He needs to persuade Ava Kent seriously, she can't sneak off to gamble on stones like this anymore.
"Start slicing the first piece along this cleavage," Ava Kent instructed the stone-cutting master.
"Ava," Julius Goodman called her, "I have something to tell you."
"Whatever it is, tell me later, let's get the jade cut out first."
Julius Goodman: "..." Does she think there is jade in every piece of rough stone?
How naive.
But seeing how enthusiastic she was, he held back and didn't say anything.
If nothing comes out after this, it'll be a good chance to teach her a lesson, so she'll stop messing around with stones. Think of it as paying for a lesson learned.
Cutting takes time, but fortunately Ava's stone isn't very large, and the first piece was quickly sliced off.
"It's a rise, it's a rise!" The stone-cutting master exclaimed, "The little lady has a good eye, it's a piece of high-quality jade."
Julius Goodman was stunned: "There is jade?"
"Yes, yes, yes, it's a big rise. Look at the luster, the color... tsk, tsk."
The stone-cutting master cuts numerous pieces every day, and has seen all kinds of jade qualities, but typically, young ones like Ava use up their luck and end up with a pile of waste stone – spending big money for nothing.
One has to admit, this little lady is really lucky.
Ava Kent calmly shone a flashlight over it. It was crystal clear and bright, full of luster, a whole piece of vivid green base. A smudge of vibrant sun green floated across the jade like a ribbon.
Though there were some cracks, they didn't affect extracting items from it. The piece that was just cut could yield two large pendants and some material for smaller pieces.
The remaining part could yield at least three more pieces, given the degree of cracks, which could make three bracelet cores, while the rest can be crafted into pendants or beads. All in all, this time they would score big.
Julius Goodman was more excited than she was. He grasped Ava's arm, "The quality must be at least of ice type, am I wrong?"
Ava Kent patted the back of his hand, "Stay calm."
Calm down for what?
Julius Goodman's face turned red with excitement. He had initially wanted to educate Ava, but now all he could see was that vivid green jade, unconsciously swallowing his saliva, "Ava, you truly have a gift."
It's only been a few days since she borrowed his book, and she actually managed to find jadeite rough, and it's high quality too.
This kind of thing isn't just about luck.
"Of course, you have to know who I am," Ava Kent said smugly, lifting her chin and directing the master to make the second cut.
But Julius Goodman stopped her, "Are you still cutting? This piece looks good enough now, you could sell it for at least ten grand. If you ruin it with the second cut, it won't be worth much anymore."
Even if there is jade in the rough stone, it doesn't guarantee it's filled with jade, it might have only a small part on the surface or side.
If the second cut reveals it's just waste below, and only the top part has jade, the price will plummet.
As they chatted, Basil Palmer walked in, chatting and laughing with the owner.
Basil Palmer is a regular here, very familiar with the owner, and this time picked out two good roughs, so the owner came along to see if they would yield well.
"Little Goodman, how did your little friend do on the cuts?"
"Teacher."
Julius Goodman greeted him respectfully, smiling, "Ava's luck is quite good, she cut out a vivid green jade."
"Oh?" Basil Palmer's kind face showed surprise as he walked over to look and burst into a hearty laugh, "Not bad, not bad, young folks have great sight, the quality of this material is already genuine ice type. How much did you purchase it for?"
The owner twitched his face from behind: "Sold for three thousand."
The surface of this piece didn't seem promising at all. The visible spot had many cracks, and it had been in the store for over two months, while many people had seen it but no one bought it.
He finally found someone interested and just wanted it gone for cheap.
But now...
The owner deeply regretted it.
Basil Palmer chuckled and patted his shoulder, "The jade has met its fated owner, no need to feel heartache anymore."
Owner: But the heartache had to be endured, whether it's a profit or a loss is based on the customer's acuity and luck, it has nothing to do with him.
As they chatted, the second cut was being made.
Ava Kent stared unblinkingly at the machine, and Julius Goodman stood beside her, saying, "I know some rough intermediaries. If you want to sell, I can help connect with buyers."
"Sure."
Ava Kent didn't refuse. Although she knew some channels herself, she just entered this trade in this lifetime. The people she dealt with in the past life were not contacted yet. Since Julius offered, it was a chance to openly enter the circle through his connections.
"Then I'll trouble you."
Julius Goodman rubbed her head gently with a warm smile, "There's no trouble at all, I'll take some photos later, ask about their prices, and sell it to whoever bids highest.
If you're not in a hurry for money, you could also choose to consign it, though they charge a service fee for consignment."
Each trade has its rules, and Ava Kent was aware of them.
"If the price is right, let's sell the board material directly." She was eager for money to generate more money and didn't want to wait.
Basil Palmer saw the two huddled together chatting privately with a natural intimacy and understandingly raised an eyebrow, moving to the other side to study how to draw cutting lines on the rough.
Cutting jade demands experience and acumen, and many in the circle have encountered good material only to slice the wrong part, leading to huge price differences.
The saying "one cut makes you poor, another makes you rich" applies not just to whether there's jade inside.
Soon, the second piece was cut, and Ava Kent carefully examined it, confirming that the cracks didn't affect the board material for the bracelet below.
While she was assessing how to maximize the profit by cutting the bracelets and other pieces, Julius Goodman also sighed heavily with relief when the second board was perfect jade beneath and not waste.
The center area also showed significantly better luster than the first board.
"From here, taking one bracelet, even just a rough core, it'll be worth seventy to eighty thousand."
Seeing Ava Kent continuing to examine that board, Julius Goodman pointed to a spot on the board, "This streak of sun green is beautiful, greatly enhancing the bracelet core's value, and the bracelet's center has a sense of artistic appeal, whether for carving work or making into a peace buckle, it's excellent."
If Ava hadn't made the second cut, since half the material still carried some gamble, the offers might not be high.
But now, not to mention the others, just this second board is particularly valuable.
A high-quality bracelet is assured, and the remaining places can yield pendants and ornaments, easily fetching six figures.