It is more precious than emeralds and dearer than fine opals.

它比绿宝石和蛋白石更珍贵。

So this is an opal from Australia which is where a lot of the great opals come from.

这是一种来自澳大利亚的蛋白石，许多很棒的蛋白石都来自澳大利亚。

Like quartz, opal is made of silica.

同石英一样，欧泊由二氧化硅组成。

So you've got, opals are made up with these little spheres of silica.

你可以看到，蛋白石是由这些小硅石球组成的。

The tiny, mesmerizing percentage we call precious opals have regions where silica beads of uniform size form orderly arrays.

有极小比例的珍贵蛋白石会在部分区域中有大小一致的矽珠形成整齐的阵列。

These tiny spheres scatter light, giving opal its characteristic rainbow sheen.

这些小球状体分散了光线，赋予了欧泊最具特色的五彩光泽。

The vast majority of the time, this structure is haphazard, resulting in common, or potch, opals with unremarkable exteriors.

产生出普通无彩的蛋白石，只有平凡的外观。

Some of these experts include the opal as a fifth precious stone while others consider the pearl in this class.

其中有些专家把猫眼石列为第五种宝石，而有些专家则认为珍珠才是第五种宝石。

That porous material that was the bone got filled in with little spheres, opal, basically.

骨头的多孔材料被填充了小球体，基本上是蛋白石。

Farintosh, said he. Ah yes, I recall the case; it was concerned with an opal tiara.

法林托歇，他说，啊，是的，我想起了那个案子，是一件和猫儿眼宝石女冠冕有关的案子。

Bits of silica settled into the gel and then grew into the spheres that make up opal.

少量二氧化硅沉淀在凝胶中，之后成长为构成欧泊的球状体。

Nearer at hand, they are like huge blocks of purest marble inlaid with pearl and opal gems.

近了看则像是很多块镶着珍珠和蛋白石的光洁无比的的大理石。

And in rare cases, petrified wood, shells, teeth, and even bones of extinct organisms are made of opal.

在极少数情况下，木变石、贝壳、牙齿甚至是灭绝生物的骨骼都形成了欧泊。

One of the most famous specimens is a pliosaur nicknamed Eric, an almost-complete marine reptile preserved in opal.

最著名的范本之一便是一只昵称叫埃里克的上龙，这是一只几乎完好保存在欧泊内部的海洋爬行动物。

The Halley's Comet opal is a marvel, but its uniqueness is, paradoxically, the most usual thing about it.

哈雷慧星蛋白石是个奇迹，但矛盾的是，它的独特性正是它最寻常之处。

Harry saw him give a small wave, and looking around, saw Madame Maxime return it, her opals glittering in the candlelight.

哈利看见海格挥了挥手，他扭过头，看见马克西姆夫人也朝海格挥手致意，她的蛋白石饰品在烛光下熠熠闪亮。

She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.

她从头到脚裹着一件黑锻子衣服，脖子上和粗大的手指上都闪耀着许多华贵的蛋白石。

It was there that the Halley's Comet opal formed some 100 million years ago.

哈雷慧星蛋白石就是一亿年前左右在那里形成的。

'As a diamond kills an opal in the same setting'.

“就像钻石在相同的环境中杀死蛋白石一样”。

It's there that an opal begins its life as something surprisingly abundant: water.

蛋白石出人意料地诞生于一种随处可见的资源当中——水。