"Oh, I see. Well, I'm sorry to have bothered you..."
Zhuang Rui was somewhat disappointed and turned to leave.
"Excuse me, what kind of jewelry do you want made? May I see your materials?"
This was the first time Wu Jia had encountered a guest like this, and she couldn't help but feel a little curious.
Chapter 256 Stone Studio (Part 2)
Is there any difference?
Zhuang Rui stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at the girl with a hint of confusion. If she had already said she wouldn't do custom processing, why did she need to see his raw materials?
"Ah, that's right. If your materials are of good quality, I might ask my grandfather for help. Most of the high-end jade ornaments in this shop were hand-carved by my grandfather."
Wu Jia felt a little embarrassed by Zhuang Rui's question and secretly blamed herself for meddling. She could only bring up her grandfather to make a point.
However, Wu Jia had already made up her mind that no matter how good or bad Zhuang Rui's materials were, she would say that the materials were just average, because her grandfather had gotten older in recent years, especially in the last two years, and his hands trembled badly. Apart from polishing some bracelets, he rarely carved other more delicate objects.
"Oh? This shop is owned by your family?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui turned around and walked over. This Stone Studio was very famous in Pengcheng, but he never expected that it was actually run by this girl's family.
I remember when Zhuang Rui was in junior high school, there was a classmate whose family was very wealthy. He once boasted in class that his father had gotten a Guanyin statue from Shitouzhai and sent it to a temple to have it consecrated by a master. This shows how famous Shitouzhai was in Pengcheng.
Back then, Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan could only come in and browse when they had nothing to do, carrying a few yuan in their pockets. As for the things here, they couldn't afford them. This memory from back then was the main reason why Zhuang Rui chose to come to Shitouzhai to inquire.
"This business was founded by my grandfather; I'm just working here..."
Wu Jia didn't know why she answered the man's question. Maybe Zhuang Rui gave people a friendly feeling, like chatting with a friend, so she just blurted it out.
"Yes, your shop has been open for many years. I used to come here to play when I was a child, but I couldn't afford to buy anything here."
Zhuang Rui recalled the days when he and Liu Chuan, two young kids, wandered around the store and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
"Hey, didn't you want it processed? Take out the jade material, let me take a look first..."
Wu Jia was somewhat confused by Zhuang Rui's words. "We're not that close, why are you telling me this?" she thought. So her tone became a little unfriendly, and she changed the formal "you" to "you" when addressing Zhuang Rui.
Zhuang Rui didn't notice the change in the girl's tone. He had just carefully examined the carvings of several pendants; they were exquisitely crafted, depicting the facial expressions of people or animals with lifelike realism, even better than the pendant Qin Xuanbing had given him that he was wearing around his neck.
By observing these objects, Zhuang Rui had gained some understanding of the girl's grandfather's craftsmanship. He then reached into his pocket, took out the egg-sized piece of imperial green jade, and carefully handed it to Wu Jia.
Seeing Zhuang Rui's cautious look, Wu Jia muttered under her breath, "What kind of material is it? Why are you being so mysterious?"
Upon receiving it, Wu Jia first felt her right hand suddenly drop downwards. Looking closely, her first thought was: this thing is colored acrylic glass.
Don't be surprised that the girl would have this thought, because nowadays many unscrupulous merchants use colored acrylic glass and resin and other synthetic materials to imitate jade jewelry, and these people have already formed a production and sales chain. Someone even came to Wu Jia's door to promote it.
However, Wu Jia quickly dismissed this idea, because after getting her hands on the piece of jade, she felt that the wispy crystals at the edges were a bit tricky, and they didn't seem to be glued on, indicating that this was not a fake jade.
Wu Jia, who had been somewhat nonchalant, suddenly became nervous. She had been examining the jadeite while holding it in her palm. Now, she quickly took an empty jewelry box from the counter, placed the jadeite in the recessed area of the box, put it on the counter, turned on the bright lights needed for customers to select jadeite, and took out a magnifying glass to carefully examine the jadeite.
