Chapter 5 Jade or Diamond? _1

In the morning, Li Shi went to the office to collect his belongings, and during the spare time he spent relaxing at "The Way of the Earth," he was pondering one question: what material should he exchange his newly acquired wealth attribute points for?

He had researched extensively online and had a leisurely option in mind.

Jade.

He had initially considered diamonds, but the diamond industry has taken a massive hit with the rise of man-made diamonds in recent years.

However, large, high-quality colored diamonds are still very popular in the collector's market and regions dominated by Western aesthetics.

According to information found online, some time ago, a 14.83-carat pink diamond was auctioned off at a foreign auction house for a staggering 26.6 million US dollars! An even more astounding 15.81-carat purple-pink diamond sold for an astronomical 223 million Hong Kong dollars at an auction in Xiang Jiang.

"It could be a backup option, in case I can make some foreign currency out of it in the future."

Compared to diamonds, Li Shi knew more about jade. He knew that low-grade jade is very cheap, with a bunch costing just a few hundred to a thousand dollars. High-grade jade, however, can be absurdly expensive, on par with rare diamonds.

As he took a cab, he continued to search for related information.

"At the spring auction of Bao Li Xiang Jiang Auction Co.… A full-green natural jade round bangle bracelet was sold for 30,349,000 yuan…"

The price of a single bracelet was over 30 million yuan.

Li Shi opened a new browser window and searched for the weight of a jade round bangle bracelet.

"Normally it's 60 to 90 grams; different inner diameters mean different weights, plus the core of the bracelet accounts for 40 to 80 grams, with a little bit more for the edges… Theoretically, a kilogram of jade raw material can be cut into at most five round bangle bracelets. According to this price, just the bracelets would be worth 150 million yuan, and the remaining core and edge material would also be quite valuable…"

"The prices at auction can only be used as a reference, but… If operated properly, there should be no issue exchanging a kilogram of full-green high-ice or even glass-type jade for several tens of millions of yuan in cash."

…

Throughout the journey, Li Shi was continuously searching for information and market transaction data on these two items.

After thinking about it, he decided to do more preparation!

"If I complete the corresponding Chinese language course at a proficient level, and go on to study the Chinese Language and Literature course from my university days, I should be able to upgrade my Chinese language skill to the 'Master' level."

"In other words, I can still firmly acquire another attribute point from studying the Chinese Language!"

"I'll prepare for both, initially selecting to exchange for Jade."

Thinking it through, Li Shi considered how he could better manage his assets.

"Both the diamond and jade markets are rather intricate, but relatively speaking, it's easier for people outside the jade industry in our country to access it."

-----------------

The 51st Business District is the most prosperous commercial area in Tanzhou city, including many popular cultural and tourist landmarks such as Huang Xing Road Pedestrian Commercial Street, the China World Trade Center, Taiping Street, Wen He You, and Tian Heart Pavilion.

After a tour around the pedestrian street in search of his desired diamond, Li Shi couldn't find it in any of the gold and jewelry shops. He ended up going to the China World Trade Center to check out a few so-called international brand jewelry stores, such as Di Fu Ni and Van Cleef & Arpels.

Not long after entering, he left - they had what Li Shi was looking for.

"Is it really that hard to find a small colored diamond that hasn't been irradiation altered?"

After deciding on diamonds and jade as his two materials to exchange, he naturally went to procure the exchange samples.

Summarizing the information gathered from the internet, Li Shi set the criteria for his sample selection based on his own needs -

Diamond: colored diamond (preferably pink or blue), less than 0.5 carat, high clarity, no irradiation, etc.

Jade: the volume can be very small, but the closer the color and water quality are to Emperor Green Glass, the better.

After visiting seven stores in the afternoon and not finding what he wanted, Li Shi had no choice but to head back.

On the way home, he thought about it and decided to use the internet, so he searched online: where to buy colored diamonds.

After much searching, he finally found a Douyin vlogger named "Gemstone Sister" who filmed videos about buying gold and jewelry for her fans in Shuibei.

Gemstone Sister had shot over a hundred videos about buying gold and jewelry for her fans, had 365,000 followers, and her profile stated that she was a gemstone appraiser.

After watching more than thirty of her videos, Li Shi attempted to send her a private message.

To his surprise, he quickly received a reply asking him to add her work WeChat number.

Two minutes later, he successfully added her on WeChat.

He started making up a story: "Gemstone Sister, I've been following you ever since you only had a few videos up. I absolutely love your videos; I watch every new upload! I'm a loyal fan!"

Gemstone Sister: "Thank you! Are you looking for me to help you buy a diamond?"

Li Shi: "Yes, I was hoping you could help me find a small colored diamond."

Gemstone Sister: "A colored diamond? Sure, what's your budget, and could you tell me your specific requirements?"

Li Shi had already thought this through thoroughly and immediately replied: "My budget is under 20,000, preferably pink or blue diamonds, less than 0.5 carats, better color, higher clarity, and it's fine if it's less than 0.2 carats as long as the clarity is high and the color is good. The budget can be adjusted slightly higher, but it must be a natural colored diamond without irradiation. If it comes with a certified certificate from an official authority, even better…"

Gemstone Sister: "Wow, your requirements are quite specific and unique. But a budget of 20,000 is a bit low, it'll be quite challenging to find. Are you available for a video call right now?"

Li Shi found a spot by a wall and replied: "Sure."

Soon afterwards, the other party initiated a video call, and they connected.

After exchanging greetings and some small talk, they got down to business.

"Mr. Li, here's the thing. I can definitely help you find the diamond, but I need to film the process of finding the diamond and edit it into a video to post on platforms like Douyin and Bilibili. I need to seek your permission first."

Li Shi thought to himself that this is exactly what he was hoping for, as this would likely make her more diligent in her search. He eagerly replied, "No problem, I agree."

"Great, I was just looking for new material. I'll go and search for it tomorrow. Once I find something suitable, I'll send you a video."

"Alright, thank you."

After ending the call, they communicated in detail over WeChat about many aspects, including the method of payment.

Gemstone Sister was experienced in this field. She offered two options: once the suitable diamond was found, he could either transfer the money to her online and she would purchase and mail the diamond over, or Li Shi could promptly journey to Shuibei in Peng City, where she would take him to the dealer for him to buy directly.

Li Shi checked the distance from Tanzhou to Peng City. There were plenty of high-speed train schedules and it would only take a little over three hours. He immediately chose the latter option.

"Handy, I can also take a detour to the Ping Zhou Jade Market!"