After placing the red jade back on the coffee table, Luo Jiang's fervent expression became even more pronounced. If this piece were carved into a small ornament, it would be enough to place him among the ranks of contemporary master carvers.
"Mr. Zhuang, how about we make a deal? I can design this piece of glass-type jade into an ornament. I guarantee its value will be over 80 million RMB after carving. In addition, I will not charge you a single penny for carving any other items for you this time. But I have one condition: when this red jade ornament is sold, my name must be on the certificate of authenticity as the maker."
Luo Jiang's condition was not excessive. When a precious jade artifact is sold, it needs to have a provenance, such as the quality of the jade, where it came from, and the name of the jade carver.
As for the 200,000 yuan in wages, it seems insignificant compared to the reputation. If one had the reputation of Old Master Gu, one could easily charge over 100,000 yuan for carving a small item in just one or two days, which is far beyond what he earns in a month of 200,000 yuan.
"An ornament? Wait, Master Luo, I want bracelets made from this top-quality red jade. I want it all made into bracelets, and I won't sell them. Are you sure you don't have some misunderstanding?"
Zhuang Rui was quite puzzled by Luo Jiang's words. He did intend to carve another ornament, but that had nothing to do with the material he had just used.
"Carved into a bracelet? That's fine too. What? Not for sale?"
Zhuang Rui's words made Luo Jiang feel as if he had fallen from heaven to hell, and his mood suddenly became depressed. Although the bracelet was not very particular about the craftsmanship, it could still help him enhance his reputation.
However, Zhuang Rui's statement that it was not for sale dashed Luo Jiang's hopes. After all, if this item didn't circulate, who would recognize it?
Chapter 336 Jade Carving (Part 2)
"Master Luo, don't be disappointed. I will give the carved blood jade bracelet to someone of high status, someone whose name can be written on the certificate of authenticity..."
Zhuang Rui saw through Luo Jiang's thoughts. However, some people crave fame, while others pursue profit. It's understandable that Luo Jiang, who can gain both fame and fortune by crafting an object, would be excited. There are many people in this world who constantly claim to be indifferent to fame and fortune, but if you put fame and fortune in front of them, they would probably fight for it more fiercely than anyone else.
"Mr. Zhuang, are you... are you telling the truth?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Luo Jiang's previously dejected expression immediately became excited again. He didn't care whether Zhuang Rui intended to sell or give away the objects he had carved, as long as they weren't hidden in the basement, it would spread his reputation.
"Of course it's real, otherwise why would I make these bracelets? By the way, some of the items made from those icy jade pieces are going to be sold. You can also leave your name on the certificate of authenticity."
For some top-quality jewelry, it is essential to have an appraisal certificate from an authoritative institution. Although this bracelet is a gift to a relative rather than for sale, Zhuang Rui still plans to go to the Jade Association to get a few appraisal certificates to fill out. As a director of the Jade Association, he has the authority to do so.
Zhuang Rui only plans to give one of the top-grade red jade bracelets as a gift for his grandmother's 70th wedding anniversary. He will keep the rest and won't even give them to his mother for the time being, because Zhuang Rui knows that his mother doesn't like such bright and flashy colors.
Zhuang Min liked it, but Zhuang Rui didn't dare give it to her. The item was too valuable, and the security situation in Pengcheng was uncertain. If someone were to target her, it would only cause trouble.
A few years ago, two elderly women were enjoying the cool summer air when they were robbed by a thug. After taking their jewelry, the thug also ripped off one of the women's earrings as he ran away, tearing her earlobe and causing it to bleed profusely.
Ornaments worn close to the body like pendants are generally fine, but Zhuang Rui wouldn't give his older sister eye-catching items like bracelets. He even told Zhuang Min not to wear those two imperial green earrings out unless necessary.
As for the jewelry made from the icy jadeite, Zhuang Rui had already made plans: he would keep some to give away and sell the rest. After all, he had bought the jadeite with money, so he couldn't let it go unrecovered.
There are quite a few people from my mother's family who need to receive gifts. When Ouyang Jun gets married, Zhuang Rui plans to give him a pair of icy red jade bracelets. In addition, he asked Luo Jiang to use the leftover material from making the bracelets to make several pairs of earrings and pendants to give to his aunts and sisters whom he has never met. Didn't they say on TV yesterday that it's never wrong to give more gifts? This is also something to make my mother look good.
While Zhuang Rui was mentally assigning tasks to the unfinished jade pieces, Luo Jiang, who was beside him, calmed down and said to Zhuang Rui, "Boss Zhuang, since that's the case, I won't ask for payment for this jade carving. Please show me the jade carving site, and I can start working now."
