Chu Chen couldn't help sighing. The stone-gambling trade really was a case of seeing newcomers laugh while never hearing the old hands cry.
When the cutting machine stopped spinning, Mr. Liu excitedly and slightly shakily removed the slice that had been cut off.
A streak of green emerged from the raw stone, elegant and bright, tinged with a hint of yellow like the new leaves of a Chinese holly tree in early spring. In an instant, it refreshed the spirit, making everyone feel as though they had suddenly relaxed.
Zhang Guosheng couldn't help exclaiming, "Glass-grade yang-green jadeite. What beautiful jadeite!"
After this cut, the jadeite inside was essentially laid bare before everyone. Chu Chen estimated that it should be enough to make a nearly full-green jadeite bangle. Judging by the direction of the green band, the remaining material could also be made into three cabochons. It was fair to say that this was a huge profit.
Qian Yiyou stepped forward and said with a smile, "Mr. Liu, I'll offer two million for this rough stone. What do you think? You're an old player too, so this price definitely won't leave you at a loss."
This was already a decent price. If Qian Yiyou took it back, he wouldn't make much. He could have offered less, but jadeite of such quality was practically priceless on the market. If Mr. Liu wasn't satisfied with the price, he could sell it elsewhere, and there would be no shortage of buyers.
Mr. Liu thought for a moment, then nodded seriously. "All right, we'll do as you say, Old Qian. Two million."
Jadeite prices were generally assessed according to several factors. The first was its variety and water quality.
Jadeite's variety and water quality included its crystal quality and transparency. Combined, these were simply called "the variety and water quality of jadeite."
The variety referred to the size of the jadeite's crystal grains or the density with which the crystals were bonded together—in the jadeite trade, this was called the coarseness or fineness of the jade flesh. Water quality referred to the jadeite's transparency. Experts called highly transparent jadeite "long-water," while jadeite with poor transparency was said to have "short-water."
There were more than ten varieties and water types, including old-pit jadeite—also called old-pit glass-grade jadeite—ice-grade, water-grade, and hibiscus-grade jadeite. There were also more unusual types, such as red jadeite and violet jadeite.
The second factor was the "ground." In jadeite appraisal, the concept that people found vague yet couldn't avoid was the "ground." It mainly referred to the fineness of the jade's texture, the transparency of the jade piece, its cracks and flaws, and the condition of its impurities. It also included the characteristics of the distribution of its tone and color.
Common types of jadeite ground included glass ground, ice ground, water ground, and egg-white ground. There were others, but they needn't all be listed here.
Besides the two points above, people often mentioned whether the jadeite was "good and vibrant." This should involve four qualities: "rich, bright, pure, and harmonious." "Rich" meant deep rather than pale, like winter holly after rain. "Bright" meant fresh and vivid. "Pure" meant that it was free of mixed or corrupted colors. "Harmonious" meant that the green was evenly distributed, without variations in depth. The opposite qualities were called "pale, dull, corrupted, and mottled."
There were many other ways of describing it. Generally speaking, determining the value of a piece of jadeite was still difficult. The gemstone industry had yet to reach a common understanding or establish a unified system for classifying jadeite quality.
When jadeite was found in a rough stone, stone gamblers generally relied on relevant knowledge, market conditions, and experience to judge its value. Once it reached the price they had in mind, they could complete the deal.
After the transaction was concluded, Qian Yiyou and the others happily went to the bank to make the transfer. Everyone else gradually dispersed as well. The events of today would soon become the latest topic of discussion on Antique Street.
Chu Chen said to Zhang Guosheng, "Brother Zhang, I heard that when glass-grade jadeite is cut out, you're supposed to set off firecrackers. How come you don't seem to have any reaction at all?"
Zhang Guosheng said indifferently, "It wasn't me who cut out the glass-grade jadeite. Didn't you see that Mr. Liu didn't even bring it up?"
Chu Chen truly didn't know what to say. It was like playing a lute to a cow. He pointed at the rough stones in the cart and said, "Brother Zhang, sorry to trouble you, but could you help us cut these?"
Zhang Guosheng glanced at the rough stones. "With these rough stones, the money we'd make wouldn't even cover my labor costs."
"In that case, don't expect me to come back here to buy anything again." With that, Chu Chen pushed the cart and looked ready to leave at once.
"Don't be like that!" Zhang Guosheng quickly blocked Chu Chen, a fawning smile on his face. "I was wrong, I was wrong. I was only joking with you. I'll have the master cut them for you right away."
After saying that, Zhang Guosheng efficiently took all the rough stones out of the cart, selected one, and placed it on the stone-cutting machine. With a smile, he asked Chu Chen, "Xiao Chen, how do you want it cut?"
Seeing Zhang Guosheng's act, Chu Chen secretly laughed. Then he waved his hand grandly. "Cut it however you like."
"Got it!"
Master Wang, who was responsible for cutting the stones, had grown familiar with Chu Chen by now. He smiled and pressed the power switch. The rasping sound of the cutting machine rang in everyone's ears. On the other side, Li Guodong's rough stones had begun to be cut as well.
