Hello.
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Hello, lovely.
I'm Maria.
And my name is Rory, and we are the hosts of the IELTS Speaking for Success podcast.
The podcast aims to help you improve your speaking skills, as well as your listening skills, along the way.
We've started this podcast to give you joy, happiness and super vocabulary for your high IELTS score.
Your band nine score.
Maria, you're wearing such lovely jewelry today.
I like the earrings.
Yes.
Shall we talk about jewelry?
Jewelry?
Yes.
It's a coincidence.
Again, on this podcast.
Let's talk about jewelry, a recent IELTS speaking part one topic.
Do you like wearing jewelry?
What types?
I used to like wearing it.
I had a religious chain and this beaded bracelet.
And oh, I had a gold engagement ring as well on my finger.
But I don't wear them now because I was terrified of misplacing them.
So I got them tattooed on my ribs instead to ensure that I didn't do this.
How often do you wear jewelry?
Almost never these days, unless it's to make a statement or it's a very special occasion.
Like I said, I don't wear them now because I was living in fear of losing or misplacing them, or even them getting stolen.
Regardless of how unlikely that is, I was just trying to make sure it didn't happen 100%.
Do you wear a lot of jewellery?
I'm running out of ways to say no, because I'm scared it'll go astray.
I usually travel quite light.
So if I'm just sort of festooned in jewelry, then it's just a lot of extra faff.
And I don't really need that when I'm out and about.
Do you usually buy jewelry?
For my mum, yeah.
By contrast to me, she's really into earrings and necklaces and bracelets and everything else that falls under the umbrella of jewellery.
I don't think I've bought it for anyone else, but that's probably because all of my ideas get absorbed by the effort of thinking of gifts for my mum.
Also, hi mum, I'm on the internet.
Why do some people wear a piece of jewellery for a long time?
I imagine for some sentimental or cultural reasons.
I mean, for example, I used to wear my grandmother's engagement ring on my finger for good luck.
But most people wear engagement rings for cultural reasons, like showing that they're not on the dating market or on the dating scene.
The same thing goes for wedding rings, actually.
Have you ever given jewelry as a gift?
These questions are not terribly original, are they?
As I said before, I buy jewelry as a birthday or a Christmas present for my mum, or maybe I'll see something in a store when I'm out randomly that I think she'll quite like.
I don't often go perusing market stalls these days actually, so usually it's perfume or something like that.
But if I'm going to buy it as a gift, then it'll be my previous answer I'll need to refer you to.
Thank you, Rory, for your answers.
Hooray!
Dear listener, we do have premium episodes for you, speaking part two and three, with recent IELTS speaking topics.
This week on our premium, Rory is going to describe something he did that made him feel proud.
And in speaking part three, we are discussing feeling proud in general.
These are the new, super new IELTS speaking topics.
The links are in the description.
Do check them out, okay?
Jewelry!
Check out my rings.
Do you like my rings?
Yes, I like the rings.
Where did you get them?
You've got one on each finger and thumb, right?
Yeah.
Okay, so there's a story behind each one of these, so tell us what they are.
Oh, there is a story behind each ring.
Oh, so this one is from Peru.
This one is with diamonds, not from diamonds, but with diamonds.
Okay, gold and diamonds.
Diamonds are whose best friends?
Well, diamonds are a girl's best friend, but diamonds are also forever.
Apparently.
Yes.
This one is from Venice.
Venetian glass.
What's Venetian glass and how is that different to regular glass?
No, it's some special kind of glass that they produce only in Venice on this one island.
I don't remember the name of it.
Somewhere in Venice.
If you're Italian, let us know.
Rory, do you think that jewelry has a story?
So every jewelry piece, jewelry or jewelry piece, has a story?
I don't know if...
Every piece does, because you get some stuff that's mass produced.
All of the stuff that I've worn has been one of a kind.
But if you're going to wear it, then it probably should have a story.
Because what's the point of jewelry?
It's like an attractive adornment on a human being, and it's designed to provoke conversation and interest.
So surely there should be a story to go with it, and not just because.
One of a kind means it's not mass produced, like for everybody, but it's only like unique.
It's only one piece.
Like this handmade ring, you won't find the same ring anywhere, right?
So I prefer jewelry.
What do we say?
I prefer one of a kind jewelry pieces.
