"How much did it cost?"
Zhuang Rui pressed for an answer.
"Hehe, the person who sold me this said it was an ancient jade from the Han Dynasty. It was still covered in dirt when I bought it. It cost me 2,800 yuan. Mr. Zhuang, is this jade fake?"
This history teacher seems to have a good attitude; it appears she was already mentally prepared that the object was fake.
Zhuang Rui smiled and said, "The jade isn't fake, but it's not ancient jade from the Han Dynasty. It's modernly carved and artificially aged. The jade is Hetian white jade, and the quality is average. However, this set of artificially aged sacrificial jade artifacts has good craftsmanship. You can keep it for yourself to admire. In the future, when you go to the antique market, look more and buy less. If this thing were real, you'd have to add two zeros to the price you paid..."
Zhuang Rui now assumed the role of an expert. Although he had to use his spiritual energy to determine the authenticity of the jade artifacts, this experience broadened his horizons. He realized that modern carving techniques weren't necessarily inferior to those of ancient times, and might even surpass them in some aspects. He reasoned that if this set of jade artifacts were preserved for hundreds of years, it would also become a set of exquisitely carved ancient jade pieces.
"Thank you, Teacher Zhuang. I will pay attention in the future."
The visitor was satisfied with Zhuang Rui's reply, bowed, and then left with his belongings.
Zhuang Rui and the others all had small microphones on their collars, so everyone below could hear clearly what they said on stage. Their appraisal of the jade artifacts was well-reasoned and supported by evidence, which gave the audience more confidence in the young appraiser. Just as the history teacher stepped off the stage, a stylishly dressed lady walked up.
"Teacher Zhuang, this is a glass-type jadeite bracelet that I bought a few years ago when I was traveling in Myanmar. I heard that the price of jadeite has risen a lot in recent years. Could you tell me how much this bracelet is worth now?"
When Zhuang Rui noticed that the woman who came on stage wasn't carrying anything, he wondered why. Then, the woman took off a bracelet from her wrist and placed it in front of Zhuang Rui.
Zhuang Rui picked up the bracelet and casually said, "Jade has the property of conducting heat. In this kind of weather, if you put jade on your face, you'll feel a cooling sensation. Also, natural jade contains many minerals essential to the human body. When wearing a bracelet, it's in direct contact with the skin, so these minerals are easily absorbed, replenishing the body's needs and effectively promoting blood circulation. However, your jade bracelet is fake. It's made of colored glass. While wearing it won't do any harm, it won't provide any health benefits either..."
As Zhuang Rui spoke, he had already completed the appraisal of the bracelet. It was made of colored glass with a green exterior, which had been infused with chromium oxide and copper oxide.
"Impossible! I bought this for 30,000 yuan, and it even comes with a certificate of authenticity. It's a genuine A-grade product. Young man, do you even know what you're talking about?"
When the woman heard Zhuang Rui say that the bracelet was fake, her expression changed drastically, and she immediately turned hostile. She changed her address to Zhuang Rui from "teacher" to "young man," and their conversation caused a stir among the audience.
"I knew it, that guy is too young, he definitely lacks experience..."
"That's right, everyone else has a certificate of authenticity, how could it be fake..."
"Not necessarily. These days, everything can be faked. Can't an authentication certificate be faked?"
Various opinions arose, some supporting the woman and others speaking up for Zhuang Rui, instantly turning the originally quiet venue into a noisy one.
"Xiao Zhuang, what happened?"
The woman's voice startled the other experts who were appraising the treasures. They all put down the items they were holding and looked at Zhuang Rui. Although Zhuang Rui was relatively young, they had come together. If anything went wrong, they would all lose face. This was a matter of shared honor and shared loss.
“I bought a glass-type jadeite bracelet for 30,000 yuan, but he called it fake. No way, I want it appraised by an expert. Also, you need to give me an appraisal certificate, otherwise I can’t explain myself.”
Before Zhuang Rui could speak, the woman shouted angrily. She wasn't there to cause trouble, but she had bought the bracelet several years ago and rarely wore it. Upon hearing that it was fake, she was both angry and a little frightened, so she raised her voice to cover up her unease.
"That's right, a young man with no experience is unreliable. Replace him!"