The more Wu Jia looked at it, the more shocked she became. She had followed her grandfather around since she was a child, watching him carve jade. Whether it was hard jadeite or soft jade, she could almost always tell the difference between real and fake. She had also seen many kinds of top-quality jade. But this piece of jadeite in front of her shocked her and made her deeply fascinated.
The jade was almost transparent, with a deep, ocean-like green color, like a lover's eyes, intoxicating. Wu Jia claimed to have appraised many top-quality jade stones, but compared to this jadeite in front of her, they were all trash. One was an emperor, and the other was a commoner; there was simply no comparison between them.
"This...this...this is imperial green jadeite of the glass type?"
Wu Jia has forgotten her original intention. Even if she remembered, she wouldn't dare say that the material of this piece of jade is average. If the glass-type imperial green material is considered average, then all the goods in her shop should be thrown on the street.
"Is the material of this jadeite alright?"
Zhuang Rui asked. He could see the change in the girl's attitude and was intentionally making a joke.
“Okay, no, it’s very… very good, sir. Please wait a moment, I’ll call my grandfather right away. Oh… I’m sorry, this piece of jade is too precious, you should keep it for yourself.”
Wu Jia didn't catch Zhuang Rui's humor. Instead, she became flustered and her words became incoherent. Not to mention that she had never seen one before, even her grandfather had only seen a piece of imperial green jadeite when he was young. But at that time, he was not experienced enough, and the piece was not given to him to carve. Wu Jia knew that her grandfather had always regretted it.
That's why she was so anxious to inform her grandfather. However, after running a few steps toward the phone in the store, she realized that she had the jade in her hand, so she handed it back to Zhuang Rui somewhat embarrassed.
In truth, Zhuang Rui's knowledge of jadeite was somewhat superficial. Although he could estimate the price of this piece of imperial green jadeite, he was unaware of its status within the jade industry.
The so-called "Glassy Imperial Green" represents uniqueness, and the name itself conveys a domineering aura of self-importance and dominance.
Not all green jadeite can be called Imperial Green. Jadeite with a similar green color to this piece is generally called Yang Green or Full Green because its texture and clarity do not meet the requirements of Glassy Jadeite. Only full green jadeite with Glassy Jadeite and no flaws can be called Imperial Green, which represents nobility and is the king among all jadeite.
Let alone ordinary people, even many jewelers rarely see pure imperial green jadeite in their entire lives. Objects carved from this material are rare, sometimes only once every few years or even decades. Once they enter the market, they are immediately bought and treasured.
"Sir, please have a seat and some water. May I ask your surname and how I should address you?"
"My surname is Zhuang, you can call me Zhuang Rui..."
After the girl hung up the phone, Zhuang Rui saw her run back excitedly. In the well-air-conditioned store, sweat was even dripping from the tip of her nose, obviously due to her excitement. However, her string of "please"s made Zhuang Rui a little dizzy.
"Yes, Mr. Zhuang, please wait a moment. My grandfather will be here shortly."
As the actual operator of this jade shop, Wu Jia was already secretly considering whether she could buy a small piece of material from Zhuang Rui. It didn't have to be much, just about the size of a fingernail, enough to polish into a cabochon, which would then become the shop's prized possession.
"Just call me Zhuang Rui, I'm not used to being called 'sir'..."
Zhuang Rui corrected Wu Jia's way of addressing him. It wasn't that he was trying to get close to the girl, but she kept calling him "sir" which made him very uncomfortable. Because he was preparing for graduate school entrance exams, he had been reading a lot of classical Chinese texts lately, and in those texts, "sir" meant "teacher." Zhuang Rui had no intention of becoming a teacher.
"Alright, my name is Wu Jia, let's get to know each other now."
As Wu Jia spoke, she extended her hand to Zhuang Rui. She was thinking about how to get closer to Zhuang Rui. This glass-type imperial green jadeite was a rare find. If she could buy even a little bit of it, it would definitely make Stone Studio famous.
