While the gold that Zhuang Rui obtained from Myanmar did possess some spiritual energy, it was so faint as to be almost imperceptible. It seems that, like other antiques, the spiritual energy in this gold was formed due to its age.
After Zhuang Rui returned the gold ingot, Teacher Sun took it in his hand and began to analyze it: "Precious metals like gold and silver are melted down and recast in every dynasty. This gold ingot has been preserved from the Ming Dynasty to the present day, and the inscription is very clear. It can be said to be one in ten thousand."
The inscription on this piece is undoubtedly the work of a master craftsman from the Imperial Household Department at the time. The knife work is clear and the carving style is typical of the Ming Dynasty. It is quite rare for something like this.
Furthermore, the Ming Dynasty had very strict control over gold; these gold ingots all had to be stored in the treasury and would never appear in private hands…
Fatty Jin chimed in, "This thing should be used by the government to control the treasury, like the treasury gold mentioned in TV dramas. Let's have Boss Qian appraise it..."
The items are genuine, and both Fatty Jin and Teacher Sun gave them high marks. However, the final estimate should be made by Qian Jun, who is in the auction business and naturally knows the market value of these items very well.
"This gold ingot is extremely precious. Its value doesn't lie in the gold itself; the ingot is only worth a few hundred thousand. But its historical value far exceeds the ingot's intrinsic worth. If we really had to give it a price..."
Qian Jun paused here. Not only did the owner of the treasure widen his eyes, but Zhuang Rui and several other experts, as well as the staff standing in the distance, also pricked up their ears. How much would the price of something bought for 1.6 million yuan rise in two years?
"3.6 million, in today's auction market, this thing should fetch that price..."
Amidst everyone's anticipation, Mr. Qian presented his offer, causing the staff on site to gasp in surprise as they stared at the gold ingot.
In just two years, this gold ingot appreciated by 2 million yuan. This is much more profitable than investing in stocks or trading, and it's a sure thing. The impact of seeing it in person is far greater than watching it on TV. It made many staff members daydream and wonder if they would be going to Panjiayuan in the next few days.
"Thank you, thank you all for your evaluation..."
Upon hearing the price, the owner of the treasure was overjoyed, stood up, bowed, and walked out.
"Click..."
A deputy director next to him called for a stop, then took a large red certificate and went to the expert panel's seat, asking Teacher Sun to write an appraisal report: "Fifty taels of pure gold ingot made by the Ministry of Revenue in the 30th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. After appraisal by the expert panel, this gold ingot is the only known Ming Dynasty gold ingot circulating among the people. At that time, it was mainly used for royal and national expenditures, as well as rewards and storage, which makes it even more precious."
After Teacher Sun finished writing the evaluation, everyone, including Zhuang Rui, signed their names on it.
"Thank you, thank you teachers..."
The assistant director spoke a few words to the person holding the treasure before letting the camera continue rolling. After the person holding the treasure left, they interacted with the two hosts for a while before the second person holding the treasure appeared.
"This young man is lucky..."
"Yeah, I didn't expect the first item to be an old thing. It seems we'll all have a good look today..."
"Who knows what the next object will be..."
The first item they appraised was a rare and precious artifact, which pleased the experts. Since the door was closed and it wasn't their turn to be photographed yet, they started chatting amongst themselves.
"Teacher Sun, gold ingots are relatively easy to melt and cast. Are there many modern imitations of them?"
Zhuang Rui thought about the two tons of gold he was about to get his hands on. He couldn't help but feel a little itchy. "I'll get a few pieces too. I won't sell them. They'll look nice just sitting in the basement."
"Hehe, there are fakes too, but they're relatively few. Because with metal antiques, after they're faked, they need to be oxidized to give them some of the characteristics of genuine antiques, but there's some loss during the oxidation process. Gold itself is a precious metal; this piece, regardless of its historical value, is worth hundreds of thousands in itself. Basically, no one would spend that much money to fake it..."
After Teacher Sun explained it this way, Zhuang Rui understood. That made sense. Something that was worth hundreds of thousands of yuan was worthless. If it was faked, and it turned out to be a complete fake, then they would have wasted their money.
"I'll find someone to make a mold later, and when the gold arrives, I'll melt down a few pieces and make some to play with..."
Zhuang Rui thought to himself that he wasn't afraid of the losses, and the gold ingots were really beautiful, much prettier than those small gold bricks.
At this moment, a second person also entered the hall, carrying a white-glazed, colorless phoenix-shaped teapot. This was to be appraised by Tian Fan. After taking one look, Tian Fan laughed and said, "Where did you get this item?"
The man in his thirties who possessed the treasure seemed a little nervous. He said, "It belongs to my relative. He went to the Palace Museum and saw a piece of porcelain with blue and white decoration, which is the same style as this one. It should be an antique, right?"
Tian Fan laughed upon hearing this and followed up with, "This isn't yours, is it?"
After receiving the man's reply, Tian Fan continued, "The theme of our treasure appraisal segment this time is 'Dreams Come True,' but your relative's dream won't come true for now, because this item is still quite far from being real, probably several hundred years away..."