Well, you can't prefer it really, because if it's one of a kind, then you either have it or you don't.
I suppose it's better to say, like all of my jewelry is one of a kind, or all of my pieces of jewelry are one of a kind.
Yes, and jewelry is uncountable.
So, jewelry is and it's expensive.
Okay?
So, like, jewelry, it's expensive.
And jewelry, there is lots of jewelry.
And jewelry is, it's not they.
Okay?
Yeah.
Or jewelry pieces.
You can say jewelry pieces are one of a kind.
I prefer gold and diamonds.
Okay.
Nothing too expensive or extravagant then?
No, no, just like mess markets.
Just like diamonds.
Apparently, the reason that diamonds are so expensive is because they're basically controlled by a cartel.
So that artificially inflates the price of the diamonds.
You should be able to get them really cheaply.
Okay.
Rory, you mentioned beaded something.
So like a beaded bracelet.
I do.
Well, I have.
I don't wear it, but I have a beaded bracelet, which was made for us by our mutual friend, Pavel.
Hello, Pasha.
Hey!
We're advertising for you.
I don't wear it now because like I say, this thing that I got from him was one of a kind.
So I don't want to lose it.
So instead I have one of, or sorry, rather I'm getting one of the parts of it tattooed on me.
It's going to be added to a collection that I have.
And that way I will definitely not lose it.
Dear listener, so our Rory is afraid of losing his one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.
So he got them tattooed.
Where, Rory?
I got them tattooed on my ribs.
Show, show, show, show, show, show.
I am not taking my shirt off on the internet.
Why not?
These are desperate times, but no one is that desperate.
So, no.
But I do have them tattooed on my ribs, on the left side, close to my heart, where everything matters.
Oh, so sweet.
You see, Rory had them tattooed.
Or you can say like, I had a heart tattooed on my neck.
Or I had a dragon tattooed on my nose, for example.
Probably wouldn't do that for talking about jewelry.
Although, you could say, like, I had my ears pierced.
Yeah.
And going back to this bracelet.
Bracelet is this, like, no, these are pearls, but the bracelet.
Beaded.
Beaded is a little things, like...
Little things, they're like little spheres or little balls that you have.
Spheres or little balls, yeah, like little stones.
Beads.
Beads or beaded.
You can also say, I prefer beaded necklaces. beaded bracelets okay you can just google now beads b-e-a-d-s beads so these little stylish jewelry pieces Rory wears jewelry on special occasions.
All right.
What kind of special occasions?
Like Fridays?
I'm trying to think of the last time I wore anything.
I suppose family reunions and things, that's quite a special occasion.
Maybe weddings, important nights out.
I haven't done that in such a long time, though.
I'm just trying to remember the last time.
But honestly, I couldn't tell you.
It must have been... a year ago now, because that's when I got this fear of things going astray.
So I just decided I'm not running that risk anymore.
So Rory wears jewelry to make a statement.
So I have this bracelet.
I'm Lord Rory Dunkus Fergus.
One day you will remember my name and that will be a great day.
Well, either that or it will be a sign of the apocalypse anyway.
Okay, so if i wear like this, like the pearls, to make a statement like what statement i'm i like pearls?
No, it could be.
Yeah um well, i mean, the jewelry that i like the necklace and the bracelet that i wear are manufactured in russia, so you don't get them anywhere else in the world.
And with that in mind, the statement is like I'm quite original and I've been around places.
Yeah, i also kind of like wear this um ring from peru like oh, look at this, it's just like only in peru you can get these little beads, the uh red, red ones.
Yes, and There's been a shift towards using jewelry for a personal statement.
So some, you know, like fun jewelry to boost your mood or to show off the countries you've been to.
Well, I don't know.
Has there been?
Because people were wearing jewelry for religious reasons for a really long time.
Some people wear St.
Christopher pendants around their necks, if they're Catholic, to keep them safe while they're traveling.
I used to have one of them.
And I've got an Orthodox crucifix that I sometimes wear as well.
So that's been a thing for hundreds of years, hasn't it?
Rory, I've checked the recent jewelry trends.
And I'm telling you okay, you should believe me that now and I'm reading, you know, I'm reading from my research.
I'm reading from the internet.
And what could possibly go wrong?
That this being a shift towards using jewelry for a true personal statement.