Some readers might be confused at this point. This is a reward of 200,000 RMB, how can he just give it up? Actually, it's not hard to understand. The top-quality red jadeite here, including the jewelry made from icy jadeite, will surely make Luo Jiang's name shine in the jade carving industry once it enters the market. Once he has a reputation, why would he be afraid of not earning this small amount of money?
Another point is that if Zhuang Rui were to spread the word that he had these materials, even the most renowned jade carvers would be willing to offer to carve them for free. Luo Jiang was a smart man; by bringing it up himself, he effectively blocked Zhuang Rui's idea of finding someone else to carve these jade materials.
Actually, Luo Jiang valued this batch of top-grade jade too much. Little did he know that Zhuang Rui, this "insider," was completely unaware of the intricacies involved. Not long ago, he was even frowning and looking for someone to carve jade.
"Master Luo, as long as your skills are good, you will naturally get the money you are owed. Don't worry, although I, Zhuang Rui, am not old, I keep my word. You don't need to worry about that."
Zhuang Rui was worried that he wouldn't take the materials seriously. Compared to a pair of jadeite bracelets that are worth millions, what is two hundred thousand?
"Come on, I'll take you to see the jade carving site. I've already bought all the machines. If you need anything else, just tell me and I'll go and buy it."
Seeing that Luo Jiang was about to refuse, Zhuang Rui waved his hand, stood up, and walked towards the door first. Luo Jiang, who was about to speak, could only shut his mouth and follow behind Zhuang Rui.
"Hmm, this is a grinding wheel machine. They even have a polishing machine? That means the speed can be increased..."
After entering the garage, Luo Jiang began to handle the machines as if they were his own treasures, pulling off all the plastic bags covering them. He hadn't expected Zhuang Rui to be so well-prepared. Originally, after seeing the materials, Luo Jiang felt that it wouldn't be finished in a month, but now it seemed that it could be completed a little ahead of schedule.
"Master Luo, is there anything still missing?"
Zhuang Rui asked from the side.
"That's plenty, the tools are all there. As for the grinding and stuff, I brought them all. We can get to work now..."
Seeing these tools, Luo Jiang's face lit up with excitement. He told Zhuang Rui to arrange four or five machines in a circle, leaving a space of about three square meters inside. Then he excitedly ran back into the villa.
Do you need a chair?
Zhuang Rui thought Luo Jiang was going back to the villa to move chairs, but to his surprise, after opening his bag, he took out a small drawing board and a thick stack of white paper, clipped them onto the drawing board, and began to carefully examine the glass-type jadeite on the coffee table.
The processing of jade artifacts generally involves selecting materials, designing, carving, and polishing. Now, the material selection is no longer necessary. The next step is naturally design, which is also a very important part of testing a jade carver's skills. Whether their basic skills are solid can be seen from their design drawings. This is why the jade carving master mentioned earlier must master drawing skills.
Zhuang Rui had a slight understanding of the various processes involved in jade processing. Seeing that Luo Jiang was completely focused on the drawing board and the jade material, he didn't disturb him any further. He quietly left the hall and went to the garden to play with the white lion.
During this time, the white lion's internal injuries have basically healed, and he has regained his former vigor. Every time he plays with Zhuang Rui, he has to pin Zhuang Rui to the ground and spit in his face before he will let him get up.
Late August had already brought autumn, and the weather wasn't as hot as it had been recently. Walking through this shady garden, one could even feel a slight chill. Sitting in the pavilion above the pond, watching the fish swimming in the water, Zhuang Rui felt a little dazed. It seemed like he hadn't had such a leisurely time in a long time.
However, Zhuang Rui's leisure was interrupted by several phone calls. Ouyang Jun called to announce that his wedding was scheduled for the end of November, before his grandfather's 90th birthday. Everyone in the Ouyang family would be attending, including his maternal uncle who would be entering the central government at the end of the year. After learning about his mother's past, Zhuang Rui had a good impression of this maternal uncle whom he had never met.
Gu Yun also called to inform Zhuang Rui that the original buildings of the courtyard house had been completely demolished and construction would begin today. When Gu Yun learned that Zhuang Rui would not be in Beijing for another month, he boasted on the phone that he would give Zhuang Rui a big surprise.
The first two phone calls were fine, but the subsequent call from Miao Feifei left Zhuang Rui somewhat puzzled.
