Alternatively, their guarantee company in Myanmar can make the payment. Of course, this money will be settled between the two parties beforehand.
The last option is to pay the full amount on the spot. If the value of the rough stone is over 300,000 euros, you can become a distinguished guest of the Myanmar jade auction. You will receive priority invitations and many preferential policies in the next jade auction.
The price of Zhuang Rui's rough stone was exactly 300,000 euros. He paid the full amount and asked the other party to ship it to his villa in Pengcheng. The villa was a secluded place where no one would bother him, and it had a complete set of stone-cutting tools. It was the best place for Zhuang Rui to cut stones.
After signing the contract and paying the money, Zhuang Rui filled out a form and left his phone number at the staff's suggestion. This way, even without using the name of the domestic jade association, Zhuang Rui would be qualified to participate in the Myanmar jade auction, and would be one of the most distinguished guests invited by the government.
After these procedures were completed, Zhuang Rui was escorted out by two Burmese soldiers armed with live ammunition. This made Zhuang Rui's heart pound. Being escorted by soldiers to participate in an auction was a first for him.
To walk from the auction house to the entrance of the Myanmar National Jade Exchange Center, one needs to pass through the rough stone area. Zhuang Rui discovered that the once bustling place was now deserted, except for patrolling groups of soldiers; not a single rough stone merchant could be seen. It had been cleared out.
"Brother Zhuang, you're out..."
As Zhuang Rui walked out of the jade trading center, he saw Peng Fei coming to greet him, while Qin Haoran and his wife stood not far away, next to the minibus that had brought them there that morning.
When Qin Haoran saw Zhuang Rui come out, he waved and said, "Let's go back to the hotel, we'll have dinner together tonight..."
After getting on the bus, since Zhuang Rui wasn't there, Song Jun and Fatty Ma didn't dare to hitch a ride and had already taken the bus provided by the organizing committee back to the hotel. On the bus were Zhuang Rui, Peng Fei, Qin Haoran and his wife, and the four jade gambling masters.
"Uncle Qin, it's only 6:10, how come everyone's gone so quickly?"
Zhuang Rui voiced his question: Although the bidding process ended at six o'clock every day, this efficiency was just too high.
"How could it not be clean? Those soldiers were carrying guns and chasing people away. Myanmar is under military rule, so many things aren't very democratic. Alright, we've got something out of today, let's have dinner together tonight to celebrate..."
Qin Haoran smiled and explained to Zhuang Rui that Qin's Jewelry had won three pieces of rough jadeite today. Qin Haoran was very happy. Normally, as long as one of the three pieces turned out to be a good deal, they wouldn't lose money. After all, the jadeite jewelry market is booming and prices are rising rapidly.
"By the way, Xiao Rui, why are you so pessimistic about that number 1888?"
After the car started moving, Fang Yi suddenly remembered this matter. The final winning bid for that piece of material was more than five million, which is more than fifty million RMB, indicating that others were still very optimistic about it.
After Fang Yi asked about this, the jade experts also looked at Zhuang Rui. They had all agreed that the rough stone had a chance of being worth a lot of money and had recommended it to Fang Yi. They wanted to hear Zhuang Rui's reasons for not letting her gamble on that stone.
“I examined that rough stone. Although the crack is quite fine, it tends to extend inwards, and the color of the visible veins is inconsistent. Even if the jade inside isn't damaged by the crack, its quality won't be very high, and there's a high chance it will be a dud. It's not worth the gamble…”
Zhuang Rui's words were quite conventional, and although the jade gambling consultants were indignant, they couldn't refute him, since the stone hadn't been cut open. No one dared to guarantee whether it would be a good or bad investment.
"Hey, really? Okay, I'll go a little earlier tomorrow to get a good spot..."
Qin Haoran's phone suddenly rang. After exchanging a few words and hanging up, Qin Haoran looked at Zhuang Rui and smiled: "We'll know whether there's any jadeite or not soon enough. That piece of jade was bought by a jewelry company in mainland China. The Myanmar side decided to give them some preferential treatment on the condition that the stone must be cut on-site at this public auction. Let's go early tomorrow and get a good spot to take a look..."
