Sierra Leone sold one of the world’s largest uncut diamonds for $6.5 million at a New York auction on Monday to raise funds for development projects in the West African country.
獅子山共和國週一在紐約一場拍賣會上，以650萬美元售出全球最大未切割鑽石的其中一顆，為這個西非國家的發展計畫籌措資金。
The egg-sized gem － known as the"Peace Diamond" － was bought by British luxury jeweler Laurence Graff, said Martin Rapaport, chairman of Rapaport Group, a network of diamond companies that managed the auction.
這個尺寸如雞蛋，被稱為「和平鑽石」的寶石，由英國精品珠寶商勞倫斯．格拉夫買走，處理這次拍賣的「雷朋博集團」主席馬丁．雷朋博說。該集團是由多家鑽石公司組成的網絡。
"One hundred percent of the value of this diamond, of the auction sale of this diamond, is going to go to the government and the people of Sierra Leone. Never before has this happened," Rapaport told reporters.
雷朋博告訴記者，「這個鑽石的100%價值、100%拍賣銷售，將歸於獅子山共和國的政府與民眾。此事前所未有。」
The gem was unearthed in March in Sierra Leone’s eastern Kono region by a Christian pastor who gave it to the government to handle the sale.
這顆寶石3月在獅子山共和國東部科諾區被一名基督教牧師發現，他把它交給政府來處理買賣事宜。
The United Nations lifted a ban on diamond exports from Sierra Leone in 2003, though the $113 million sector is plagued by smuggling.
聯合國2003年解除獅子山共和國鑽石出口禁令，雖然這個高達1.13億美元的行業為走私行為所苦。
Diamonds fueled a decade-long civil war in Sierra Leone, ending in 2002, in which rebels forced civilians to mine the stones and bought weapons with the proceeds, leading to the term “blood diamonds.”
鑽石引燃獅子山共和國長達10年內戰戰火，2002年才結束，叛軍在那段時期強迫老百姓開採這些寶石，然後拿收益買武器，造就「血鑽石」一詞。
Source article: http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1158743