Pick up bargains in Chinatown and make 10,000 times the profit at the beginning

Chapter 61 Fool's Gold

"Foreigners also gamble on stones?" Qiao Yufan asked in surprise.

He has been in the United States for more than two years, and this is the first time he has seen someone gambling on stones.

Uncle: "Would you like to take a closer look?"

Is that called gambling on stones?
I saw a row of stalls in front of me, with all kinds of colorful stones on display. At first glance, it really looks like gambling on stones.

"Isn't it?"

Qiao Yufan mainly saw Huo Qingtong and Li Qiu Shui "picking up" California jade before, and then saw these stones, he subconsciously thought they were gambling stones.

My uncle said, "Of course not. It's true that there is jade in California, and there is a jade festival every year, but they don't gamble on jade here."

He told everyone that jade was produced in this area of ​​California, but the quality was poor and there were few good ones.

In addition, local laws stipulate that jade cannot be collected above the high tide line, so collection activities are all carried out on the beach, and now it can only be collected by diving.

So everyone went diving to mine jade, which was time-consuming, laborious and costly.

"The jade here is made of seed material formed by the erosion of sea water and has unique shapes. A very special one is grape jade, which is very popular among local people and has a high price. There is also a kind of blue jade called Pacific Blue, which is also very interesting. I have seen it." said my uncle.

The jade market in California generally does not engage in counterfeiting.

It is said that people abroad do not play with jade very much, but few Chinese people know that there are also foreigners who are obsessed with jade, and the price of jade abroad is not low.

Lin Yuan looked over and said, "That should be a strange stone!"

Strange stones refer to naturally formed stones with unusual shapes. Their materials, shapes, colors and patterns are unusual, which can satisfy people's curiosity or aesthetic habits and can be appreciated, collected and played with.

Generally speaking, strange stones must not only be natural, but also natural. Simply put, the stone has not been artificially carved, modified or artificially processed.

"Strange stones? Do foreigners also play with them?" Qiao Yufan asked again.

He knew that in the country, there was indeed a market for strange stones and they were very popular.

It is said that China's stone appreciation culture can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, while the Tang and Song Dynasties were the heyday of stone appreciation culture.

For example, in the Song Dynasty, Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty launched the "Flower and Stone Gang" and became the largest stone collector in the country. Due to the emperor's advocacy, high-ranking officials, nobles, merchants and scholars followed suit. As a result, people from all walks of life, from the court to the public, searched for rare stones for appreciation, which once became a fashion among the people of the Song Dynasty.

Great stone connoisseurs such as Mi Fu and Su Shi emerged.

Sima Guang, Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, Su Shunqin and other celebrities in the literary and political circles became active participants in the collection, evaluation and appreciation of rare stones, which was quite influential at that time.

Not to mention the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Henry: "Why not? But we are called Waterstones here, and we have the Waterstones Association!"

He remembered that a neighbor uncle played with the stone and was so obsessed with it that he even abandoned his wife and children for the stone. Henry was very puzzled at the time.

Henry didn't know about the Waterstones Society until he grew up.

Not only the United States, but also European countries, Japan and South Korea are playing. Not only that, but countries even hold stone exhibitions every year.

At this time, the audience in the live broadcast room started discussing it.

“It’s different. Although they are all playing with stones, the Chinese play in different directions,” said Lin Yuan.

He said that the domestic market for rare stones is mainly about "shape", with various naturally formed stones with artistic conception or imagery. If China focuses on "shape" and "meaning", the United States pays more attention to "color" and visual effects.

Various colors are mixed on a stone with a metallic luster. No matter what the shape of the stone is, such a stone is really beautiful in the eyes of foreigners.

While chatting, Lin Yuan and the others came to the stone stalls.

"Wow! This stone is so special! Is it also formed naturally?" Huo Qingtong looked at the stone in front of her and immediately exclaimed.

In her opinion, if this was naturally formed, it would definitely be valuable.

I saw several golden cubes of different sizes inlaid on the stone. The cubes were very regular, as if they were cut out by a precision machine.

"That's fool's gold." Lin Yuan said to her.

"Ah! Made of gold?"

Lin Yuan: “…”

He had no choice but to explain: "It is a kind of ore called pyrite. The cube above is a crystal. It is indeed formed naturally."

Many people find it hard to believe that such a regular cube could be formed naturally.

Pyrite is an iron disulfide. Although it contains iron, it is not used to refine iron. It is mainly used as the main raw material for producing sulfur and sulfuric acid. Because of its light brass color and bright metallic luster, it can be mistaken for gold, so it is nicknamed "fool's gold".

This mineral is very hard and cannot be carved with a knife. In ancient Britain, people liked to use this gem with special shape and ornamental value. It can be used to grind gems and make bases for jewelry, jade and other handicrafts.

As for why the amazing cube appears, we have to start with the crystal habits.

People who are good at chemistry should know that crystals are structures composed of a large number of atoms, ions, molecules, etc. arranged in an orderly manner according to certain rules. Crystals are formed naturally by condensation without any external interference. They generally have neat and regular geometric shapes, as if they were deliberately processed by someone.

"This should be worth collecting, right?" Henry couldn't help asking.

Lin Yuan nodded: "Although there are some defects, it is no problem to collect it yourself."

In fact, although cubic pyrite is common, it is basically difficult to find a very perfect cube, and there will be more or less some defects.

Henry thought the mineral was interesting and planned to collect it, but when he asked the price, he gave up immediately.

The price for a piece of ore like this is $6000.

This is not an offer, is this a joke?
Someone in the live broadcast room has already given a relatively reasonable price. It is not worth the money at all. $6000 is a pure rip-off.

Although pyrite looks similar to gold, its actual value is far lower than that of gold. More importantly, pyrite is easily oxidized and discolored, losing its original luster.

Of course, it’s not all garbage. High-quality pyrite raw stones have bright colors and fine texture, and are indeed worth viewing and collecting.

"The stone next to it is nice." At this time, Lin Yuan said to Henry.

When Henry heard this, he reached out to the stone next to him that seemed to have been roasted by fire without hesitation and asked the stall owner how much it cost.

The stall owner still asked for an exorbitant price. After all, Henry had studied in China, so he had learned some of the Chinese bargaining skills.

After some bargaining, Henry finally spent $160 and successfully bought the stone.

Although the others didn't know where the stone came from, since Lin Yuan said it was good, Henry must have made a profit.

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(End of this chapter)