シャドーイング練習: Why Diamond Prices Are Falling So Fast - 動画で英語スピーキングを学ぶ
レッスンを作成中...
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The price of natural diamonds has plunged roughly 60 % in five years,
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falling from an all -time high of about $10 ,000 for a one -carat diamond in March 2022.
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The main culprit?
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A boom in lab -grown alternatives.
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Entering the market at a fraction of the cost, man -made diamonds have surged in popularity over the last few years.
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While buyers save thousands of dollars, the shift is changing the fabric of the traditional diamond market and raising questions about the future of the centuries -old industry.
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Lab -grown diamonds are created by placing small diamond seeds into a vacuum chamber with carbon -rich gases.
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Under controlled heat and pressure, the seed grows layer by layer before being cut and polished.
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They look just like natural diamonds and have the same chemical and physical properties, but because they can be produced in unlimited quantities,
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lab -grown stones sell for far less than natural diamonds.
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This price difference has driven an enormous shift in consumer habits.
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In 2026, lab -grown stones, including diamonds, accounted for 61 % of all U .S engagement ring sales.
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That's a 239 % increase since 2020.
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A diamond, it's a carbon, precious stone, scarcity, it's a rare stone.
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Now, this is a product that is produced in a factory.
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There's unlimited supply.
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Retailers have noticed.
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Pandora, a Danish retail jeweler with stores in more than 100 countries, completely stopped using mine diamonds in 2021,
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pivoting exclusively to 100 % lab -grown stones.
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We see today, we understand that around 60 or 70 percent of engagement rings are synthetic diamonds, not natural diamonds.
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Beyond the price tag, lab -grown diamonds have other benefits, too.
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A one -carat lab -grown diamond has a carbon footprint 90 percent lower than a mined diamond of the same size.
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Natural diamonds also carry a complicated history.
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Conflict diamonds mined in war zones once represented about 4 percent of global production.
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The Kimberley process came into force in 2003, an attempt to stop the trade, but there is a catch.
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Lab -grown diamonds might not have the same resale value as a natural diamond does.
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You shouldn't be buying a diamond thinking that there's a financial investment to it.
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And all they write back every single time is that you get no value back on your lab -grown diamond, right?
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All right, well, guess what?
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You know, surprise, you don't get any value back on your natural either.
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To understand how deep this crisis goes, you have to look at where diamonds come from.
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As of 2025, more than 85 % of global diamond mining happens in just five countries.
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Russia, Botswana, Angola, Canada, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Between geopolitical uncertainty, excess inventory of polished diamonds, and higher tariffs on diamond imports from India, the biggest players in the industry are being forced to pivot.
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De Beers Group, a subsidiary of Anglo -American, announced it would pause production at its flagship Phoenicia mine in South Africa for over two years to cut costs
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and streamline operations.
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The diamond company also briefly opened and shut down its very own lab -grown diamond brand.
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Lightbox was launched in 2018 with the plan to price its stones at $800 per carat.
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The business closed seven years later after lab -grown diamond prices fell 90 % at the wholesale level.
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And De Beers isn't alone.
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Russia's state -owned Alrosa, which counts for about 30 % of global diamond production, reported a decline in production between 2023 and 2025.
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So where does that leave the market?
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Have natural diamond prices finally hit rock bottom?
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According to Mano, Rappaport's diamond research shows signs of stabilization.
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I believe and our organization believes that we are around rock bottom and things are starting to shift.
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I think the pricing is extremely fair right now.
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The big thing that consumers see is kids walking around with five carat diamonds right
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and now they're able to do so you know
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and able to afford it and then you know able to take the extra money
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that they didn't spend on the five carrot natural and, you know, put it towards their wedding and buy a house.
