Shadowing Practice: Why Diamond Prices Are Falling So Fast - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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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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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Why Diamond Prices Are Falling So Fast”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: diamond, lab, grown, natural, stone. This video has 50 sentences and 667 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:15. The speaker talks at a natural 157 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 76% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| carat noun | /ˈkæ.ɹət/ | A metric unit of mass equal to exactly 200 mg, chiefly used for measuring precious stones and pearls. |
| pivot noun | /ˈpɪv.ɪt/ | A thing on which something turns; specifically a metal pointed pin or short shaft in machinery, such as the end of an axle or spindle. |
| unlimited adjective | /ʌnˈlɪm.ɪ.tɪd/ | Limitless or without bounds; unrestricted. |
| culprit noun | /ˈkʌlpɹɪt/ | The person or thing at fault for a problem or crime. |
| geopolitical adjective | Of or relating to geopolitics. | |
| jeweler noun | /ˈd͡ʒuːələ(ɹ)/ | A person whose job is making, repairing or selling jewelry. |
| lightbox noun | A box containing a source of light and a white, translucent cover, used to view photographic transparencies. | |
| pandora noun | Any fish of the genus Pagellus. | |
| plunge verb | /plʌnd͡ʒ/ | To thrust into liquid, or into any penetrable substance; to immerse. |
| resale noun | /ˈriˌseɪl/ | Sale of something previously bought. |
| scarcity noun | /ˈskɛɹsɪti/ | The condition of something being scarce or deficient. |
| stabilization noun | /ˌsteɪ.bəl.ɪzˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The process of stabilizing. |
| streamline verb | /ˈstriːmlaɪn/ | To design and construct the contours of a vehicle etc. so as to offer the least resistance to its flow through a fluid. |
| tariff noun | /ˈtæɹəf/ | A system of government-imposed duties levied on imported or exported goods; a list of such duties, or the duties themselves. |
| footprint noun | /ˈfʊtpɹɪnt/ | The impression of the foot in a soft substance such as sand or snow. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| shut down verb | To close, terminate, or end; to stop operating, either permanently or temporarily. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are created · being cut · can be produced |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has plunged · have surged · has driven |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, don't, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: stabilization /ˌsteɪ.bəl.ɪzˈeɪ.ʃən/, flagship /ˈflæɡʃɪp/, fraction /ˈfɹæk.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: unlimited /ʌnˈlɪm.ɪ.tɪd/, stabilization /ˌsteɪ.bəl.ɪzˈeɪ.ʃən/, subsidiary /sʌbˈsɪ.di.əɹ.i/, uncertainty /ʌnˈsɜːtənti/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like carat, pivot, unlimited.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.