"Let's go, let's go take a look at the stone-cutting area..."
Zhuang Rui felt very uncomfortable being stared at, so he immediately walked towards the stone-cutting area on the right side of the jade trading center.
People who gamble on jade in Myanmar can be roughly divided into three categories. The first category is jewelers who buy raw stones for their own use. These people usually bring the raw stones they buy back to their home countries to hoard or cut them open, and generally do not cut the stones in Myanmar.
The second type of people are raw stone merchants who transport raw stones from Myanmar to various public auctions in China and make a profit from the price difference. They are commonly known as middlemen. They rarely participate in the cutting of stones, at most making a small cut on the better-looking stones.
The third type of people are professional jade gamblers. After purchasing rough stones at public auctions, they often cut the stones on the spot and sell the jadeite rough stones that have won the gamble to jewelers to make a profit.
The stone-cutting area at the jade center is mainly prepared for this type of person, and on-site stone cutting also helps to increase the transaction volume of the public auction.
You know, if a piece of jade with a huge potential value is found on the spot, it can definitely cause a surge of adrenaline and drive people crazy.
Chapter 962 A Mere Empty Reputation? (Part 1)
Since more than an hour had passed since the open bidding, a group of people had gathered in the stone-cutting area. They had all won the bid, paid, and taken their rough stones, and wanted to try their luck here.
Besides these professional jade gamblers, there are also some jewelers who are extremely shrewd. They don't want to waste money participating in jade gambling, so they wait here and offer to buy jade after others have cut it open.
Although this approach is not as profitable as gambling on rough stones, it is more reliable and much cheaper than buying ready-made stones domestically.
Because these people are eager to sell their winnings to raise funds so they can buy more raw stones, the selling price after the stones are cut open on-site is usually not very high.
"Brother Zhuang, why are you out so early? Didn't you make a move this time?"
As soon as Zhuang Rui approached the stone-cutting area, he saw a familiar face: Mr. Han, the owner of Han's Jewelry. The man was wearing an exotic sun hat, and his clothes were soaked with sweat.
"Mr. Han, aren't you just strolling around too?"
Zhuang Rui laughed when he heard this. Judging from Lao Han's posture, he probably wanted to pick up a bargain and buy a few pieces of clear jade. There are many people like him in the jade-cutting area who want to take advantage of others.
"Brother, don't laugh at me. Why would I buy a plane ticket and wander around this godforsaken place? Of course, I'm looking for some good quality stuff..."
Han Haowei gave a wry smile and continued, "I just went to the open bidding. This isn't gambling on stones; it's practically robbery! They're throwing away those broken stones like they're free. I can't afford to play this game anymore..."
In business, cost control is crucial. Not only Mr. Han, but many jewelers who participated in this public auction were also taken aback by the open bidding on the first day.
The influx of idle domestic funds and speculative capital has made the jade gambling market increasingly frenzied and irrational. With Myanmar stirring things up, the domestic jade market will be greatly affected in the next few years.
"Yeah, I didn't dare to bid either. A piece of jade the size of a fist costs over two million, and even if it turns out to be icy jade, we'd still lose money. I really don't know what these people are thinking..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head repeatedly. After the bidding just now, his interest in this public auction had greatly diminished. Unlike these jewelers who had to rely on public auctions to raise supplies, Zhuang Rui still had a foothold in Myanmar.
Although the jade mine in Hpakant is going to be sold, it has accumulated a lot of good material over the years. According to Hu Rong, even if half of the rough stones in his warehouse were given to Zhuang Rui, it would be enough for his jewelry store to use for jade materials for fifty years.
So Zhuang Rui wasn't in a hurry. If he could find a good piece of material by chance, that would be wonderful; if he couldn't, he'd just consider it a vacation. ...
"That person is the Jade King of the North?"
"It seems so, I heard the surname is Zhuang..."
"Is he that young? He didn't even win the bid, so he must be bragging, right?"
"Bragging? You try bragging about a piece of jade worth hundreds of millions. Let me tell you, this young man was quite the celebrity a few years ago..."
"It was just good luck; anyone would have made money in those years..."
While Zhuang Rui and Han Haowei were chatting, a group of people nearby who were about to have their stones cut started whispering among themselves. If Zhuang Rui had once created a legend in the jade gambling circle, he would be a person with a certain status in the industry.
Although many in the industry question Zhuang Rui's jade appraisal and gambling skills, his reputation precedes him, and based on his achievements in the past few years alone, Zhuang Rui has a certain influence in this circle.
As Zhuang Rui was talking to Boss Han, someone approached and said, "Are you Teacher Zhuang? Could you take a look and tell me what you think of this piece of material?"
"And you are?"
Zhuang Rui doesn't have the same high moral character as Old Tang, who helps everyone he meets to take a look. This job of taking a look is not easy. If you do it well, people will believe you. If you do it poorly, you may incur people's resentment.
Last year, Zhuang Rui helped Gu Yun's friend appraise an item, a blue and white porcelain piece, marked as "Made in the Qianlong period of the Great Qing Dynasty".