"Young people are just no good. Something that others bought for 30,000 yuan is worthless in their eyes..."
However, her words evoked sympathy from the audience, and many people spoke up in support. These people shared a similar plight, fearing that their own items would also be fake when they went on stage.
"Xiao Zhuang, let me see the bracelet..."
Old Sun stood up from the table with the antique appraisal sign, walked to Zhuang Rui's side, and took the bracelet from Zhuang Rui's somewhat dazed hand.
Zhuang Rui was genuinely stunned by the woman's machine-gun-like barrage of words. It wasn't until Old Sun took the bracelet away that he came to his senses and couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly. It was age that was to blame. If it were any of the other experts, this woman probably wouldn't have had this attitude. Damn it, he couldn't even speak the truth anymore.
However, Zhuang Rui quickly dismissed this idea, reasoning that if someone is unreasonable, no one will listen to them.
"This bracelet is indeed fake, miss. Although Myanmar produces jade, it doesn't mean that all the jade sold there is genuine. On the contrary, they use the gimmick of producing jade to sell counterfeit goods, and quite a few people in China have been fooled."
"You're all in this together, of course you'll protect your own people. You say it's fake, what evidence do you have?"
After examining the bracelet, Mr. Sun reached the same conclusion as Zhuang Rui. However, it was clear that the lady could not accept Mr. Sun's conclusion and even attacked the experts on the stage.
"You want evidence, right? I can give it to you."
Zhuang Rui suppressed his anger, took the bracelet from Old Sun's hand, and said, "You can come over and take a look with a magnifying glass. Real jade doesn't have air bubbles inside, but look at this bracelet, it's full of air bubbles."
The woman pursed her lips; although she didn't move, a hint of doubt appeared on her face.
Seeing that the woman was still persistent, Zhuang Rui said, "Miss, could you give me two strands of hair?"
What do you need your hair for?
Although the woman didn't quite understand Zhuang Rui's meaning, she still plucked two long strands of hair from her head and handed them to Zhuang Rui.
"Talk is cheap, let's do an experiment..."
Zhuang Rui took off the glass-type jade pendant from his neck and said, "This Guanyin pendant of mine is also made of glass-type jade. I'll do an experiment now, and you'll understand after you see it."
"Does anyone have a lighter?"
As Zhuang Rui spoke, he picked up a hair and wrapped it around the pendant. When he touched his clothes, he found that the long robe didn't even have any pockets, but the lighter for lighting cigarettes was inside his clothes.
"I have……"
As the shouts rang out, someone ran up from the audience and handed Zhuang Rui a lighter.
"As I just mentioned, jade conducts heat relatively quickly, so if you wrap your hair around this piece of jade and then burn it, the heat will be quickly transferred away, and the temperature will rise slowly, so the hair won't burn off in a short time."
Zhuang Rui took the lighter, stood up, raised the jade Guanyin pendant in his left hand, then used the lighter in his right hand to create a flame and lit it on the hair. After four or five seconds, Zhuang Rui put down the lighter and removed the hair that was wrapped around his Guanyin pendant.
"Look everyone, isn't this hair still intact?"
Zhuang Rui straightened the slightly curly hair and showed it to the audience.
"It really didn't break..."
"Hurry up and try the other bracelet..."
Upon seeing this, the people below the stage began to discuss among themselves, while the owner of the bracelet turned pale.
"Okay, let's try this bracelet next."
As Zhuang Rui spoke, he wrapped another strand of hair around the bracelet. Then, using the same action as before, he used a lighter to burn the hair wrapped around the bracelet. The owner of the bracelet was closest to Zhuang Rui and could clearly see that the hair was burned and broken off after only two or three seconds when the flame was placed on it.
He put down the bracelet and picked up the hair that had been burned in two. There was no need for Zhuang Rui to say anything more. Everyone in the room could see clearly what was true and false, right and wrong, and who was right and who was wrong.
Chapter 314 Folk Treasure Appraisal (3)
"Miss, if you still have any questions, please take this bracelet to the National Jade and Gemstone Testing Center at No. XX, XX Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing for appraisal. I can have them appraise it for you free of charge..."
Facts speak louder than words. After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the woman looked both ashamed and distressed. She was ashamed because she had just said something hurtful, but this young man had slapped her in the face with facts. She was distressed because of the 30,000 yuan she had spent on the bracelet.