In order to expand the influence of the jade auction and attract more funds to Myanmar, the Myanmar organizing committee often encourages people who have won high-priced bids for rough stones to come and have them cut open on-site. If they can win the gamble and find high-quality jade, it will inevitably set off another buying frenzy at this auction.
Of course, if the gamble goes wrong on-site, it will naturally have a negative impact. Therefore, the organizing committee is very selective in choosing the rough stones to be cut on-site. This time, they selected rough stone number 1888. I don't know what benefits they gave the buyer to get him to agree to cut the stone tomorrow.
Several jade gambling masters showed excitement on their faces after hearing Qin Haoran's words. They were somewhat skeptical of Zhuang Rui's reasons, but they couldn't refute them. They had heard that the stone could be cut tomorrow, and they were eager to see Zhuang Rui make a fool of himself. They thought, "You think that stone will be a disaster? If this one is a winner, where will you put your face?"
Zhuang Rui smiled and nodded in agreement to go early tomorrow. His expression remained normal. What a joke! If that broken stone could be gambled away, Zhuang Rui would be willing to grind it into powder and swallow it all.
Before returning to the hotel, Zhuang Rui received calls from Song Jun and Fatty Ma, inviting him to dinner. However, he naturally declined. He had already refused his mother-in-law's invitation yesterday, so he had to make a good impression today. Besides, he still had things to discuss with them after dinner.
For dinner, they had a typical Burmese feast, with dishes including Burmese prawns, fried eggs, and various seafood. The staple food was rice and steamed sticky rice cakes, which Zhuang Rui ate with great relish.
"Peng Fei, you go back to your room first, I'll be back later..."
Zhuang Rui ate at a table with Qin Haoran and his wife, while Peng Fei ate at a table with several jade gambling consultants. After the meal, Zhuang Rui greeted Peng Fei and then took the elevator with Qin Haoran and his wife to their room.
"Xiao Rui, what's wrong? Can't we talk about it during dinner?"
Just now at the dinner table, Zhuang Rui was acting mysteriously, saying he had something to discuss, which made Qin Haoran and his wife lose their appetite for the entire meal. They had no idea what Zhuang Rui wanted to talk about.
"The people there are a bit mixed, and Uncle Qin, Aunt Fang, if you two trust me, I'll continue. If you don't trust me, then there's no need to mention this matter..."
Zhuang Rui wanted to tell them that the giant red jadeite rough stone could be a winning bet, but he didn't trust those jadeite gambling consultants. He had asked Qin Haoran before, and these consultants were all seasoned veterans who would work for whoever paid them. They frequented various jadeite auctions in Myanmar and China.
Zhuang Rui was afraid that if he told Qin Haoran and his wife, they might bring several jade gambling consultants to look at the stone again, which might cause unforeseen complications and lead to a lot of unnecessary trouble. If that were the case, Zhuang Rui would rather keep it to himself than tell them.
Actually, if his mother-in-law hadn't asked him to look at that rough stone before, and he hadn't acted dismissively at the time, Zhuang Rui wouldn't have mentioned it at all, and would have just kept quiet and secretly bought it.
However, Zhuang Rui had already warned Fang Yi that the rough stone was bound to be worthless. If he secretly bid on it, Fang Yi would definitely find out later. He would be blatantly deceiving his mother-in-law. After much consideration, Zhuang Rui decided to reveal a little bit to them. Of course, he would never tell them the secret in his eyes.
Chapter 452 Clearly Marked (9)
In fact, Zhuang Rui's Beijing Qin Ruilin store and Qin's Jewelry share the same fate. If Qin's Jewelry is poorly managed and has insufficient supply, the other products in his store will definitely be greatly affected. This is the main reason why Zhuang Rui decided to share resources with Qin's Jewelry.