According to the man, this item was passed down from his ancestors during the Qing Dynasty. However, Zhuang Rui knew it was a fake as soon as he touched it. According to the rules of the trade, he was too embarrassed to say it was fake at the time and just said that he couldn't understand it.
Who knew that as soon as that guy stepped out, he started spouting nonsense at Gu Yun, saying that Zhuang Rui was all talk and no action, which caused Gu Yun to fall out with that guy and lose his friend.
After that incident, Zhuang Rui never appraised items for idle people again, except in the antique circle. Doing so would only cause him trouble.
"Brother, this is Boss Zhang. He's been a leading figure in the jade gambling market for the past few years. He has a sharp eye and is very daring. His reputation is no less than yours back then..."
Before the man could speak, Han Haowei preemptively introduced himself to Zhuang Rui, causing Zhuang Rui to frown slightly. "Why are you comparing yourself to yourself? I don't make a living from this."
"Mr. Zhang, forget about appraising me. My reputation is just hype; don't take it seriously..."
With Zhuang Rui's current wealth and perspective, he was too lazy to care about such things, so he displayed a maturity far beyond his years in his speech.
"How could that be? Teacher Zhuang's reputation is known even to foreigners. Could it be that he doesn't think much of my talent?"
Mr. Zhang has been doing very well in the jade gambling business these past two years, and has indeed cut out several good stones. He is often praised by well-known domestic jewelers, and he thinks that his level of appreciating raw stones is among the best in the industry.
However, since he entered the industry late, Mr. Zhang had never met Zhuang Rui before. But he often heard people talking about Zhuang Rui's achievements, and he couldn't help but feel a little unconvinced. Now that he had asked Zhuang Rui to take a look, he actually wanted to examine Zhuang Rui's abilities.
This isn't a dramatic story. There are some people in this world who can't stand others being better than them. In ancient times, this would be called "there's no first place in literature, but there's no second place in martial arts." They love to take everything seriously.
Upon hearing this man's words, Zhuang Rui frowned slightly and said, "Let's forget about it. The world of jade gambling is ever-changing. Before it's cut open, no one can say what's inside..."
"Ah? Haha, since Teacher Zhuang can't see through it, then forget it..."
When Boss Zhang heard Zhuang Rui back down, his pride soared. He chuckled and didn't press Zhuang Rui any further.
Zhuang Rui didn't want to cause trouble and refused, but this made Boss Han resentful. Just as Boss Zhang finished speaking, Boss Han said, "Boss Zhang, what do you mean by 'can't see through it'? Let me tell you, there aren't many rough stones that Brother Zhuang can't see through. When it comes to appraising rough stones, hehe, Boss Zhang, you..."
Han Haowei only said half of what he meant, but everyone could understand what he meant. Boss Zhang's smiling face instantly turned ugly.
"Huh, that's strange. Teacher Zhuang didn't say anything, so why are Old Han and Old Zhang arguing?"
"Yeah, Lao Han isn't usually this serious, is he?"
"Old Zhang is going a bit too far. If you want to climb the ladder, you shouldn't step on other people..."
Han Haowei's attitude struck the onlookers as odd. Jewelry dealers and jade gamblers are usually interdependent, and logically speaking, Han Haowei had no reason to offend Boss Zhang.
What these people didn't know was that Zhuang Rui had done Han Haowei a great favor some time ago. Those few pieces of top-quality jadeite were enough to ensure that his jewelry store wouldn't have to worry about the raw materials for top-grade jadeite ornaments for several years.
Aside from Qin Haoran, Fatty Ma, Song Jun, and other family and friends, Boss Han probably knows Zhuang Rui's skill level best. So, his act of standing up for Zhuang Rui at this critical moment is undoubtedly aimed at befriending Zhuang Rui and obtaining some good materials from him in the future.
"Old Han, what are you saying..."
Zhuang Rui quickly stopped Han Haowei from speaking. He didn't have high expectations for this year's auction and didn't want to stand out anymore.
Before Zhuang Rui could finish persuading Lao Han, Boss Zhang said sarcastically from the side, "Teacher Zhuang, please take a look, otherwise people might say you're all talk and no action..."
"Damn, are you sick in the head? Why are you biting people like a mad dog? What did I do to you, buddy?"
Zhuang Rui was furious. How could there still be people like this these days? Do they really think they're the God of Gamblers?
Zhuang Rui wanted to keep a low profile, but he couldn't tolerate being trampled on. So he said, "Alright, let's see. Boss Zhang's skill level must be very high, so the rough stones he chose must be excellent..."
Upon hearing that Zhuang Rui was going to help Boss Zhang appraise the material, some people who were cutting stones put down what they were doing and came over. Even some people who were waiting at the entrance of the jade center gathered around.
It's worth noting that the miracle Zhuang Rui created on this site a few years ago is still being talked about today.
Zhuang Rui walked to a stone cutting machine and saw the material that Boss Zhang had bought. It was a large piece of material, about one meter in length and width, and weighed at least 300 kilograms. It also had blemishes on the surface and looked very good.