Zhuang Rui shook hands with Wu Jia. After looking around, he asked, "By the way, Wu Jia, I remember there was a middle-aged man here when I came here before. Did his elders pass the baton to you?"
It's not that Zhuang Rui is gossipy, but the jewelry and antique trades are the easiest to be targeted and held accountable. Some people buy items, and after someone examines them, they feel they've been cheated and will come to return them. Usually, such shops have a mature and steady person in charge, but Wu Jia doesn't seem like someone who can keep things under control.
Wu Jia was stunned for a moment after hearing Zhuang Rui's words, and a sad expression appeared on her face. After a while, she said softly, "My parents were in a car accident when they went on vacation last year. This shop is my grandfather's life's work. I couldn't watch it collapse, so I came here."
Although Wu Jia had been exposed to jade since childhood, she had no intention of inheriting the family business. However, after her parents died in a car accident, her grandfather was so devastated that he had no time to manage the shop, so she resigned from her original job and returned to Stone Studio.
Wu Jia's grandfather, having also experienced the pain of outliving his son, and being old, suddenly lost his health. Now, many of the items in the shop are carved by his apprentices, and the old man rarely comes to the shop anymore.
Zhuang Rui looked at Wu Jia, whose eyes were filled with tears, and didn't know what to do. He hadn't expected that his casual question would bring up someone else's sad story. When it comes to the death of a loved one, words of comfort are too pale, so Zhuang Rui was quite at a loss.
"Xiaojia, where is that imperial green jadeite you mentioned? Let Grandpa see it..."
Just as Zhuang Rui was feeling a bit awkward, an old voice came from the shop entrance. Turning around, he saw an elderly man with a full head of white hair and a somewhat melancholy look between his brows walking into the shop with a cane.
"Grandpa, slow down, the jade is right here."
Upon seeing her grandfather enter, Wu Jia quickly wiped her eyes and went to support him. She dared not show her longing for her parents in front of him, as that would make him sad for days.
After sitting down on a chair in front of the counter, the old man put on a pair of reading glasses and took the jade from Wu Jia, examining it carefully under the bright light that had been turned on.
Just as the old man picked up the jade, his focused expression made him seem decades younger. However, Zhuang Rui, who was close by, saw that the old man's right hand holding the jade was trembling slightly.
"Its color is like the green bamboo in the mountains, and its brightness is like the stream in the valley. It is without a single flaw. It is a fine jade... a fine jade, a rare and excellent piece of jade."
After observing for a while, the old man reluctantly put down the jade in his hand and said "good" three times. He had been playing with jade all his life, and this was only the second time he had seen imperial green jade of the glass type. He couldn't help but feel a little excited.
"Young man, is this jadeite yours? You're really lucky. An old man like me has never owned even a tiny piece of imperial green jadeite in my entire life."
After putting down the jade, the old man looked Zhuang Rui over. His eyesight and experience were far superior to his granddaughter's. When he was examining the jade, he rubbed it a few times with his hand. From the polished surface and the feel of it, the old man knew that the jade had just been cut from the stone not long ago.
Judging from Zhuang Rui's clothes and appearance, he didn't seem like a rich man, so the old man said that Zhuang Rui was lucky.
Zhuang Rui is very generous when it comes to buying cars, houses, and investing, but his habits from childhood have made him not very interested in so-called brand-name clothes and clothes specially designed for successful people.
Back in Zhonghai, Qin Xuanbing had bought him several high-end clothes, but Zhuang Rui felt awkward wearing them. So now he only wears clothes that cost a few dozen yuan each from ordinary shops, and his shoes are sneakers he brought back from Shaanxi, covered in dust.
Zhuang Rui smiled and did not deny the old man's words. He said, "Hehe, you're quite lucky. Old man, how many pendants do you think this piece of jade can be carved out of?"