Tian Fan's words made everyone present laugh. Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man naturally realized that the item was fake, and he left the hall with the pot.
Several other collectors brought their items for appraisal, including paper-cut window decorations, bronze artifacts, and one even brought a piece of calligraphy attributed to Emperor Huizong of Song. Of course, the claim of "personal calligraphy" was merely his own interpretation.
However, without exception, all of these items are fakes and imitations made by later generations. The bronze ware is a replica of a handwashing utensil from the Warring States period, but the green embroidery and other decorations are all artificial.
As for the calligraphy personally written by Emperor Huizong of Song, it was even more outrageously fake, because the dozen or so bells from different periods on it were all almost the same color, which was simply impossible. The old gentleman who owned the treasure was not very satisfied with the expert's opinion, left a message saying that he would reserve his opinion, and turned to leave.
Zhuang Rui and his team had encountered this kind of thing many times when they were in Jinan. No one would think that their treasure was fake or of little value. In just over half an hour, they had looked at about 10 items, but the other experts were busy with that, and Zhuang Rui had nothing to do, because there wasn't a single piece of jade among them.
"Teacher Zhuang, your business has arrived..."
After seeing what a collector was holding, the experts all laughed. Calligraphy, paintings, bronzes and miscellaneous items had all appeared, but Zhuang Rui's jade category was the only one they hadn't seen. What the collector was holding was a jade ornament.
This is a white jade ornament inlaid on a sandalwood base. It is about the size of a fist and is carved with two lions, one large and one small. The small lion is riding on the back of the large lion. The carving is quite good.
Chapter 530 Spring Festival Treasure Appraisal (3)
Zhuang Rui picked up the white jade ornament from the table. He examined it for a moment, then looked at the young man holding the treasure and asked, "Did you collect this yourself?"
"No, my father bought it last year. I just wanted to see if it was valuable."
The person holding the treasure is not old, probably in their early twenties at most.
"So how much do you think it's worth?"
Zhuang Rui asked.
“My father bought it for over 30,000 yuan. I think it’s worth over 100,000 yuan. Some people say it’s an antique jade…”
"Hehe, at first glance, this piece of jade looks very white, and it's a whole piece of jade, and it's not small either. In our trade, this lion should be called a 'Tai Shi Shao Shi' (太狮少狮) ornament. It looks very imposing and can be placed in a prominent place at home. Look at the gap between the two lions; it can also be used as a pen holder in the study. It's quite nice..."
Zhuang Rui's words brought a broad smile to the young man's face. However, the other experts were also laughing, amused that Zhuang Rui, at such a young age, was so slick and experienced; they were sure his next words would be unpleasant to hear.
Sure enough, after praising the ornament, Zhuang Rui continued, "But if you look closely at the jade, you'll find that although it's from Xinjiang, it's not Hetian jade and doesn't reach the quality of Hetian jade. The carving looks good, but it's not hand-carved; it's machine-made, carved by a modern high-speed cutting machine. These machines didn't exist before, so this ornament is a new thing..."
"Worthless?"
The young man's face was filled with disappointment; his father had promised to give it to him.
"It's not that it's worthless; this jade carving is a decent work of art, but it's not worth 30,000 yuan. However, there's more to your piece than meets the eye, Mr. Sun. Please take a look..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and handed the item to Sun Sheng, who was playing with miscellaneous items. This action not only puzzled the young man, but also left Sun Sheng wondering what Zhuang Rui meant.
"Huh? It really is! Young man, you're in luck..."
Sun Sheng examined the ornament for a moment. His eyes suddenly fixed on the base, and he said, "The jade and carving are just average, but the base is quite nice—a flat-bottomed lotus pedestal made of old sandalwood. Xiao Zhuang, you have a really sharp eye; even when it comes to miscellaneous items, you're no worse than me..."
"I've dealt with a few sandalwood items before, so I'm somewhat familiar with them, but I can't compare to Teacher Sun..."
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this and waved his hands repeatedly. He had noticed as soon as he received the ornament that the jade contained no spiritual energy whatsoever, but the sandalwood base was an old object with extremely dense white spiritual energy inside. It should be from the Qing Dynasty and worth tens of thousands of yuan.
"Others buy the box and return the pearl, but this is selling the box and giving away the pearl..."
Everyone laughed at Fatty Jin's words. It was true; even the seller probably hadn't expected it. The base he'd found just for show turned out to be quite valuable.
"Zhuang Rui, not bad, you really have style..."
Ouyang Jun, who was sitting next to him, didn't care that the program was being filmed and started shouting loudly. The program was going to be re-edited before it would be broadcast, but no one stopped Ouyang Jun.
Zhuang Rui's calm and composed explanation just now really gave him the air of an expert. Not only Ouyang Jun, but even some of the staff who initially looked down on Zhuang Rui because of his age changed their minds.
In people's minds, experts and professors must be in their forties or fifties, but Zhuang Rui's performance at this moment shows what it means to be young and promising.
"How about we take a break, teachers?"
After the young man left, the two hosts, Liu Jia and Li Jia, came in. Li Jia, being the director, went to the filming location to watch the recording footage.