Seeing Zhuang Rui's serious tone, Qin Haoran and his wife were momentarily surprised. After exchanging a glance, Fang Yi said, "Xiao Rui, we're all family. Just say what's on your mind. Your aunt and uncle trust you, of course..."
Zhuang Rui gave a wry smile and said, "Auntie, if I tell you, you two can't go back and look with those craftsmen. If word gets out, the price of that rough stone will definitely skyrocket..."
Qin Haoran's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he asked, "Which piece of material? Open bidding or closed bidding?"
"What's the rush? Let Xiao Rui finish speaking..."
Fang Yi rolled her eyes at her husband, then looked at Zhuang Rui thoughtfully, as if she had thought of something.
Zhuang Rui smiled and said, "It's Ming Biao, Aunt Fang. Do you remember that red jadeite rough with the crack on the back?"
"I remember, it's the piece of jade that you said would definitely collapse if you cut it open, right?"
Fang Yi became even more certain of her thoughts. She had felt that Zhuang Rui was being a bit pretentious. Based on her understanding of Zhuang Rui, although her future son-in-law was young, he was very steady in his actions. However, his remarks about taking a place in the Mingbiao District this morning were somewhat out of character for him.
"Although the crack on that rough stone is a bad one, the polished surface on the other side has a red mist, and the color of the red mist is slightly yellowish. Uncle Qin and Aunt Fang know that I once cut out blood jadeite, right?"
"I know, I know, please continue..."
The bracelet Zhuang Rui gave her was in Fang Yi's possession; how could she forget about it?
"The presence of red mist doesn't necessarily mean there's red jadeite inside, but based on my experience, if the red mist contains yellowish crystals, there's almost certainly top-quality jadeite inside. I've observed this carefully during the stone-cutting process, and this is absolutely certain..."
Although Zhuang Rui spoke with absolute certainty, it was all nonsense. The idea that red mist turning yellow indicates the presence of top-quality jadeite was just a fabricated excuse.
The art of jade gambling is basically three parts insight and seven parts luck. No matter how skilled a jade gambling master is, it is common to make a mistake and lose money on a rough stone. So-called experience is nothing more than the accumulation of experience over a long period of cutting and quarrying stones. There is no definitive conclusion on this, and no one dares to make a guarantee.
Therefore, when Zhuang Rui said this, even Qin Haoran, who was quite knowledgeable about jade gambling, had his eyes light up. Although he had never heard of such a saying before, it was based on Zhuang Rui's experience and was more credible than those rumors. In other words, there was a very high probability that the material would yield top-quality jade.
"Xiao Zhuang, according to your estimate, how much jade can be extracted from that piece of material you mentioned?"
Qin Haoran wished he could sprout wings and fly to the jade gambling venue right now to take a good look at that rough stone. However, he knew that not only could he not go now, but even tomorrow, he would have to avoid that piece of material, or at least not show anything when he looked at it.
"Aunt Fang has seen that rough stone. It weighs over a ton, but the flaws will definitely affect the jade inside. I estimate that it should yield about 30 to 50 kilograms of jade. Moreover, the quality of this jadeite should at least reach the icy type, and who knows, it might even yield a glassy type..."
Zhuang Rui wasn't afraid to speak the truth. With the title of director of the Jade Association, he naturally had to have some real skills. He hadn't dared to admit it before because he was too inexperienced.
But things are different now. With the title of expert, winning another stone in the gambling world can solidify his position in the jade gambling circle and let the old guys in the jade association know that Mr. Gu's recommendation for him to serve as a director of the jade association was not a nepotism.
"Thirty to fifty kilograms of jadeite of icy quality or better, colorless jadeite and red and yellow jadeite jewelry are very popular in the market right now. Jewelry of the same quality can even be more expensive than green jadeite. If it can reach the glassy quality, then thirty to fifty kilograms of raw material would be worth around two hundred million. If it were made into jewelry, it could sell for at least four hundred million..."
At first, Qin Haoran was only quietly analyzing the price of the raw materials Zhuang Rui mentioned, but the more he talked, the more excited he became, and the louder his voice became. In the end, he even stood up and kept pacing around the hotel room, feeling extremely excited.
