VOA标准英语2008年-Gems Find Ultimate Glory in Glamor

They are hacked¹ out of the earth, cut, polished and bought and sold along the way -- to finally be shown in all their glory. Gems³, these tiny bits of mineral formations from the mines of South Africa, Burma, Brazil, Colombia, Russia or Canada eventually make their way to the red carpet in Hollywood, gem² exhibits and at premier⁴ shops around the world. They are admired, and ultimately bought and shown off. VOA's Sonja Pace has this report on the glamor⁵ of the gem trade, with additional reporting by Mandy Clark and Carolyn Weaver⁶. (Part 5 of 5)

A gala event brings out the stars, and none more than the Oscars. And when Hollywood's stars come out, so do the jewels.

The goal is to be seen looking gorgeous and glamorous⁷.

But the jewels the stars are wearing are most likely not their own. They're simply on loan. And Greg Kwiat's jewelry⁸ firm is among those doing the lending. They know the red carpet is great for public relations.
　
Greg Kwiat's jewelry firm is among those that lend jewels to the stars to wear at gala events

"You want to think about Hollywood because it's a great stage to showcase the beauty of your designs and the beauty of your work," says Kwiat. "And Hollywood has long been a successful way for us to get some of the beautiful pieces we design in front of a worldwide audience."

Kwiat is a family company based in New York. It's been around for a century. Today, it sells $100 million in diamond jewelry every year.

Part of the reason is the red carpet. It's something Kwiat has been doing for a long time. "It goes back to Ann Margret and Elizabeth Taylor. My grandfather used to work with them for their important appearances," says Kwiat. "Most recently, we've got great relationships with Natalie Portman and Hillary Swank and Sienna Miller⁹."

Only the best gem stones make it to the high-end shops and onto the red carpet. Trends may vary from one country to another, whether in Moscow, London, New York or Hollywood. But, the draw is still the glitter and dazzle.

While the most glamorous jewels may be only for the super-rich, gems have a broad appeal.
　
The diamond conglomerate¹⁰ De Beers is widely credited for coining the phrase, "a diamond is forever," shown in this ad

The diamond conglomerate De Beers has been widely credited with having coined the phrase, "a diamond is forever." But De Beers spokesman Tom Tweedy says diamonds have a much longer history as sought after gems.

"It has a substance in mythology¹¹ and ancient history, where diamonds when they were first traded and mined were used as symbols of power in ancient India, and then came through what were originally the spice routes into Europe, and eventually entered into a betrothal¹² ring in 1455, they then had a symbolism that was very strong," says Tweedy.

The De Beers slogan caught on and sparked a mass market demand for lower priced diamond jewelry.

Della Tinsley of East London Design says gems should be for everyone. She says people have always used jewelry of some sort to project personality.

"We communicate through what we wear, and we always have, whether it's a feather in our hair when we were dragging antelope¹³ around, or bones through our noses and things like that," says Tinsely. "We're all saying things about ourselves when we wear jewelry."

Jewels are certainly not a necessity, but for people around the globe they hold a strong attraction. Will they ever go out of style? Della Tinsley says never.

"I hope not. I hope all people will always want shiny things," says Tinsley. "That's what makes me smile. I love shiny, pretty things."

 

1 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。

2 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

3 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

4 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

5 glamor   

n.魅力，吸引力

参考例句：

• His performance fully displayed the infinite glamor of Chinese dance.他的表演充分展示了中华舞蹈的无穷魅力。
• The glamor of the East was brought to international prominence by the Russion national school.俄罗斯民族学派使东方的魅力产生了国际性的影响。

6 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

7 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

8 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

9 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

10 conglomerate   

n.综合商社，多元化集团公司

参考例句：

• The firm has been taken over by an American conglomerate.该公司已被美国一企业集团接管。
• An American conglomerate holds a major share in the company.一家美国的大联合企业持有该公司的大部分股份。

11 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

12 betrothal   

n. 婚约, 订婚

参考例句：

• Their betrothal took place with great pomp and rejoicings. 他们举行了盛大而又欢乐的订婚仪式。
• "On the happy occasion of the announcement of your betrothal," he finished, bending over her hand. "在宣布你们订婚的喜庆日。" 他补充说，同时低下头来吻她的手。

13 antelope   

n.羚羊；羚羊皮

参考例句：

• Choosing the antelope shows that China wants a Green Olympics.选择藏羚羊表示中国需要绿色奥运。
• The tiger was dragging the antelope across the field.老虎拖着羚羊穿过原野。