Gambling on Stones (Part 2)

Chu Chen couldn't help but sigh, the business of gambling on stones truly sees new faces smiling while old ones weep.

When the cutting machine stopped spinning, Mr. Liu, with an excited heart, trembled slightly as he lifted the cut stone slice.

Within the raw stone, a touch of green appeared, elegant and bright, with a hint of yellow, like the new leaves of a yellow-green tree in early spring. It instantly refreshed the soul, making one feel relaxed.

Zhang Guosheng couldn't help but exclaim, "Glass-type yellow-green jade, truly excellent jadeite!"

After this cut, the jadeite inside was basically revealed to everyone. Chu Chen estimated that a nearly full jadeite bracelet could be made from it. Looking at the trend of the green color, the remaining parts could be made into three ring faces. It could be considered a huge success.

Qian Yiyou stepped forward and smiled at Mr. Liu, saying, "Mr. Liu, I'll offer two million for this rough stone, what do you say? You're an old player, this price definitely won't let you lose money."

This price was already quite good. If Qian Yiyou took it back, he wouldn't make too much profit. Although he could offer a lower price, with such excellent jadeite, it was practically priceless in the market. If the price didn't satisfy Mr. Liu, he could sell it elsewhere, and there would be plenty of buyers.

Mr. Liu thought for a moment, then nodded seriously, "Alright, as Old Qian says, two million."

The price appraisal of jadeite generally has several factors. The first is the jadeite's type and clarity.

The jadeite's type and clarity include the jadeite's texture and its transparency. The combination of the two is simply called "jadeite's type and clarity."

The jadeite's texture refers to the fineness of the jadeite crystals or the density of their combination (called the fineness of the jade meat in the jadeite industry). The jadeite's clarity refers to its transparency. High transparency is called long clarity by experts, while poor transparency is called short clarity.

Jadeite types and clarity include old pit glass type (also called old pit glass type), ice type, water type, hibiscus type, and more than ten other types. Additionally, there are special jades like red jadeite and lavender jadeite.

The second is the "base." The concept that is vague yet unavoidable in jadeite appraisal is the "base." The "base" mainly refers to the fineness of the jade material, the transparency of the jade piece, the condition of cracks and impurities, and also incorporates the characteristics of the color tone and distribution.

Common bases in jadeite include glass base, ice base, water base, egg white base, and so on. Others will not be listed here.

In addition to the above two points, people often mention "good jadeite color." "Good jadeite color" should have the four characteristics of "rich, bright, pure, and harmonious." "Rich" means rich and not light, like winter green after rain. "Bright" means vibrant and luminous. "Pure" means no miscellaneous colors or unusual colors mixed in. "Harmonious" means the green is evenly distributed without variations in depth. Conversely, it is called "light, dim, impure, mottled."

There are other various sayings. In general, determining the value of a piece of jadeite is still somewhat difficult. There is no common understanding in the gem industry, and no unified plan for classifying jadeite quality.

When jadeite is found in rough stones, gamblers on stones generally rely on relevant knowledge, market conditions, and experience to judge its value. Once it reaches their psychological price, a transaction can be made.

After reaching an agreement, Qian Yiyou and the others excitedly went to the bank to transfer the money, while everyone else dispersed. They believed that today's scene would soon become the talk of the antique street.

Chu Chen said to Zhang Guosheng, "Brother Zhang, since we found glass-type jadeite, shouldn't we set off firecrackers according to the rules? Why aren't you reacting at all?"

Zhang Guosheng said nonchalantly, "It wasn't me who cut the glass-type jadeite, and you didn't see Mr. Liu mention anything about it."

Chu Chen really didn't know what to say, feeling like he was talking to a brick wall. So, he pointed to the rough stones in the cart and said, "Brother Zhang, please cut them for us."

Zhang Guosheng glanced at the rough stones and said, "The money earned from these rough stones isn't even enough to cover my labor costs."

"Fine, then don't expect me to buy anything here from you again." With that, Chu Chen pushed the cart, looking like he was about to leave.

"Don't do that!" Zhang Guosheng blocked Chu Chen, a fawning smile on his face. "I was wrong, I was wrong. I was just joking with you. I'll have the master cut them for you right away."

With that, Zhang Guosheng nimbly took all the rough stones out of the cart, then selected one and placed it on the cutting machine, asking Chu Chen with a smile, "Xiao Chen, how do you want me to cut it?"

Chu Chen secretly chuckled at Zhang Guosheng's behavior and waved his hand grandly, "Cut it however you want."

"Alright!"

Master Wang, who was responsible for cutting the stones, was also familiar with Chu Chen. He smiled and pressed the power switch. The "sizzling" sound of the cutting machine filled everyone's ears. On the other side, Li Guodong's rough stones also began to be cut.