Qin's Jewelry is facing a shortage of jadeite raw materials and a lack of product supply. This time, it has mobilized nearly 1 billion yuan of funds, intending to cast a wide net and catch more fish. It is willing to lose some money rather than let the jewelry store run out of jadeite products. This trip to Myanmar is with the intention of losing money to gain publicity.
In fact, it's not just Qin's Jewelry that does this; most other jewelry companies have the same idea: first, acquire a batch of raw materials, then relatively increase the market price of jade jewelry, and gradually achieve a balance between income and expenditure. However, in the early stages, they will definitely lose some money. Of course, if they have incredible luck and make a huge profit, that's another story.
However, with the piece of jade that Zhuang Rui had his eye on, Qin's Jewelry's situation immediately changed. If they could acquire this piece of red jade, they wouldn't have to worry about the raw materials for high-end jadeite jewelry for the next few years. The focus of this Myanmar jade auction could then be placed on mid- to low-grade rough jade, which was relatively easy to acquire.
Of course, Qin's Jewelry has been able to thrive in Hong Kong for nearly a century due to its inherent strengths, but it's best not to use that trump card unless absolutely necessary.
"Xiao Rui, we won't be able to get that piece of material at the auction tomorrow, will we?"
"No, according to the auction numbers, it should be auctioned the day after tomorrow..."
"Alright, I'll go check out that piece of material myself tomorrow. We'll discuss the bidding strategy again tomorrow night to make sure everything goes perfectly. I need to take this call..."
As the saying goes, the business world is like a battlefield. Qin Haoran was like a general who commanded with composure. He settled the matter involving the flow of hundreds of millions of yuan in just a few words. However, just as Qin Haoran was speaking with great enthusiasm, the cell phone on the table rang.
"Ah Rong? You're coming? Welcome, welcome! I'm in my room, um, you know the room number, so I won't pick you up..."
After finishing the call, Qin Haoran looked very pleased. The visit of an old friend, coupled with Zhuang Rui solving such a big problem for him, made Qin Haoran quite excited.
"Uncle Qin, since you have guests, I'll take my leave now..."
Zhuang Rui wasn't worried about Qin's Jewelry monopolizing the profits. After all, he would get at least half of that material. The sale of top-quality jadeite jewelry has a cycle. Maybe he would find some good pieces again in a year or two. Besides, there are two or three jadeite auctions in Myanmar every year.
"Xiao Rui, no need to leave. Let me introduce you to this person. He's a leading figure in the Myanmar jade industry..."
When Qin Haoran introduced them, Zhuang Rui was surprised to learn that the person who had come was Hu Rong, and he immediately wanted to get to know him.
After asking Qin Haoran, Zhuang Rui learned that the Qin family in Hong Kong and the Hu family in Myanmar had been close friends for generations and were also closely related. Qin's grandfather's younger sister was Hu Rong's grandmother and Qin Haoran's aunt, and the two families visited each other frequently.
"Uncle Qin, Aunt Fang, I'm so sorry I can't visit you and Aunt Fang today because it's my turn to supervise the conference..."
As soon as the jade tycoon entered the room, he greeted Qin Haoran and Fang Yi with the courtesy due to a junior. Hu Rong was more than ten years younger than Qin Haoran and his wife, and in terms of age and seniority, they were both juniors.
"It's alright, Rong, let me wrap this up for you. This is your sister Xuanbing's boyfriend. He's the newly appointed director of the National Jade Association. You two should keep in touch..."
Qin Haoran pulled Zhuang Rui over and introduced him to Hu Rong. When Hu Rong heard Qin Haoran's words and saw how young Zhuang Rui was, he was stunned. He had only joined the Myanmar Jade Association at the age of thirty-five, and a few years ago he was already considered one of the youngest. He did not expect Zhuang Rui to be much younger than him, looking no more than twenty-six or twenty-seven years old.
