them.

這裡就有一塊。

That is a benitoite.

這就是藍錐礦。

Even though John found some good pieces of benitoite,

雖然 John 找到了一些不錯的藍錐礦，

today's excavation was just okay. 語氣意圖

但今天的挖掘成果只能算普通。

This is good.

這塊不錯。

Um we've done better.

嗯，我們以前的收穫更好。

Still, he and Dave remain hopeful.

儘管如此，他和 Dave 仍然抱持希望。

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

他們相信，自己已經非常接近找到那條礦脈了。

Finding another benitoite vein would be outstanding. 文法

要是能再找到一條藍錐礦脈，那就太棒了。

It would change a lot of things.

這會改變很多事情。

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

嗯，這就是我們正在前進、也希望繼續前進的方向。

It's uh financially uh hindering,

這個，呃，在資金方面，呃，確實是個阻礙，

but we are getting there. 慣用語

但我們正一步步接近目標。

But even if John and Dave find a vein, 文法

但即使 John 和 Dave 找到礦脈，

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

也不表示他們挖出的所有藍錐礦都能賣出最高價。

Benitoite is a naturally small gem, like diamonds.

藍錐礦和鑽石一樣，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，他們找到的大多數原石都無法切磨成純淨透明的寶石。

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

在切割過程中，平均會損耗大約 80% 的原石。

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

這也取決於你希望成品有多純淨。

But the remarkable and highly valuable properties of benitoite

但藍錐礦擁有非凡且價值極高的特性，

make all this work worth it. 片語搭配

讓這一切付出都變得值得。

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

藍錐礦還有一個非常獨特的地方，就是它具有雙折射性。

So when the light enters the stone,

所以當光線進入寶石時，

it splits into two rays.

會分裂成兩束光。

This creates a doubling effect,

這會產生重影效果，

giving benitoite a complex internal appearance.

讓藍錐礦的內部呈現出複雜的視覺效果。

Yet on the surface,

但從表面看，

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

光線彷彿從寶石的各個方向反射出來。

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

這些特性營造出的深邃感，又因寶石的顏色而更加豐富，

which shows in the price. 用詞

而這也反映在價格上。

In a color gemstone, is color.

對彩色寶石來說，關鍵就在於顏色。

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

顏色、顏色、顏色，是影響彩色寶石價值的首要、最終，也是最重要的因素。

And depth also holds the color.

而寶石的深度也能留住顏色。

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

比方說，寶石越深，顏色就可能越濃，價值也就越高。

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

通常來說，顏色越深，寶石越值錢。

It is amazing.

這太不可思議了。

Anytime you look at something like this and you think,

每次看到這樣的東西，你都會想，

how in the world did this ever happen 慣用語

這一切究竟是怎麼發生的，

that I could be holding something in my hand that represents

我竟然能把這樣一件東西握在手中，它代表著

such a major amazing geological formation and event

如此重大而驚人的地質形成過程與事件，

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

以及這一切發生前所必須具備的種種條件。