俄罗斯最昂贵的钻石将在网上拍卖

Russia’s Most Expensive Diamonds to Be Sold Online

A mining company has announced plans to sell a collection of what it says are the most valuable diamonds ever cut in Russia.

The largest in the collection is a 51.38-carat round cut diamond. It was produced by Russia’s Alrosa company as part of a special collection called Dynasty.

The state-run Alrosa said the five-piece collection was named after the Romanov dynasty, which ruled Russia for 300 years. It is also meant to honor Russian ruler Peter the Great, who built the city of St. Petersburg. The company said Peter the Great started the country’s first diamond factory early in the 18th century.

Alrosa calls the biggest piece “the purest of all large diamonds manufactured throughout Russian jewelry¹ history.” The 51.38-carat diamond is 2.5 centimeters in diameter.

The Dynasty collection was created from one 179-carat rough diamond discovered in 2015 in Russia’s far eastern republic of Sakha. It took a team more than a year and a half to complete the five polished diamonds.

The project marked progress for Alrosa. The company is known for discovering rough diamonds, but not cutting and polishing them. It said the process “combined modern technologies with the secrets of jewelers of the Russian Imperial² Court.”

Russia is considered the largest diamond producer in the world. Alrosa and British-based diamond company De Beers produce about half of the world's rough diamonds.

Alrosa’s president said at a launch event in Moscow that the collection is expected to go on sale as a set in an online auction³ in November.

The company expects to get at least $10 million for the diamonds, which are currently⁴ being shown in Moscow.

The collection will also travel to Israel, Hong Kong and the United States to give possible buyers the chance to get a close look.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

carat – n. unit for measuring the weight of jewels and the purity⁵ level of gold

diamond – n. extremely hard, clear stone that is very valuable and often used in jewelry

dynasty – n. a series of rulers from the same family

polish – v. rub something to make it smooth and shiny

auction – n. public sale at which things are sold to people who offer the most money

1 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。

2 imperial   

adj.帝王的，至尊的；n.特等品

参考例句：

• They made an objection to the imperial system with resolution.他们坚决反对帝制。
• The Prince Imperial passed away last night.皇太子昨晚去世了。

3 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

4 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

5 purity   

n.纯净，纯洁，纯度

参考例句：

• She was a woman of purity and goodness.她是一位纯洁善良的妇女。
• The white colour is a symbol of purity.白色是纯洁的象征。