"Professor Zhuang, I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry..."
The woman took the bracelet back, looking embarrassed. She bowed to Zhuang Rui, then hurriedly walked off the stage and disappeared into the crowd.
Zhuang Rui stood up and said to everyone who saw this scene, "Friends and fellow collectors, you have come here to participate in this event, naturally hoping that your treasures are genuine."
Although our country has a long history and many fine artifacts have been left behind, they are pitifully few for today's collectors. It's quite normal to buy fakes or counterfeits in the antique market. There's nothing shameful about it; even we, the collectors, have had the experience of being fooled and paying our dues.
We hope that collectors can maintain a positive attitude and take the appraisal results seriously. Don't doubt our professional knowledge just because the item is fake. We will also use our professional knowledge to help everyone distinguish the authenticity of the items in their hands.
As for antiques that we cannot distinguish between genuine and fake, we will be honest and let collectors have them tested further. Please trust our professional ethics; we will never claim a fake is genuine, nor will we arbitrarily judge a genuine antique as fake. That's all I wanted to say. Thank you!
After Zhuang Rui finished speaking, he bowed deeply to the audience. Everyone below the stage was pondering his words. After a little over a minute, someone started clapping, and the meeting room erupted in thunderous applause that lasted for a long time.
Most people have this mentality: they can say something is bad about their own things, but they can't stand hearing others say it.
To give an example, it's like a friend constantly complaining that his child is naughty and doesn't know any better. He says that's fine, but if you agree by saying, "Yes, your son really doesn't know any better,"...
If you say that, even if your friend doesn't break off the friendship, they will probably distance themselves from you in the future.
The same applies to antiques. Who wouldn't want the antiques they buy to be genuine? But after all, there are hundreds or even millions of times more fake antiques than genuine ones in this world. Naturally, the chance of buying a fake is greater than the chance of finding a treasure. Zhuang Rui's words were a reminder to everyone in the room not to be too obsessed.
While there are certainly speculators among collectors now, they are relatively more rational compared to what will happen in a few years. After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, these people also learned something.
The thunderous applause lasted for more than three minutes before gradually subsiding with the host's intervention. However, the audience looked at Zhuang Rui with admiration in their eyes.
Although the host said that the collectors who stayed behind could not have their items appraised today, none of the people gathered outside left. After all, they could learn a lot just by watching.
Zhuang Rui had no idea that after the program aired, he would also make a name for himself in the domestic antique trade. At least many collectors would acknowledge Zhuang Rui as an expert. Of course, that's a story for another time.
After the applause subsided, Liu Jia from Beijing TV, holding the microphone, said, "Distinguished guests and friends, the experts have been appraising your items for two consecutive hours. Please allow them to take a half-hour break before continuing to appraise the treasures in your hands..."
The Shandong TV male host's voice followed: "For those of you who are further back in the queue, it's definitely not possible to have the live appraisal today. Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM, the experts from the Beijing expert team will continue the appraisal activity for you."
After the host finished speaking, staff members came over to lead Zhuang Rui and the others to a nearby lounge. Zhuang Rui was fine, only appraising two or three items, but the others were in a lot of trouble. Fatty Jin was so busy in the air-conditioned conference room that his long shirt was almost soaked with sweat.
"Xiao Zhuang, not bad. You have a solid foundation in basic knowledge and strong adaptability. Even if you go out alone, you can hold your own."
After arriving at the lounge, Fatty Jin wiped his sweat and gave Zhuang Rui a thumbs-up. They often encountered situations like this; even if Zhuang Rui didn't come out, there were always solutions.
"Teacher Jin, have you encountered this situation before?"
"Hey, these kinds of things happen all the time, but they're mostly caused by human factors. In our circle, there are also some people who will cheat and falsify things for a few bucks..."