To be honest, it was extremely unlikely that these brick-material stones could produce jadeite, so they cut them carelessly. As a result, the stones were cut much faster. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen had been disposed of, and naturally, the outcome was exactly as everyone had expected.
On the other side, all the rough stones Li Guodong had bought had been cut through. The Goddess of Fortune had not favored him either, and he came over to Chu Chen's side with a shake of his head and a disappointed expression.
Chu Chen patted Li Guodong's shoulder in consolation. He had encountered this kind of situation many times already, and his mood would recover after a while.
At that moment, of the brick-material stones Chu Chen had bought, only the last three remained, including the one on the cutting machine. The rough stone on the machine was the worthless one he had sensed earlier.
"There's green!"
Suddenly, Master Wang cried out in surprise, and everyone crowded around.
Everyone took one look and shook their heads in disappointment. Although Chu Chen had known the condition of the rough stone from the beginning, he put on an extremely disappointed expression along with the others.
There was indeed some green in the rough stone, but it was extremely scattered and appeared only as tiny specks. It had no value whatsoever for making jewelry.
Seeing this, Master Wang also breathed a sigh of relief. If the jadeite inside this rough stone had truly been valuable, cutting it this way would have caused damage. He would have borne some responsibility, and even if he wasn't held accountable, his reputation would have suffered. In the stone-cutting trade, reputation was the most important thing.
After this unexpected situation, Master Wang had no choice but to become more cautious. He asked Chu Chen, "Xiao Chen, how do you want the next two cut?"
The next rough stone should contain no jadeite. Even so, Chu Chen marked out a thin slice on it and said, "Just cut it like this."
By then, everyone's emotions had been stirred up, and they all waited nervously for the result of the cut. But the outcome was destined to disappoint them. When Chu Chen lifted the slice from the rough stone, there wasn't even a trace of jadeite to be found. Next, they cut the rough stone into eight pieces, but the result was the same. It was genuine brick material.
The atmosphere at the scene immediately relaxed. Brick material was brick material. If it produced even a little green, that was already a blessing from heaven. How could there be so many surprises? It had to be said that human thoughts were truly complicated.
When Chu Chen marked the cutting line on the last rough stone, he was also extremely nervous. Although he knew that there was jadeite inside, and that it was worth a great deal, he had no idea where exactly it was located. He could only rely on his past experience to mark lines in the likely spots before placing the rough stone on the cutting machine.
"Wuliang Tianzun, please bless me and don't let me cut it wrong!"
Chu Chen watched the cutting machine work while muttering to himself. The greatest fear during stone cutting was choosing the wrong spot. If there was no jadeite, that was one thing, but if there was jadeite and it was damaged, even a little damage would mean a huge loss. In serious cases, losing half its value would not be unusual.
The wait was undoubtedly agonizing for Chu Chen, but he couldn't show it, lest everyone become suspicious. After the cutting was complete, Chu Chen secretly took a deep breath, then lifted the slice in one motion. Success or failure would be decided by this!
"There's green!" Li Guodong cried out. Hearing him, everyone crowded closer to take a look.
Chu Chen wasn't concerned about the part containing the jadeite. He hurriedly examined the slice in his hand. There wasn't even a trace of green on it, and his heart immediately relaxed. Today really is my lucky day.
Then Chu Chen shone a powerful flashlight at the streak of green on the rough stone. Although only a little of the green showed through, it faintly gave off a feeling of icy clarity and lustrous beauty. It should be a piece of ice-grade material.
Master Wang sighed, "I've been cutting stones for so many years, but this is the first time I've cut ice-grade material out of brick material. What a pity—it doesn't look like this piece of jadeite is very big."
Chu Chen smiled. "It's fine. Even if it isn't big, I'm already satisfied to get jadeite of this quality. I'll have to trouble you to extract it, Master Wang."
"All right!" Master Wang happily nodded. Since the jadeite wasn't large, he only needed tools to extract it from the rough stone. For an experienced craftsman like Master Wang, the process was exceptionally simple.
Before long, Master Wang skillfully extracted a piece of jadeite about the size of an adult's thumb from the rough stone.
At a glance, its green was pleasing to the eye. Its color was uniform throughout, and its texture was clear and translucent. A hint of yellow ran through the green, making it look like a green apple. Even without polishing, its brilliance could not be concealed.
"What a beautiful piece of ice-grade apple-green jadeite! Xiao Chen, your luck is incredible!" Zhang Guosheng looked at the jadeite and sighed.
"Although this piece of jadeite is small, it's just the right size to carve into an exquisite pendant. The base is good too. Xiao Chen, you've made a huge profit," Li Guodong said enviously.
Zhang Guosheng smiled warmly at Chu Chen. "Xiao Chen, what are you planning to do with this piece of jadeite?"
Chu Chen pretended to be troubled. "Ah, I don't know whether I should keep it for myself or sell it."
"Selling it would be best. Money is only reassuring when it's in your own pocket, don't you think?" Zhang Guosheng urged impatiently.
Before you continue