To be honest, it was highly unlikely that these brick materials would yield any jadeite, so they were cut carelessly. This greatly sped up the cutting process, and in the blink of an eye, over ten pieces were processed, with results that were, as expected, disappointing.

On the other side, all the rough stones Li Guodong had bought had been cut. Similarly, Lady Luck had not favored him. Shaking his head, he dejectedly came over to Chu Chen's side.

Chu Chen patted Li Guodong's shoulder comfortingly. He had experienced this situation many times before; he would recover his spirits in a while.

At this moment, among the brick materials Chu Chen had bought, including the one on the cutting machine, there were only three pieces left. The rough stone on the cutting machine was the one he had previously sensed had no value.

"There's green!"

Suddenly, Master Wang exclaimed, and everyone gathered around.

Upon seeing it, everyone was disappointed and shook their heads. Although Chu Chen already knew the condition of the rough stone, he still put on a very disappointed expression along with everyone else.

This rough stone wasn't entirely without green, but the green was very scattered and patchy, making it impossible to create any ornaments.

Seeing this, Master Wang also breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that if the jadeite in this rough stone had value, cutting it this way would incur losses, and he would bear some responsibility. Even if he wasn't responsible, his reputation would be damaged, and reputation was the most important thing in the stone-cutting business.

Given this unexpected situation, Master Wang had to be cautious. He asked Chu Chen, "Xiao Chen, how do you want to cut the next two pieces?"

According to the sequence, the next rough stone should not contain any jadeite. However, Chu Chen still drew a thin slice on the rough stone and said, "Cut it like this."

At this moment, everyone's emotions were heightened, and they all waited anxiously for the result of the cut. However, the result was destined to disappoint everyone. When Chu Chen revealed the cut slice, there was no sign of jadeite at all. Then, the rough stone was cut into eight large pieces, and it was the same for all of them – genuine brick material.

Suddenly, the atmosphere at the scene relaxed. Brick material was just brick material. Finding even a little green was considered a stroke of luck. How could there be so many surprises? One had to admit that people's thoughts were truly complex.

As Chu Chen drew the cutting line on the last piece of rough stone, his heart was also very uneasy. Although he knew there was valuable jadeite inside, he didn't know its exact location. He could only rely on his past experience to draw lines in possible areas, and then place the rough stone on the cutting machine.

"Infinite Buddha, please bless me not to cut it wrong!"

Chu Chen muttered as he watched the cutting machine cut. The most feared thing during stone cutting was cutting in the wrong place. If there was no jadeite, it would be fine, but if there was jadeite and it was damaged, even a small amount of damage would be a huge loss. In severe cases, it wouldn't be surprising to lose half of its value.

The waiting period was undoubtedly agonizing for Chu Chen, but he couldn't show it, lest he arouse suspicion from the crowd. After the cutting was completed, Chu Chen took a deep breath and then quickly revealed the cut slice. Success or failure depended on this!

"There's green!" Li Guodong exclaimed. Hearing the exclamation, everyone crowded around to look.

Chu Chen wasn't concerned about the part with jadeite. He quickly looked at the slice in his hand. It didn't even have a trace of green on it, and he immediately felt relieved, thinking to himself, "Today is truly a lucky day."

Then, Chu Chen shone a high-powered flashlight on the touch of green on the rough stone. Although only a small part of the green was visible, it vaguely gave a feeling of pure and lustrous ice. It should be an ice-type material.

Master Wang sighed, "I've cut stones for so many years, and this is the first time I've cut an ice-type material from brick material. It's a shame that this piece of jadeite doesn't seem to be very large."

Chu Chen smiled, "It's fine. Even if it's not large, I'm already very satisfied to have cut jadeite of this quality. Please trouble Master Wang to extract it."

"Alright!" Master Wang nodded happily in agreement. Since the jadeite wasn't large, it only needed tools to be extracted from the "rough" stone. This process was exceptionally simple for the experienced Master Wang.

Before long, Master Wang skillfully extracted a piece of jadeite about the size of an adult's thumb from the "rough" stone.

At first glance, the green color was delightful. It was uniformly colored throughout, with a clear texture. The green had a slight yellowish tint, resembling a green apple. Even without polishing, its brilliance could not be hidden.

"What a fine piece of ice type apple green jadeite! Xiao Chen, you're truly lucky!" Zhang Guosheng exclaimed, looking at the jadeite.

"Although this piece of jadeite is small, it's perfect for carving an exquisite pendant. The base is also good. Xiao Chen, you've struck it rich," Li Guodong said enviously.

Zhang Guosheng smiled warmly and said gently to Chu Chen, "Xiao Chen, what are your plans for this piece of jadeite?"

Chu Chen feigned distress, saying, "Ah, I don't know whether to keep it for myself or sell it."

"Selling it is good. Money is best kept in your own pocket for peace of mind, don't you think?" Zhang Guosheng said eagerly.