Now all this, you know, like flashy jewelry, flashy like bright, like big earrings.
And they are called eye-catching earrings.
No, this one's um okay, but you know no one's.
So look at me.
Earrings are in fashion, are in the trend.
How do you know like what kind of earrings to make you look at people, or is there a specific kind?
Oh my gosh, You know like you look at a woman and she has this like huge earrings and you're like whoa.
Oh, the big hoops.
Hoops, yes.
Also hoops.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Look at me, earrings.
And also emeralds and huge chunky chains.
They're called delis.
Chains is a chain around your neck.
Chunky is like huge.
Thick.
Yeah, thick, you know.
Thick, chunky chains.
Thick.
Yeah, this is all topic-specific vocabulary that you should use when you talk about jewelry, okay?
Rovi, you said that jewelry can get misplaced.
It can get misplaced, it can go astray, it can get lost.
All of these.
It's so funny because basically all of these questions that you just asked, it's not your fault, it's the exam board's fault.
They're all basically the same.
It's like, do you wear jewelry or do you buy jewelry or wearing jewelry or jewelry as a gift?
And so you could probably see in my answers I was just like oh my God, these questions are all the same.
And you could maybe say that to the examiner.
Just like, this is not terribly original, is it?
Yeah, yeah.
And like we usually lose these little rings all the time.
Yeah, so they get misplaced.
I always kind of find my earrings.
I have like a thousand.
I don't know, jewelry pieces, maybe more.
He also said that jewelry can go astray.
Astray means the same as jewelry gets misplaced.
Yes, all of this means the same as losing it because, to be honest with you, I was losing it with these questions.
It's like I'm running out of ways to say lost, go astray, misplaced.
So, I'm scared it'll go astray.
Astray, one word.
It's jewelry, okay?
So, it will go or it goes astray.
I liked when you said, like, if I put jewelry on, I have a lot of faff or there's a lot of faff.
Yeah, I think I said if I'm festooned in jewelry.
Now festooned is just another way of saying like absolutely covered in everything.
And I can't do that.
Like, I just find it really annoying.
All I'll end up doing is just playing with it.
And that's not very good because it's not very polite when you're talking to somebody to faff around with your jewelry.
Faffing around is just fiddling with festoondas when you're covered in it.
Although, speaking of being festooned with things apparently now, maybe it's not a trend now, but it was a trend before.
In India people, some people, have shirts made of gold and lots of gold things, which I didn't know was a thing.
I thought that would be really, really uncomfortable, to be honest with you.
But it's a thing.
Dear listener, if you don't like jewelry okay, you can talk about other people you know who enjoy jewelry.
For example, my mom is into earrings.
So she's into earrings.
She likes earrings.
Or she's a fan of earrings, to be a fan of something.
So earrings... bracelets, and then you do need specific vocabulary for different types of jewelry.
So, for example, a bracelet or a bracelet could become a necklace.
Sometimes necklaces have pendants.
Roy, what does a pendant mean?
Oh, that's well.
You have the necklace that goes around the neck and then the pendant is the thing that hangs from it, right?
Tell me I'm right.
Yeah, absolutely correct.
Also, for men, you can say cufflinks.
Cufflinks.
You have a... What are cufflinks, Rory?
That's your thing.
Are cufflinks classed as jewelry?
Yes, yeah.
I thought they would be, like, just part of clothes or accessories.
No, no, no.
If they're like beautiful and if they're made with some precious stones precious stones like emeralds, like some diamonds.
So, yeah, cufflinks can be jewelry.
Mm-hmm.
What do you call this thing?
Oh, that's a brooch, right?
Yes, a brooch.
I enjoy brooches.
Yeah, careful with the spelling.
B-R-O-O-C-H.
H-E-S, brooches, and also jewelry, you can spell it in two different ways.
Now Rory is the spelling master.
Rory, what are two ways you can spell jewelry?
Am I the spelling master?
Is it with one L and with two?
Yeah, in American English, you spell jewelry like J-E-W-E-1-L-R-Y.
Okay, so both options are correct.
Jewelry pieces can have some sentimental value, so you can be personally attached to your jewelry piece.
This one is from Baku, my uh celta people.
I ran a celta course in baku and they gave me such a nice brooch as a gift.
So yeah, i'm personally attached to this piece.