Zhuang Rui circled the rough stone twice, smiled, and asked, "Mr. Zhang, this piece of material must be quite expensive, right?"
Before Boss Zhang could speak, a fellow straight man chimed in, saying, "Of course! This piece of jade was today's top bid, sold for 6.8 million euros. Only Brother Zhang has that kind of guts!"
"Courage?"
Zhuang Rui chuckled inwardly, "This is what you call guts? It's more like idiocy..."
"Hmm, Mr. Zhang really has guts. This piece of jade is extremely unlucky; most people wouldn't dare to gamble on it..."
As Zhuang Rui spoke, he squatted down, took the magnifying glass handed to him by Boss Han, and pretended to examine the surface of the raw stone.
"You mean the crack? The crack in this piece isn't deep, and the surface blemishes are very green. I'm sure you'll see green when you cut it open, so I don't think the quality will be bad..."
Mr. Zhang looked very confident. He had bought a piece of jade at the Yangmei auction that looked very similar to this one. After his gamble paid off, he made more than 20 million RMB by reselling it.
Chapter 963 A Mere Empty Reputation? (Part 2)
There are many tricks to gambling on rough stones. Some people like to gamble on color, some like to gamble on texture and water content, and some like to gamble on cracks. Each person chooses the timing of their sale and the type of rough stone based on their own experience.
However, among these gambling methods, gambling on cracks is undoubtedly the riskiest. As the saying goes, "one cut to heaven, one cut to hell," which describes gambling on cracks in jadeite rough. The rough stone cut by this method will either have a huge profit or result in a complete loss, making it the riskiest.
Generally, it is the old-timers who have been in the jade gambling scene for decades who are extremely cautious when gambling on cracks. Zhuang Rui didn't know why this person in front of him, who was only a few years older than him, was so confident.
“Mr. Zhang is right, this piece of material… ah, not bad, not bad…”
Zhuang Rui did not refute Mr. Zhang's words, but instead laughed it off. However, from his casual words, everyone could tell that Zhuang Rui did not seem to think much of this priceless rough stone.
The presence of green inclusions within the rough stone only indicates that the material may contain jadeite. However, due to the unique formation conditions of jadeite, the underlying structure can vary greatly, and the appearance of the outer skin can only serve as a reference at best.
A true expert in jade gambling would never rashly make a move simply because something looks good on the surface.
Zhuang Rui had already used his spiritual energy to examine this piece of material. This rough stone, weighing six or seven hundred pounds, did indeed contain jadeite, and just as Mr. Zhang had said, the quality was quite good, reaching the icy variety. It was just a pity that there was only a small piece of jadeite under the crack.
There's a saying in the jade gambling industry: "Better to cut a line than a whole piece." A line of green that appears after cutting is called "ribbon green" by insiders. It's a three-dimensional shape that penetrates into the stone, and its thickness is unknown.
After being cut, it reveals a patch of green, which is called "skin green" in the trade. As the name suggests, the thickness of skin green is generally not very deep, which is why there is a saying in the industry: "It's better to cut a line than a whole patch."
Although there is jade in this piece of material, it is only a small piece. According to Zhuang Rui's estimate, it is worth at most six or seven million. This person spent a sky-high price of sixty or seventy million to buy it, and even dared to cut it open on the spot. He will be crying later.
Zhuang Rui's joking remark was clear to everyone: Boss Zhang had intended to provoke Zhuang Rui's reputation, so he said, "Boss Zhuang doesn't think much of my talent?"
"No, no, Mr. Zhang has excellent judgment..."
Zhuang Rui felt a bit annoyed. "I've already stopped arguing with you, why do you keep picking on me?" He turned to Han Haowei and whispered, "Bro, who's this guy?"
"Damn, he's a complete idiot. I heard he used to deal in tea, I don't know how he got into the jade gambling circle. But he's been lucky, I don't think I've ever heard of him cutting something that turned out badly..."
After listening to Han Haowei's introduction, Zhuang Rui learned that this Mr. Zhang's name was Zhang Yunhui, and he was from Meizhou, Guangdong. He used to make his fortune by dealing in tea, but business had become difficult in recent years, so he turned his attention to jadeite gambling.
Although gambling on jadeite is most popular in Guangdong, Zhang Yunhui got involved relatively late, only starting to get into the jadeite rough stone business around 2006.
Zhang Yunhui is incredibly daring. After learning the ins and outs of jade gambling, he almost always aims for cracks in the stones whenever he makes a bet.
Generally, materials with a high gamble risk tend to have relatively low prices, but if the gamble pays off, the profits can be quite high, potentially ten or even a hundred times the initial investment.
Mr. Zhang was very lucky; he rarely lost big bets and reaped considerable profits over two years, amassing a fortune of over 100 million.
Once a person's career is going smoothly, their ambitions rise. After two years of struggling in China, Zhang Yunhui set his sights on the Myanmar jade auction.