Of the three gemstones, if Han Lie had to choose for himself, he preferred the Heart of the Ocean.
The only origin of top-grade Sapphire lay in that one place—Kashmir.
And this happened to be it.
The Kashmir mines had stopped production for over a century. Located at the northwest end of the Himalayas, the environnt there was extrely harsh, with only three months per year suitable for mining. The already scarce reserves, coupled with the difficulty of extraction, made Kashmir Sapphires exceedingly rare.
Now, more than a century later, existing unmounted Kashmir Sapphires were few and far between.
Ralph spoke with pride and confidence, "This Queen Marie is one of the largest, purest, and most precious Kashmir Sapphires in existence. Believe , no other jewelry company could offer a treasure of this caliber!"
Han Lie believed him.
However, he noncommittally asked, "How much?"
"Thirty-seven million Mi Yuan!"
"Oh."
Han Lie responded lightly, then set it down, remarking aningfully, "Queen Marie? Not a very auspicious na, is it..."
The little old man—Ralph—beca anxious at once. "But she is France's most famous and stunningly beautiful queen!"
Yes, stunningly beautiful, but neglectful of her duties. She was decapitated at the Place de la Concorde at the age of 39, a consequence of her life of excessive indulgence and the fury of the French public.
Regardless, Han Lie couldn't understand why they would na a gemstone after such a tragic figure.
But for people like Lu Yisi, it probably seed quite normal—her life was beautiful and brilliant, yet short and legendary. Wasn't that very fitting?
This cultural divide between East and West instantly made Han Lie lose interest in it.
"Give an official quote for the Star of Romance. If it's suitable, I'll take it."
Ralph was sowhat disappointed, muttering, "Oh, poor Marie, it seems I'll have to keep waiting for you... My inspiration has been simring for you for so long. Such a pity..."
Lu Yisi couldn't dwell on his colleague's regret. He carefully and respectfully presented the rationale behind the quote before finally revealing the price.
"Mr. Han, as I've ntioned before, the Star of Romance is exceptionally rare. It's exceedingly difficult to find another Ruby of the sa quality. For us at Cartier, keeping it holds far more significance than selling it directly.
"You should know that no fewer than ten master-level designers have expressed a strong desire to work with it. Crafting it into a top-tier piece of jewelry would actually align better with Cartier's interests..."
Alright, the hard sell was starting.
There's a common assumption that top-tier jewels from brands like Cartier and Bulgari don't struggle with sales.
But that's not really the case.
There are at least seven or eight brands capable of high-end bespoke jewelry, but their global clientele numbers fewer than 200 individuals.
Due to personal preferences, specific design requirents, and other factors, finalizing a deal for top-tier jewelry is quite difficult.
Therefore, all jewelry brands do one thing: repurchase jewelry they previously customized for clients.
Cartier's antique jewelry collection was born from this practice.
What's the purpose of this?
To tell stories! Pieces of jewelry that are exceedingly expensive to create and were once worn by historical figures don't actually fetch high prices on the secondary market.
Top-tier art collectors would only acquire artifacts like Queen Elizabeth's Crown.
As for everyday jewelry, it requires extrely professional maintenance. Collecting it is a hassle, wearing it can be problematic, and reselling it is difficult as finding the right buyer is challenging. Moreover, auctioning such pieces often results in them failing to sell.
If one isn't prepared, a single failed auction ans the item is thoroughly stuck in their hands.
In earlier years, impoverished European aristocrats pawned their ancestral jewelry for a re ten to thirty percent of its new retail price.
Therefore, jewelry brands decided this situation was untenable and began to buy back their own pieces.
After repurchasing them, pieces that weren't too outdated were restored and then exhibited and sold.
Those that were more antiquated, possessed stronger narratives, and held greater prestige were only exhibited, their stories used for global promotion.
In this way, they simultaneously propped up the value of their historical products and shaped their brand's image.
The stories moved young won to tears, and consequently, the mass-produced items sold out...
It was already 2014; who didn't know that brands like Cartier and Bulgari made their real money from mass-produced items?
High-end custom pieces worth over 10 million US dollars might only see eight to ten transactions a year, earning about three to five million each ti. Is that even enough to cover salaries?
Mass-produced items—often made from gold-plated pure copper, set with tiny diamond chips, or adorned with turquoise, tiger's eye, or mother-of-pearl—had production costs in the dozens of dollars. Yet, they sold for thousands, even tens of thousands. And they were even runaway hits...
If an author dared to write this in a novel, they would surely be criticized for writing utter nonsense, being brainless, and making their characters unbelievably foolish.
But that's exactly how these brands operated.
Therefore, everyone at Cartier highly valued custom designs for top-grade gems and was reluctant to sell loose stones directly.
One reason was the fear of not achieving the desired price, which could devalue their stock.
Another reason was the lack of a story to tell.
Selling a loose stone was purely a one-ti transaction; once sold, the connection ended.
Unless, of course, they were priced much higher than the market rate. If such a sale occurred, they could at least boast about it, effectively raising the perceived value of their entire gem inventory.
Thus, Lu Yisi's words contained a mixture of truth and pretense; Cartier would not sell its loose stones cheaply.
Han Lie, of course, was ntally prepared for this.
Although three companies were competing, the fundantal unspoken agreents among jewelry brands were unlikely to be broken.
Anyone who thinks they can use this situation to drive down the price is simply too naïve.
Why had he spent so much money to have three brands bring their top-grade gems for a private showing? What was his purpose?
It was to make them recognize his sincerity to purchase and thus be willing to na their price!
So, when Lu Yisi, after a lengthy explanation, nervously stated a price that even he considered outrageous, Han Lie simply raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Is that all?"
When the words "Is that all?" left Han Lie's mouth and reached Miss Fan's ears, she shivered, goosebumps prickling her skin.
I toiled away typing for two days, only for it all to disappear overnight. I couldn't even fix it; I'm completely devastated...
Whew, I'll keep pushing on, for all of you.
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