"No need, let's continue. The sooner we finish recording, the more likely we are to go home for the New Year..."
Fatty Jin waved his hand with a smile, and the others agreed. Zhuang Rui, on the other hand, felt like he had been tricked. If they were to record seven days' worth of programs in three days, they definitely wouldn't be able to finish by only recording half a day each day.
"Okay, let's continue..."
Li Jia and Liu Jia drank some water and had their makeup touched up by the makeup artist; they were much more tired than Zhuang Rui and the others. The experts sat in their seats, drinking tea and chatting, looking much more relaxed than they were.
"Hey, Brother Zhuang, is this still your dish? If it's not served, it's fine, but once it's served, it's all your business..."
The item to be appraised this time was quite large, so two staff members carried it to the front of the experts' table for several people to examine it. Meanwhile, the two hosts, Li Jia and another host, chatted with the owner of the item outside, giving the experts inside time to appraise it.
"Teacher Sun, shouldn't this also be classified as miscellaneous items?"
What was presented to Zhuang Rui and the others was a piece of chicken-blood stone. It was quite large, and with its base, it was about half a person's height. It was also colorful, and all of it was chicken-blood red, making it very beautiful.
On the fiery red top of the chicken-blood stone, five fierce-looking, brightly colored tigers are carved, which are very imposing.
The base is made of a fine variety of green jadeite, which looks delicate and fresh, and features pine trees, wildflowers, and wild grasses. This further accentuates the regal presence of the five tigers on top.
"Hmm, it's a miscellaneous item, but it's really quite large. Xiao Zhuang, why don't you give your critique..."
Sun Sheng and Uncle De of Zhonghai have a deep connection and a good relationship. His intention in asking Zhuang Rui for comments was to give Zhuang Rui a boost and let him get more exposure.
"Okay, let me take a look first..."
The carving on this piece of chicken-blood stone is extremely intricate. When Zhuang Rui was in Zhonghai, being so close to Zhejiang, he had the opportunity to identify many chicken-blood stone pieces with Uncle De.
After arriving in Beijing, Zhuang Rui learned a great deal about the subdivisions and identification of carving techniques from Master Gu, and he was not intimidated at all.
After looking at the artwork for four or five minutes, Zhuang Rui noticed something interesting and felt more confident. He returned to the expert's seat, while the two hosts outside let in the owner of the treasure, a middle-aged woman.
"What's the origin of this stone?"
This is the opening line of the appraisal, and this was the first question Zhuang Rui asked.
“This has been passed down in my family for generations. I’m from Qingtian, Zhejiang. Originally, it was just a piece of raw material, but because my son turned eight last year, my family commissioned someone to carve it as a birthday present for him…”
The woman was quite talkative, answering every question in detail, which made Zhuang Rui and the others laugh. It seemed she came from a wealthy family, and this birthday gift must have been quite valuable.
Moreover, Zhuang Rui noticed that the jadeite around the woman's neck and the bracelet on her wrist were of very good quality. In particular, he could tell at a glance that the jadeite Buddha pendant was made of high-quality icy green material, and its value was at least 500,000 yuan.
"This piece of chicken-blood stone you have is from Changhua, Zhejiang. First of all, it's certain that its material is extremely rare, even rarer than the jadeite you're wearing around your neck..."
Zhuang Rui took a sip of water and began to speak eloquently. At this moment, he felt somewhat like an expert, and he felt a great sense of satisfaction in being able to share what he knew.
"Because Emperor Qianlong bestowed the title of 'Emperor of Seals' upon Tianhuang stone, chicken-blood stone was called 'Empress of Seals' because its color is a vibrant, dripping red, as if freshly slaughtered chicken blood had been dripped onto the stone."
The most striking feature of your stone is its vibrant, lively, thick, and dense blood-red color. In terms of the blood-red color alone, it can be considered a top-grade bloodstone.
The blood in chicken-blood stone is good, but it also needs a good base to complement it. The base under the blood in chicken-blood stone is called ox-horn ground. Because it is the material for making seals, it is a soft base that is easy to carve.
Another point is that your piece of material is an old mine chicken blood stone, which is basically impossible to find now. Although the carving is new, the design of the subject matter is very good. The interplay between the mountain rocks, pine trees, wild grass, and the tiger in motion shows an extremely high level of artistry.
Furthermore, I recognize the craftsmanship of this piece. It was carved by Luo Jiang, a disciple of the renowned Southern School jade carving master, Master Wu. With such a fine material and a master craftsman, this piece of chicken-blood stone can be considered an outstanding work of contemporary arts and crafts. Congratulations, this is a very precious piece…”
Now that Luo Jiang is considered one of their own, Zhuang Rui doesn't mind giving him a shout-out. When he first saw the piece, he noticed Luo Jiang's mark on it, which was a bit of a surprise at first.
"Teacher Jin, why are you all looking at me like that?"
After the treasure owner left, full of gratitude, Zhuang Rui noticed that the other experts were looking at him with strange eyes.
"Xiao Zhuang, it seems you're more suited to be this miscellaneous guest than I am..."