817: Chapter 808: Lucky Star 817: Chapter 808: Lucky Star James was a bit overwrought, but Gao Yang completely understood his feelings.
The only people who could remain calm in the presence of this red diamond were either blind or foolish.
James was still muttering to himself.
“No!
I can’t believe it’s real, I can’t accept that such a perfect red diamond exists in this world.
You must be planning to trick me, right?
Gentlemen, this joke isn’t funny.
Please don’t jest with me like this!
No, no, please tell me you’re not joking with me, that you’re not trying to trick me.
Please tell me clearly that what’s in front of my eyes is indeed a diamond and not some counterfeit.”
Morgan smiled and said, “Mr.
James, I was just as surprised as you are when I first saw that huge thing.
No need to be shocked anymore.
If you can’t trust your eyes, then take a good look.”
After touching his chest, James sat back down at the round table, took a deep breath, and after just one look, he exclaimed, “My God, it’s real!”
After holding the diamond in his hand for a long time, James didn’t place it under the electronic magnifier as he used to.
Gao Yang was getting a bit impatient when James finally put the diamond under the electronic magnifier.
After looking at it carefully for a long time, James raised his head, pondered for a moment, and then said with a face full of wonder, “I’m trying to use a precise word to describe this diamond, to express my astonishment and excitement, and to show some of my professionalism, but I have failed.
I can’t find a suitable word to describe it.
If I must say something, I can only say it’s flawless.”
After taking a deep breath, Gao Yang chuckled and asked, “Mr.
James, how much do you think it’s worth?”
James, very firmly waving his hand, declared unequivocally, “Priceless!
There’s no price, no price that can serve as a reference.
This diamond, ten million is it, one hundred million is it, and even one billion is it.
If it were auctioned off, and if the buyers happened to be enchanted by this diamond, it would be normal for it to fetch several hundred million US dollars.
But if you want a reasonable reference price, sorry, I can only tell you there isn’t one.”
After finishing, James pondered for a moment and continued, “The grading of fancy diamonds is different from that of colorless diamonds.
Common colored diamonds include blue, pink, green, and black, but red, particularly this pure red, is extremely rare.
So far, the largest red diamond ever auctioned is called the Moussaieff Red Diamond.
Have you heard this name before?”
Gao Yang shook his head, “No.”
Morgan, too, laughed, “Before today, I have never paid attention to diamonds.”
James said solemnly, “The Moussaieff Red Diamond is cut in a brilliant triangular shape, and the GIA’s color grade for it is red, a pure red without any secondary hues.
It was discovered in Brazil in 1960, and its first auction price was seven million US dollars.
Although the Moussaieff Red Diamond is only 5.11 carats, it is the largest red fancy diamond ever graded by the GIA.
The Moussaieff Red Diamond originally weighed 13.9 carats.
Do you know how much this one weighs?
I estimate at least 150 carats!
That’s 150 carats!
And it’s a very regular shape, so if it’s to be cut and polished, the loss would be very small.
I think the weight of the cut diamond should be around 100 carats, twenty times that of the Moussaieff Red Diamond!”
Gao Yang, in a low voice, said, “Twenty times the seven million US dollars?
Forty million US dollars, um, that’s a lot.”
James chuckled and said, “Are you joking, sir?
First of all, let’s not talk about how the seven million US dollars for the Moussaieff Red Diamond was an auction price from over fifty years ago, um, we’ll still use the Moussaieff Red Diamond as an example.
The current value of the Moussaieff Red Diamond is difficult to estimate.
The owner can ask for any price they want because there have hardly been any red diamonds on the international market for the past few decades.”
James waved his hand with a helpless look and continued, “In 2010, the 24.78-carat Graff Pink Diamond sold for forty-six million US dollars.
The Steinmetz Pink Diamond found in South Africa weighs 59.5 carats, but it hasn’t been auctioned yet, so its value cannot be estimated.
However, red diamonds are even rarer than pink diamonds, much rarer.
As for this red diamond, I think it can be specifically classified as ‘rose red.’ Therefore, I really can’t give you an accurate estimate.
All I can say is that a price between 200 million and one billion US dollars is a reasonable range.
If it sells for less than five hundred million US dollars, I would consider its value to be underestimated.”
Gao Yang was at a loss for words but Morgan, his face full of astonishment, exclaimed, “F**k, can such a thing sell for five hundred million?
How does that work?”
James shrugged and said, “First of all, it needs to be polished, that’s for sure.
I estimate the insurance costs, along with the cutting and polishing processing fees, would need about fifty million US dollars.”
Gao Yang nearly choked on his own saliva, then, in astonishment, he said, “Processing fees of fifty million US dollars?
Are you sure you’re not talking about liras or yen or something?”