Hu Rong was familiar with the personnel system in the country. In a department like the Jade Association, there were only three ways to become a director: first, one had to run a sizable jewelry company; second, one had to be an expert in jade and be considered an authority; and third, one had to have a strong background.
Regardless of which of these three types of people Zhuang Rui belongs to, he is not to be underestimated. Hu Rong immediately took out his business card and exchanged it with Zhuang Rui. He and Qin Haoran and his wife often kept in touch. Then everyone sat down and started chatting.
Qin's Jewelry's so-called trump card is actually the Hu family in Myanmar. However, in recent years, the Myanmar military has strictly restricted the export of jadeite rough stones. Any smuggling activities are severely punished. Even if the person is from Myanmar, they will be sentenced without mercy, with the most serious penalty being the death penalty.
Therefore, although the Hu family is a prominent family in Myanmar with a history of over a century, even if it meant taking on a risk, Old Master Qin was unwilling to use this connection lightly.
“Uncle Qin, before I came, my father instructed that you and Auntie should visit Hpakant in Myitkyina when you have time. I recently prepared a batch of raw materials, and I've arranged the route. They will be shipped from Thailand and then sent to Hong Kong…”
Hu Rong's purpose in coming here was to accomplish this task. They also knew that, apart from Myanmar, jewelry companies were facing a shortage of jadeite raw materials. Given the relationship between the two companies, the Hu family in Myanmar would naturally not sit idly by. What he had just mentioned was actually smuggling jadeite rough.
Despite being relatives, the Hu family's fundamental principles remain unchanged. For generations, they have been in the business of trading raw stones, and their rule is to never gamble on stones. They only polish the stones that show good potential, cut out a window, and sell them. So even when they sell to the Qin family in Hong Kong, it is still raw stone, not jade.
Hu Rong was actually somewhat resistant to this rule because he had been running jewelry companies in Southeast Asia and Taiwan in recent years. However, since his father was still alive, he dared not break the rule, so he could only sell the raw stones to Qin Haoran through smuggling.
The route from Myanmar into Thailand is mostly through tropical jungles and mountains. Carrying those raw stones across mountains and valleys is no easy task, but it's unavoidable because the smuggling of raw stones from Myanmar into China is strictly controlled. If there's even the slightest mistake, the Hu family will be in deep trouble. Of course, they don't need to handle such matters themselves; they have people on staff to do it.
“Arong, I appreciate your kindness, Uncle, but the situation in Myanmar is very tense right now. Let’s not cause any problems at this time. If we really can’t hold on, then we’ll ask you for help…”
Before Zhuang Rui mentioned that rough jade, Qin Haoran would have gone to Hpakant even if it was risky. But now the situation is different. At least Qin's Jewelry doesn't need to rush to stockpile high-grade jadeite raw materials. They can just bid on mid- to low-grade ones at the public auction.
In the sealed-bid area of this public auction, there are still many materials that have been cut open and have little gambling potential; at most, it just costs a little more money.
"Uncle Qin, don't worry about this, we've already made arrangements..."
Hu Rong thought Qin Haoran was worried about being investigated, so he quickly explained again.
Qin Haoran smiled, waved his hand, and said, "Arong, we really don't lack raw materials for the time being. Given the relationship between our two families, why would I be so polite?"
"Yes, Uncle Qin is right. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you must tell us. By the way, Grandma misses you all too. Let's not talk about the raw materials. After the auction, Uncle and Aunt, why don't you come home with me to visit?"
Seeing Qin Haoran's resolute attitude, Hu Rong stopped talking about smuggling. His grandfather had passed away, but his grandmother was still alive, and out of courtesy, he wanted to invite Qin Haoran to his home.
"I probably won't have time this time. I'll visit Auntie next time. Or how about this, let Xiao Rui go with you. He's never been to a jade mining site before, it would be good for him to broaden his horizons..."
Qin Haoran thought that if he won the bid for that piece of red jade, some of the family's business strategies would have to be changed. They would need to cut the red jade into jewelry as soon as possible and put it on the market to seize the initiative.