Officer Miao strongly urged Zhuang Rui to return to Beijing immediately, without specifying why. Zhuang Rui, of course, couldn't leave at the moment and could only refuse, which made Officer Miao very unhappy as he hung up the phone. Zhuang Rui was completely bewildered and planned to apologize to Officer Miao next time he went to Beijing.
Before they knew it, three or four hours had passed, and the sky was gradually darkening. Zhuang Rui walked into the villa and looked at Luo Jiang, who was still lost in thought about the jade. He couldn't help but smile wryly, wondering if he should even eat.
"Ahem, Master Luo?"
Zhuang Rui coughed, interrupting Luo Jiang, who was drawing on the drawing board with a pencil.
"Hmm? Boss Zhuang, what's the matter?"
Luo Jiang looked up in surprise, slightly annoyed that his thoughts had been interrupted.
Zhuang Rui smiled wryly and pointed to his watch, saying, "Master Luo, it's almost seven o'clock. Let's go out for a meal, as a way of welcoming you back."
"No need, we'll eat whatever we have at home, even instant noodles are fine."
Upon hearing this, Luo Jiang lowered his head again, but then realized that this attitude was inappropriate towards his boss, so he looked up and said, "Boss Zhuang, you don't need to be so polite. I just have some ideas right now. I'll draw up these plans first, and we can start work tomorrow..."
"Alright, then Master Luo, you can go ahead with your work..."
Zhuang Rui was too embarrassed to treat people to instant noodles, so he drove out of the villa, intending to find a restaurant and order some food and drinks.
However, when leaving the villa, Zhuang Rui still instructed the security guard at the door to carefully check the belongings of anyone going out and to call him immediately. After all, the two pieces of jade were too precious, and Zhuang Rui had to be careful.
Zhuang Rui ordered some food from a hotel not far from the villa area and got their phone number. He figured he'd be ordering food from them for the next month or so.
Back at the villa, Zhuang Rui treated Luo Jiang to dinner, then went to his room to surf the internet and watch TV, not wanting to cause Luo Jiang any more trouble.
When Zhuang Rui woke up at three or four in the morning, he opened the door and glanced into the living room, only to find that the lights were still on.
Chapter 337 Jade Carving (Part 2)
When Zhuang Rui woke up the next day, it was already bright outside, and the sunlight streaming through the gaps in the curtains indicated that it was going to be another beautiful day.
Looking at the time, it was already past nine in the morning. Zhuang Rui quickly got up to wash up. There were guests at home, and he hadn't even prepared breakfast. That wasn't proper hospitality.
Upon opening the door, Zhuang Rui saw that the living room lights were off. Standing on the second floor, he saw that the two pieces of jade on the coffee table were still there, but Luo Jiang was no longer sitting on the sofa. He had probably gone to sleep. Zhuang Rui remembered that when he got up in the middle of the night last night, Luo Jiang was still busy there.
"Um?"
Zhuang Rui walked down the stairs and found someone lying on the sofa, holding a pencil in his hand. It was none other than Luo Jiang.
Zhuang Rui smiled wryly. This guy was really crazy. He probably couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep. Zhuang Rui went into the room, took out a blanket, and covered Luo Jiang with it. Although the room was kept at a constant temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, he would still catch a cold while sleeping.
"Boss? I fell asleep?"
Just as Zhuang Rui covered Luo Jiang with the blanket, Luo Jiang suddenly opened his eyes and woke up.
"Go to your room and rest for a bit. The second room on the first floor is for you. There's still a month to go, you don't need to push yourself so hard..."
When Zhuang Rui saw Luo Jiang sit up from the sofa, he took the blanket away. However, Luo Jiang's eyes were bloodshot and looked rather frightening.
"It's okay, I'm used to it. I used to go three days without sleep to finish a project, but now that I'm older, I can actually fall asleep after staying up all night. Boss, is there anything to eat? I'm fine, but my stomach is a bit upset."
Hearing Luo Jiang say that, Zhuang Rui also felt a bit hungry. He couldn't wait to call for food, so he simply went to the kitchen to boil water and cook a few packets of instant noodles. He also cracked two eggs into them, put them into two large bowls, and took them out.
After quickly finishing his instant noodles, Zhuang Rui picked up the drawings scattered on the sofa. It had to be said that Luo Jiang's drawing skills were quite impressive. The pencil sketches on them were extremely realistic; aside from the color, the jade pieces on the drawings were exactly the same size and shape as the two pieces on the coffee table.
What surprised Zhuang Rui the most was that the design of the bracelet looked as if it had been drawn with a compass, perfectly regular. If Zhuang Rui had tried to draw it, he would have made the circle into an oval.
"Master Luo, the bracelets on these drawings all seem to be different sizes?"
