164 Double Standards

Jobs had already rented three stalls in advance. The so-called stalls were a table with two stools, and there was an iron shed above one’s head so that one wouldn’t be caught in the rain.

The booth fee was still treated differently. The local was 10 yuan and the foreigner was 500 yuan, but they had to pay the money obediently. After all, the other party was the only business in the only country where the Jade was produced. The other party had already understood the double standard.

From the gate to the stall, Vivian observed the market and asked curiously, “I realized that most of the market is selling cut raw stones, processed bracelets, and rings. Why is that? Could the other raw gemstones and Jade pendants be in other areas?”

Jobs smiled and said, “The M Country rough stone mines are all in the north. That’s a place where the government doesn’t have enough control. Very few businesses dare to go there alone. You won’t be able to pick up the goods there. You can choose the location to excavate, negotiate the price, and dig as many tons as you want. They don’t care about the quality.”

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“This kind of direct wholesale method is usually done by the locals. The bosses at the factory will ship the raw stones along the Mother River to Mandhesi or other cities, and most people will cut them themselves after they bring them back. So, most of the stones you see are cut, only a few of them are raw stones.”

“Stone gambling can indeed reduce the cost, but it’s also very risky. You know, after cutting the Jade, you can more intuitively judge the value of the processed Jade. It’s also convenient for the merchants who bring back the raw stones to sell them. Jewelers would rather earn less than take the risk to gamble on raw stones with no windows.”

“Regarding the processing of jade and stones, it’s because the technology for making bracelets and egg-shaped objects is low, and the environment there can only process the stones to this level currently.”

Upon turning her head, Vivian saw a small workshop not far away with rough jade stones and bracelets displayed in front of it. The back of the workshop was shrouded in dust, and some of the workshops were even semi-outdoor, where workers could be seen without any protective gear. In such an environment, it would be a miracle if someone didn’t develop silicosis after working there for a year or two. Working there was akin to exchanging life for money!

Vivian nodded in understanding.

Jobs first asked the two experts to go to the stalls and iron sheds to see if there were any suitable goods. The market mainly dealt with cut raw stones, bracelets, and ring surfaces. Only the brick building with signs in the last area had high-quality Jade.

Jobs said to Vivian, “Boss, let’s go to the brick building to collect the goods. Let the rest of the people wait for the goods at the stall.”

Vivian had already made a plan. Out of the more than 100 raw stones that she had picked up, almost 90 of them were high-quality Jade. It would not be a problem to use half of them to make tens of thousands of high-quality Jade. She would set aside 10 pieces for emergencies, and the remaining 70 would be taken to the stone gambling area. With the help of the people below collecting some raw materials here, it would be more or less enough.

You get what you pay for. Not everyone could afford the price of good Jade. It was also safe for them to buy some medium and low-medium-grade raw jades to balance the quality of his batch of goods. They just had to control the output rate of high-level Jade from the stone gambling den.

After the opening, she would invite some experts in the industry and entrepreneurs of S City to the stone gambling den to have a look. The number of raw stones could be opened three to four times.

That way, she could wait until the next public auction held by the M Country’s government and the Jade mine owners, so Vivian did not plan to get high-level raw Jade for the time being.

The purpose of Vivian’s trip was to understand the purchase methods, channels, and processes of the jewelry store. She looked at jobs and calmly said, “I have high-level Jade with me. I just want to see how you can get a large amount of it.”

Jobs didn’t know that Vivian was involved in raw stones. He only knew that it was her first time in the jewelry industry with her strong background. Since his boss had said so, he didn’t say anything more. However, he was already prepared to use his connections to buy from acquaintances if Vivian was duped into buying all of the stones that didn’t meet the standard.

The first batch of high-quality goods could be less, but not without it. Otherwise, the customers would question whether they had the ability to get high-end goods.