"A pendant? Young man, you want to make it into a pendant? That's a bit of a waste."
The old man's expression changed upon hearing this. "Imperial green jadeite of the glass type is best suited for making bracelets, followed by cabochons. Even small items like earrings are more valuable than pendants. It's not that imperial green jadeite is bad for pendants, but pendants are worn inside clothing and are often used as amulets, so their value is relatively lower than those exposed ornaments."
"Grandpa, this is a pendant. I didn't intend to sell it; it was made for my family to wear."
Zhuang Rui's tone was firm. Although the item was quite valuable, Zhuang Rui was not short of money at the moment, and it would be a pity to sell such a rare and sought-after item.
“Young man, come inside and let’s talk. Sigh, if it were two years earlier, I would have carved this for you, but now…”
When the old man heard that Zhuang Rui insisted on making pendants, he looked a little sad. He stood up and beckoned Zhuang Rui to go to a private room in the shop to talk.
Chapter 257 Origins
The jewelry taken out of the display case is generally worth tens or hundreds of yuan. More valuable items need to be taken into the room for appraisal.
Most upscale jewelry and jade shops have private rooms or VIP rooms. Precious jewelry is similar to antiques in that the items are not handled by the customer. The items are placed on a table for the customer to pick up and examine. This way, even if the item is accidentally dropped and broken, the responsibility can be clearly identified.
Stone Studio also has a separate room, which is not large, with only a coffee table and a row of sofas. However, in one corner of the room, there is a safe that is more than half a person tall, presumably used to store valuable ornaments. After Zhuang Rui entered the room, he looked up and saw that there were two cameras installed on the ceiling.
"Young man, have a seat. Xiao Jia, go and pour me a cup of tea."
After entering the room, the old man greeted Zhuang Rui and sat down on the sofa.
After sitting down, Zhuang Rui didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point: "Sir, I'm from Pengcheng. I used to come to your shop to play when I was a child. Your craftsmanship is well-known in Pengcheng, so I still hope to entrust this piece of jade to you for carving. As for the processing fee, that's not a problem. You can name your price..."
"Cough...cough cough..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the old man's face flushed red. He was about to speak when a wad of phlegm blocked his throat, and he began to cough violently.
"Grandpa, please don't get agitated, Mr. Zhuang. What did you say to my grandpa?"
Wu Jia, who was carrying two cups of tea, entered the house just then. Seeing her grandfather's condition, she quickly put the tea on the coffee table and patted the old man's back repeatedly.
"It's not...it's not the young man's fault, Xiao Jia, please sit down too."
The old man coughed for a while, then drank some water and gradually calmed down.
“Young man, this piece of jade is quite valuable. If it were made into a smaller cabochon, you could probably grind out fourteen or fifteen pieces. The rest could be made into a pair of earrings. All together, it should sell for around seventeen or eighteen million. But if you carve it into a pendant, you can only make four or five at most, and you'd be lucky to sell them for around ten million. Why do you insist on making a pendant? If you want to give it to your family, you can buy other items.”
The old man, seeing Zhuang Rui's attire, didn't think he was a wealthy person, and thus had some doubts.
"Hehe, old man, you can never earn enough money, but once you miss this, it's hard to find it again. This is only the second time I've seen imperial green jadeite, so I'll make a few pendants to leave for my family. No matter how important money is, it's not as important as family."
Zhuang Rui had already made up his mind. Naturally, he wouldn't be swayed by a few words from the old man.
"I was being presumptuous, you're right, no matter how important money is, it's not as important as family..."
Zhuang Rui's words stirred up painful memories for the old man, and he was suddenly overcome with tears, unable to control himself.
"Grandpa, it's all in the past, don't think about it anymore. If you don't take care of your health, what will happen to Xiaojia all by herself?"
Wu Jia offered a few words of advice, but ended up feeling upset herself, which made Zhuang Rui uneasy. He knew that the two people in front of him had lost their son and father, yet he still said those things, wasn't he just making them feel bad?