Shadowing Practice: Why Diamond Prices Are Falling So Fast - Learn English Speaking with Video
Les maken...
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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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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze spreekles op niveau B2 is gebaseerd op de video “Why Diamond Prices Are Falling So Fast”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: diamond, lab, grown, natural, stone. Deze video bevat 50 zinnen en 667 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 4:15. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 157 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. Slechts 76% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden, dus de woordenschat is pittig.
Belangrijke woorden in deze video
De 15 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| carat zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈkæ.ɹət/ | karaat |
| culprit zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈkʌlpɹɪt/ | schuldige, dader |
| jeweler zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈd͡ʒuːələ(ɹ)/ | juwelier |
| resale zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈriˌseɪl/ | doorverkoop, wederverkoop |
| scarcity zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈskɛɹsɪti/ | schaarste |
| tariff zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈtæɹəf/ | tarief, douanerecht |
| footprint zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈfʊtpɹɪnt/ | voetafdruk |
| carrot zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈkæɹət/ | wortel, peen |
| retailer zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈɹiteɪlɚ/ | middenstander |
| flagship zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈflæɡʃɪp/ | vlaggenschip |
| surge zelfstandig naamwoord | /sɝd͡ʒ/ | golf, stortzee |
| synthetic bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /sɪnˈθɛtɪk/ | synthetisch |
| fraction zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈfɹæk.ʃən/ | fractie |
| wholesale zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈhoʊlseɪl/ | groothandel |
| pause zelfstandig naamwoord | /pɔːz/ | pauze |
Phrasal verbs die je zult horen
| Woord | Betekenis |
|---|---|
| shut down werkwoord | afsluiten, uitzetten |
Grammatica in deze video
De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:
| Structuur | In de video |
|---|---|
| Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet | are created · being cut · can be produced |
| Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt | has plunged · have surged · has driven |
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 5 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals didn't, don't, isn't. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- De klanken “sh” en “zh”: stabilization /ˌsteɪ.bəl.ɪzˈeɪ.ʃən/, flagship /ˈflæɡʃɪp/, fraction /ˈfɹæk.ʃən/
- Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: unlimited /ʌnˈlɪm.ɪ.tɪd/, stabilization /ˌsteɪ.bəl.ɪzˈeɪ.ʃən/, subsidiary /sʌbˈsɪ.di.əɹ.i/, uncertainty /ʌnˈsɜːtənti/
Zo oefen je met deze video
- Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
- Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
- Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als carat, culprit, jeweler.
Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?
Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.