ANTWERP, Belgium, Oct 9 (Reuters Life!) - The biggest diamond to be found in 13 years, the "Lesotho Promise," was sold on Monday at auction for more than $12 million and is expected to fetch in excess of $20 million once it is cut up.
这颗名为“莱索托的承诺”的钻石是近13年来所发现的大的钻石。周一，它在拍卖会上卖出了1200万美元的价格，而一旦被切割后，它的价格估计会突破2000万美元。
The 603-carat (120 gram) diamond, named after the tiny African mountain kingdom where it was found, went under the hammer at the Antwerp Diamond Center and was sold to the South African Diamond Corporation, owner of luxury jewellers Graff.
这颗钻石的名字源于它的发现地——非洲的一座小山。这颗重达603克拉（约合120克）的钻石在安特卫普钻石中心被卖给了奢侈珠宝品牌格拉夫所属的南非钻石公司。
The 10th largest white diamond ever to be found, it will be cut into a large heart-shaped diamond and several smaller stones which will then be sold. The uncut diamond is a third bigger than a golf ball.
这颗目前世界排名第10的白色钻石将被切割成一大颗心形钻石和数颗小钻石出售。这颗尚未切割的钻石比一只高尔夫球还要大三分之一。
Johnny Kneller from the South African Diamond Corporation said that once it was cut up, he expected to sell the stones for a third more than the auction price.
来自南非钻石公司的员工约翰尼·科内尔表示，一旦钻石被切割后，他希望它的总价能比在拍卖行里卖出的价格再高出三分之一。
"We can't say for sure but we hope it's going to fetch over $20 million," Kneller said.
科内尔说：“我们不能肯定地说，但我们希望它能卖出超过2000万美元的价格。”
The biggest rough diamond ever found was the Cullinan at 3,106 carats, while the second largest, the Excelsior, was 995 carats. Both were found in South Africa.
世界上发现的大的未加工钻石是重达3106克拉的古林南，而第二大的是重达955克拉的伊克赛索尔。这两颗钻石均在南非被发现。
The Lesotho diamond was found at the Letseng Diamond Mine high in the mountains of the tiny nation which is surrounded by South Africa, by a woman who was sorting through the rocks.
这颗莱索托钻石是被位于南非境内小国莱索托山上的Letseng钻石矿中一位捡矿石的妇女发现的。
"She started screaming and all the staff thought she had been electrocuted," said Clifford Elphick, head of Gem Diamond Mining, which owns 70 percent of the mine.
拥有该钻石矿70％股权的负责人克里福德·埃菲克说：“她尖叫着，以至于所有的人都以为她触电了。”
He said he was very pleased with the price that the gem had fetched.
他说，这颗钻石拍出的价格让他非常高兴。
（国际在线教育专稿 蒋黎黎） |
