VOA常速英语2007年-More American Jewelry Stores Banning Burmese Ge

By Kane Farabaugh
New York City
21 November 2007
 

The sale of Burmese gems² has become the target of a growing boycott³ following the violent crackdown of pro-democracy protesters in Burma in September.  While Burma's ruling military government holds another gem¹ auction⁴, the market for those precious stones is getting smaller.  As VOA's Kane Farabaugh reports from New York, more and more jewelry⁵ retailers⁶ in America are refusing to sell Burmese gems.

The people who mine them call the coloring of these precious stones "pigeon-blood" red.

Thomas Moses, who works for the Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, knows the value and uniqueness of these gems, which come from only one place in the world. "Historically, Burma rubies⁷ were one of the most sought after gems in the gem and mineral kingdom," he tells us.

Throughout the years, Moses says, Burma was generally not a major exporter of the precious rubies.  That changed in 1991 when a new deposit was discovered in the eastern part of the country. "Burma today is probably the largest producer of commercial quality rubies that are in the marketplace."

A 2003 law bans the sale of Burmese gems in America.  But a loophole in the law has kept those gems in the marketplace says Peggy Jo Donahue of the Jewelers of America. "As long as a gem is cut in Thailand, for example, or in India, it is not considered a product anymore of Burma.  Technically⁸ I guess you could say Burmese gems legally could be here if they were cut and polished in a different place," she says.

The Jewelers of America felt that the loophole did not follow the spirit of the legislation, designed to keep money from the sale of those gems out of the hands of the Burmese military government.  They also discovered many jewelers knew little about the ban.

"I spoke⁹ to jewelers who never knew of a Burmese ban of any kind,” says Donahue. “Our consciousness was raised as an industry by the events that we saw taking place in August and September, and then the sense that we had that gemstones that we knew came from Burma, therefore we needed to do something about it."

The Jewelers of America now educates its members, encouraging them to support the ban by not selling the gems in their stores.

Tiffany and Company as well as Cartier are two of several major jewelers that have signed on to the effort.  First lady Laura Bush, an outspoken¹⁰ critic of the Burmese government, issued a statement last week applauding companies who support the ban.

As more jewelers sign on, demand increases to identify the origin of rubies in the marketplace.  It's a service Donna Beaton with the GIA helps provide to customers. "There's a hierarchy¹¹ of value that has been established in the trade already, so people want to know where it comes from hoping it comes from a premiere source. So in the case of rubies, Burma is a premiere source," says Beaton.

Since the need to verify the origin now goes beyond just the value of the gem, GIA uses the latest technology to leave little doubt as to where a ruby¹² in question comes from.

Wuyi Wang is a Research Project Manager with GIA.  He uses high-powered lasers to cut microscopic¹³ pieces of a gem, which is then used to determine its chemistry. "You will see some difference between Burmese rubies and rubies from other locations, like from Vietnam for example,” he explains. “There are quite systematic¹⁴ differences, either gemological features including color, inclusions, as well as their chemistry."

GIA expects an even greater demand for its services if further legislation banning the import of gems, regardless of where they were cut or polished, becomes law.  That legislation is currently under consideration in the U.S. Congress.

1 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

2 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

3 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

4 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。

5 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。

6 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

7 rubies   

红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色

参考例句：

• a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls 缠着珍珠的红宝石项链
• The crown was set with precious jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 王冠上镶嵌着稀世珍宝—有钻石、红宝石、绿宝石。

8 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

11 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

12 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

13 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

14 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。