Upon closer inspection, Zhuang Rui noticed a problem. The drawing in his hand depicted five bracelets, but only two of them were the same size, while the other three were slightly smaller. If it hadn't been drawn on a piece of paper, Zhuang Rui wouldn't have been able to see it.
"It's different. This piece of material can only yield five bracelets at most. The rest can be used to make some small pendants and earrings..."
After finishing his noodles, Luo Jiang felt much more energetic. His eyes returned to the rough stones, this time focusing on the icy jadeite.
"I noticed that all the bracelets sold in the store seem to be about the same size."
Zhuang Rui immediately regretted asking the question. People's hands are of different sizes, so the bracelets made from them will naturally vary in size. His question was a bit idiotic.
Sure enough, Luo Jiang shifted his gaze from the icy jadeite, gave Zhuang Rui a strange look, and said, "They look similar, but if you compare them side by side, the sizes are different. Bangle sizes come in many varieties. Generally, a bangle with an inner circumference of 157-163 mm has an inner diameter of 50-52 mm, which is relatively small. Most bangles sold in stores now have an inner circumference of 182-191 mm and an inner diameter of 58-61 mm, or even larger than 61 mm, which can fit most people..."
Although Luo Jiang found it strange that Zhuang Rui, as a jade appraisal expert, did not understand these basics, he still focused his attention on the raw materials. After answering the questions casually, he turned his attention back to the jade on the coffee table and picked up the drawing board, presumably to design a pattern for the icy jade.
Zhuang Rui was completely baffled. He had no idea about the different sizes and categories of bracelets. After listening to Luo Jiang's explanation, he stood up somewhat guiltily to clear the dishes.
Luo Jiang still didn't start carving the jade that day. Instead, he sat there designing patterns, while Zhuang Rui naturally took care of the logistics, such as calling for takeout.
Zhuang Rui has been very busy lately, but now that he has some free time, he has carefully reviewed the study materials that Professor Meng gave him. The preliminary exam is in January next year, and Zhuang Rui doesn't want to fail at this hurdle.
It wasn't until after 10 p.m. that Luo Jiang finally finished his design work. He had drawn the patterns for both pieces of jade. According to Luo Jiang, the bracelet and pendant were relatively simple to carve, and the colors of the two pieces of jade were very uniform, so there was no need to spend time trying to bring out the most beautiful colors. Therefore, the progress was much faster.
However, if it were a decorative piece, the design and modification of the shape alone would probably take more than half a month.
Zhuang Rui took a look and saw that the icy jade could be used to make more than thirty bracelets. The remaining pendants, earrings and other small items could be carved out of the jade left in the middle of the bracelets, and the designs had already been drawn on Luo Jiang's drawings.
However, some pendants and earrings require platinum and gold settings. Luo Jiang drew up some necklace designs and the dimensions of the settings separately, and gave them to Zhuang Rui, asking him to find Wu Jia to order them tomorrow. Although there are quite a few, a total of thirty or forty pieces, most of these metal products have existing molds, so they can be made quickly. By the time Luo Jiang finishes his jade carving, they will basically be finished as well.
After doing all this, Luo Jiang didn't force himself to start carving the jade immediately. Instead, he went back to his room and slept soundly until around 8 a.m. the next morning. Only then did he get up to prepare to cut and carve the jade. He had to break down these whole pieces of raw material according to the drawings before he could begin carving.
Before dissecting the jade, Luo Jiang brought a basin of water to the garage and carefully washed it for several minutes before wiping it clean with a towel. He then placed the icy jade on a jade carving machine, wanting to warm up his work first before attempting to dissect the top-quality jadeite.
Zhuang Rui had read the instruction manual for this jade carving machine and knew that it was the most important piece of equipment used in the jade processing and production process. It mainly consisted of a machine body, a drive shaft, and a grinding head, and was driven by an electric motor with adjustable speed. The tools were mounted on the main shaft.
Luo Jiang is now using a guillotine (a small circular saw) mounted on the main shaft to separate the jade material outside the black lines from the piece of jade along the rough lines he drew on the piece. The larger pieces are the size of a thumb, while the smaller ones are as small as grains of soybean. Obviously, they can only be treated as waste. This is unavoidable in the process of jade carving.
"This is called a chisel. It's mainly used for casting blanks and for further chiseling away useless parts based on the depth of the concave and convex shapes..."
Seeing that Zhuang Rui was paying close attention, Luo Jiang used a guillotine to remove some of the excess jade material, then switched to another tool and casually explained it to Zhuang Rui beside him.