Oh Rory, you used to wear your grandmother's engagement ring to show everybody you are off the market.
No, I wore it for good luck.
But people wear engagement rings.
It's basically a sign saying I'm not available.
So if you're wanting to flirt with me, then don't do that.
So I suppose in my case, it was like I wore it for good luck.
And also because it was like, I'm not interested.
So don't flirt with me.
That's why you're talking to me.
Yeah, I've heard that barmen and bartenders wear engagement rings just to show people that they are off the market in terms of dating.
Yeah, so if I wear this, I'm off the market.
That's a funny expression to be off the market, meaning I'm not available, I'm married or I'm engaged.
Dear listener, if the examiner asks you some stupid questions, you can react to these stupid questions.
And Rory said what did you say?
These questions aren't terribly original, are they?
They're not.
Like, they're basically all the same thing.
Not impressed with IELTS today.
Do you wear jewelry?
Why do you wear jewelry?
Do you buy jewelry?
And you kind of like, if you don't wear jewelry at all, like, what do you say?
So you can react to the question, right?
So these questions are not really original.
No, are not terribly original.
Are they?
Well, maybe you wouldn't say it with the upward intonation because that's like inviting an answer.
And the examiner won't be able to answer that question.
So how should you say that?
Well, these questions aren't very original, are they?
And then you move on.
Yeah, like it's a statement.
You're not asking a question, but you are just stating a fact.
Showing that you understand the questions are not original.
It's a fact.
The questions are not original.
And we are still polite.
We are not saying that, oh, these questions are stupid.
Tell us, what do you do with the markets?
You gotta peruse.
Yeah, you peruse the market.
So when you peruse something, it's like you go in and you're looking around just seeing what's there.
Maybe looking for something nice, but nothing in particular.
Perusing.
Can you peruse market stalls?
Stalls, like the places at the market.
Yes.
Thank you for perusing our answers.
Dilisna, you can give us a ring.
A ring?
No, no, no.
I mean, like, call us.
All right.
It's a joke.
Yeah, there is an expression like, give us a ring.
Like, call me.
I think it's British, right?
Yes.
Give us a ring.
Give us a ring, like, call me.
Or give me a ring, call me.
Or in one of the movies, they've cracked a joke, like, oh, give me a ring.
No, no, no, not this ring, just a ring.
Thank you very much for listening.
We love you.
We hug you.
Stay in touch and write your positive comments in the comments.
Bye, bye.
Do you like wearing jewelry?
What types?
I used to like wearing it.
I had a religious chain and this beaded bracelet.
And oh, I had a gold engagement ring as well on my finger.
But I don't wear them now because I was terrified of misplacing them.
So I got them tattooed on my ribs instead to ensure that I didn't do this.
How often do you wear jewelry?
Almost never these days, unless it's to make a statement or it's a very special occasion.
Like I said, I don't wear them now because I was living in fear of losing or misplacing them, or even them getting stolen.
Regardless of how unlikely that is, I was just trying to make sure it didn't happen 100%.
Do you wear a lot of jewellery?
I'm running out of ways to say no, because I'm scared it'll go astray.
I usually travel quite light.
So if I'm just sort of festooned in jewelry, then it's just a lot of extra faff.
And I don't really need that when I'm out and about.
Do you usually buy jewelry?
For my mum, yeah.
By contrast to me, she's really into earrings and necklaces and bracelets and everything else that falls under the umbrella of jewellery.
I don't think I've bought it for anyone else, but that's probably because all of my ideas get absorbed by the effort of thinking of gifts for my mum.
Also, hi mum, I'm on the internet.
Why do some people wear a piece of jewellery for a long time?
I imagine for some sentimental or cultural reasons.
I mean, for example, I used to wear my grandmother's engagement ring on my finger for good luck.
But most people wear engagement rings for cultural reasons, like showing that they're not on the dating market or on the dating scene.
The same thing goes for wedding rings, actually.
Have you ever given jewelry as a gift?
These questions are not terribly original, are they?
As I said before, I buy jewelry as a birthday or a Christmas present for my mum, or maybe I'll see something in a store when I'm out randomly that I think she'll quite like.
I don't often go perusing market stalls these days, actually.
So usually it's perfume or something like that.
But if I'm going to buy it as a gift, then it'll be my previous answer I'll need to refer you to.