After hearing Jin Pangzi's explanation, Zhuang Rui finally understood. It turned out that with the rise of the collecting craze, the appraisal industry had also flourished, and as a result, various private cultural relic appraisal institutions sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
These organizations and individuals operating under the banners of "XX Committee" or "XX Association" are a mixed bag. Some are old-fashioned scholars whose "theory cannot be applied to practice," some are antique experts whose "practice lacks theoretical foundation," and many more are simply "nice guys" who will issue certificates as long as you pay. Just as West Pacific University has damaged the reputation of many legitimate American universities, the various certificates in the antique industry have made the already fraudulent antique market even more "bewildering," with "what is fake is not necessarily fake, and what is real is not necessarily genuine." It is these diverse appraisal institutions that are stirring up this murky water.
Fatty Jin took a sip of water and said with a smile, "What needs the most authentication right now isn't the antiques in ordinary people's hands, but the 'experts' who issue certificates for these antiques. We're all in the ranks of those fighting counterfeits..."
Zhuang Rui was stunned by what Fatty Jin said. According to this logic, should experts who appraise antiques also issue certificates that "prove that this expert is genuine"?
However, after Jin Pangzi said that, Zhuang Rui's resentment lessened considerably. The appraisal market is a mixed bag, so it's no wonder that collectors distrust it.
Actually, Zhuang Rui's hair-burning performance just now was a bit tricky. If you wrap a strand of hair around the glass and it's wrapped a little too tightly, it won't burn through in a second or two. Some merchants use this trick to deceive consumers. However, if it's burned for a little longer, you can still tell the difference between real and fake. So, using this method to identify the authenticity of jade is still feasible.
"Xiao Zhuang, you learned from Brother Ma in Zhonghai, so you should be familiar with porcelain, right? Could you take a look at the items I have here later? There are just too many things today, I'm a bit overwhelmed..."
Researcher Tian Fan from the Palace Museum was also quite tired. He rested on the sofa for a while before recovering. Today, apart from calligraphy and paintings, there were many antique ceramics on display. Of course, most of them could only be called modern handicrafts. Tian Fan had just looked at twenty or thirty pieces of porcelain. Only one vase from the Daoguang period was genuine, but it was somewhat damaged and its market price was greatly reduced.
Zhong Haide is very famous for his porcelain restoration in China, and he also has his own unique insights into the appreciation of ceramics. That's why Tian Fan asked Zhuang Rui to help him look at some items. Obviously, Zhuang Rui won the real recognition of these experts with his actions.
The half-hour break was very short, basically just enough time to drink some water and chat for a few minutes before a staff member came out to urge them to come back on stage. This time, although there was no further introduction of the experts, Zhuang Rui received a long and enthusiastic round of applause when he appeared.
Zhuang Rui, who was originally the most idle on stage, became the busiest person after the second round of appraisal began. He wondered where all the people who possessed jade artifacts had been hiding. Now they were all showing up, with all kinds of exquisite jade artifacts, including many fine pieces.
A white jade thumb ring from the Qing Dynasty is quite expensive. Originally, this item was a tool used to draw the bowstring when shooting an arrow. It was a special device worn on the archer's right thumb to protect it from being injured by the bowstring. Later, however, it came to be seen as a symbol of status.
Although the spiritual energy inside this thumb ring is white, it is very dense, and the jade is also of superior quality. After Zhuang Rui identified it as genuine, General Manager Qian also gave it a price of 300,000 RMB based on the market trend of similar antiques.
Seeing that the item had been identified as genuine and of considerable value, the crowd below the stage was in an uproar, which made Zhuang Rui even busier. However, when it comes to antiques, as long as you know beforehand whether it is real or fake, you can always come up with some reasoning.
Zhuang Rui first used spiritual energy to distinguish between genuine and fake items. If the items were rich in spiritual energy, he would hand them over to Boss Qian for appraisal and certification. If the items were lacking in spiritual energy, he would directly point out some flaws to the owner, who would then accept the explanation. In comparison, although Zhuang Rui's group had the most people around, he was the fastest at appraising treasures.
As time went by, the folk treasure appraisal event this afternoon gradually came to an end. However, the host did not announce the end of the event, and no one left. Instead, more and more people gathered.
Suddenly, Tian Fan, who was appraising ceramics, spoke up: "Gentlemen, put down what you're holding and take a look at this."
Although everyone has their own area of expertise, these experts still have some knowledge of antiques outside their own field and can offer each other some advice. Since Tian Fan asked for advice, it was clear that this thing was interesting. Zhuang Rui and the others put down what they were doing and looked at him.