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このレッスンの語彙とスピーキングのポイント
このB2レベルのスピーキングレッスンは、動画「Why Diamond Prices Are Falling So Fast」を教材にしています。 繰り返し出てくる語は次のとおりです：diamond, lab, grown, natural, stone。 この動画には、シャドーイング用の文が50文、単語が667語あります。 音声の長さは4:15です。 話す速さは1分あたり約157語で、日常会話に近い自然なペースです。 英語の頻出3,000語に含まれる単語は76%だけなので、語彙は難しめです。
この動画の重要語彙
動画の中で特に難しい単語15語を、発音と意味つきで紹介します。
| 単語 | 発音 | 意味 |
|---|---|---|
| carat 名詞 | /ˈkæ.ɹət/ | カラット |
| pivot 名詞 | /ˈpɪv.ɪt/ | ピボット, 枢 |
| unlimited 形容詞 | /ʌnˈlɪm.ɪ.tɪd/ | 果てしない, 無限の |
| culprit 名詞 | /ˈkʌlpɹɪt/ | 犯人 |
| jeweler 名詞 | /ˈd͡ʒuːələ(ɹ)/ | 宝石商 |
| resale 名詞 | /ˈriˌseɪl/ | 転売 |
| stabilization 名詞 | /ˌsteɪ.bəl.ɪzˈeɪ.ʃən/ | 安定化 |
| tariff 名詞 | /ˈtæɹəf/ | 関税 |
| footprint 名詞 | /ˈfʊtpɹɪnt/ | 足跡 |
| carrot 名詞 | /ˈkæɹət/ | ニンジン, 人参 |
| retailer 名詞 | /ˈɹiteɪlɚ/ | 小売商人 |
| flagship 名詞 | /ˈflæɡʃɪp/ | 旗艦 |
| surge 名詞 | /sɝd͡ʒ/ | サージ |
| fraction 名詞 | /ˈfɹæk.ʃən/ | 断片 |
| wholesale 名詞 | /ˈhoʊlseɪl/ | 卸売 |
動画に出てくる句動詞
| 単語 | 意味 |
|---|---|
| shut down 動詞 | シャットダウン |
この動画の文法
話し手がよく使っている文型を、動画の実際の表現とともに紹介します。
| 文型 | 動画での表現 |
|---|---|
| 受動態 be + 過去分詞 — 誰がするかより、何が起きるかに焦点を当てる | are created · being cut · can be produced |
| 現在完了形 have/has + 過去分詞 — 過去の出来事が今も関係している | has plunged · have surged · has driven |
注意したい発音
話し手はdidn't, don't, isn'tなど、短縮形や弱形を5回使っています。聞こえたとおりの短い形で発音しましょう。
- 「sh」と「zh」の音: stabilization /ˌsteɪ.bəl.ɪzˈeɪ.ʃən/, flagship /ˈflæɡʃɪp/, fraction /ˈfɹæk.ʃən/
- 長い単語（アクセントの位置に注意）: unlimited /ʌnˈlɪm.ɪ.tɪd/, stabilization /ˌsteɪ.bəl.ɪzˈeɪ.ʃən/, subsidiary /sʌbˈsɪ.di.əɹ.i/, uncertainty /ʌnˈsɜːtənti/
この動画での練習方法
- まず声を出さずに動画を最後まで聞き、知らない単語をメモします。
- まず0.75倍速で一文ずつシャドーイングし、慣れてきたら通常の速度に戻します。
- 自分の声を録音して元の音声と比べます。carat, pivot, unlimitedなどの単語に特に注意しましょう。
シャドーイングとは？英語上達に効果的な理由
シャドーイング（Shadowing）は、もともとプロの通訳者養成プログラムで開発された言語学習法で、多言語習得者として知られるDr. Alexander Arguelles によって広く普及されました。方法はシンプルですが非常に効果的：ネイティブスピーカーの英語を聞きながら、1〜2秒の遅延で声に出してすぐに繰り返す——まるで「影（shadow）」のように話者を追いかけます。文法ドリルや受動的なリスニングと異なり、シャドーイングは脳と口の筋肉が同時にリアルタイムで英語を処理・再現することを強制します。研究により、発音精度、抑揚、リズム、連音、リスニング力、そして会話の流暢さが大幅に向上することが確認されています。IELTSスピーキング対策や自然な英語コミュニケーションを目指す方に特におすすめです。