James shrugged and replied, “The diamond itself is valuable, but the polishing craftsmanship is also important, otherwise, why would Antwerp have a monopoly in the industry?”
Gao Yang took a deep breath and Morgan said solemnly, “No problem, I can cover the polishing costs for you.
I’ll lend it to you.”
Gao Yang chuckled and said, “Okay, thanks.
Anyway, if we can sell more, I’ll pay you back after it’s sold.”
James gave another bitter smile before saying, “I’m sorry, really sorry.
Given the special nature of the diamond industry, I think you might not be able to get the selling price you want.
It’s a monopolistic industry.
If you’re only selling rough diamonds, well, it might be between 10 million to 50 million dollars.
Because now there’s the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme for rough diamonds, if you can’t prove the origin and legality of your diamond, it can’t be traded legally.”
Morgan confidently said, “I think that won’t be a problem, I can find someone to help.”
James shook his head and explained, “Sir, you have to understand something.
If the diamond was worth a few million or even tens of millions, then you might find someone to help.
But if it’s worth hundreds of millions, its appearance alone would cause a global sensation.
Unless they can buy this diamond at a monopoly price, they would definitely choose to refuse.
Another point I should make clear is that, with diamonds of this caliber, only the big companies dare to make the purchase.
Small companies might want the diamond, but whether they can fork out at least 100 million dollars in cash is a big question.”
Gao Yang said in a deep voice, “What if I pay for the cutting and polishing myself and then sell it?”
James shook his head and replied, “You can have it polished, no one would refuse that business.
But you can’t auction it; you could only try private transactions.
In a private transaction, the value would be much, much lower.”
Gao Yang looked at Morgan, then said with a wry smile, “It seems becoming a billionaire isn’t so simple.”
Morgan said gravely, “Of course it isn’t simple.
Nothing in the world is easy to accomplish, but I firmly believe that as long as you make an effort, there’s always a chance to fulfill your wishes.”
After a moment of contemplation, Morgan tapped on the table and suggested, “Gao, I have a proposal.
Let’s hold on to the diamond for a while and not rush to sell it.
Hurrying will result in a loss.
Since we plan to establish a legitimate mine, we’ll find a way to ‘launder’ the diamond without asking anyone for help.
Just wait two years, and the diamond could be sold for hundreds of millions instead of just tens of millions.
We lack experience in this industry right now.
If we don’t want to be choked by others’ control, we can only take it slow.”
If it were straightforward to sell the diamond, Gao Yang would borrow Morgan’s money for the cutting and pay it back after the sale.
However, if the process is complex and requires Morgan’s personal involvement, it couldn’t just be a simple loan.
After pondering for a moment, Gao Yang nodded and said, “Alright, you handle it.
We’ll split the earnings fifty-fifty.”
After some thought, Morgan said, “No, business is business.
I’m willing to invest in this diamond, but I can’t be greedy.
Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll cover the cutting and polishing fees.
After deducting the cost, I’ll take ten percent of the selling price.”
Gao Yang nodded and agreed, “Fine, it’s settled.”
At that moment, James chimed in with a smile, “If you’re planning to sell it after cutting, you actually can’t rush even if you want to.
The process the diamond has to go through is too complicated.
Just designing the cutting shape takes months, not to mention the cutting time itself—it would be nearly a year gone by.
Also, cutting diamonds is risky, and you will definitely need to find an insurance company willing to take on the risk.
Negotiating the price and such is another time-consuming matter.
Antwerp has a mature operational system, but you would have a lot to do in order to cut a diamond of unprovenance.
So, my advice is not to rush.
Take it all slowly.”
Gao Yang’s expression fell, and Morgan, too, looked helpless as he shrugged his shoulders and said to Gao Yang, “Alright, it seems you’ll have to keep it for a while.
If you need my help later on, just tell me.
If not, never mind.
Since we now have a diamond mine, I think you’ll soon have enough money to cut it.”
Gao Yang gave a wry smile and admitted, “I just wanted to sell it as quickly as possible, but it looks like I have to keep it now.”
James spoke up seriously, “Does it have a name?
This diamond must have a distinguished name that befits it, like Star of Africa, Mountain of Light, Sea of Light, or Hope… Oh, never mind that name.
So, does this diamond have a name?”
Morgan smiled and suggested, “As the discoverer, Gao, I think you should indeed name it.”
James had mentioned the Hope Star, and although he didn’t finish, it still made Gao Yang feel a bit superstitious.
After briefly pondering, Gao Yang declared without hesitation, “Lucky Star, I will call it Lucky Star.”
Morgan nodded in approval, “Good, I think that’s a great name.”
James also said with a smile, “If you are indeed the discoverer of the Lucky Star, then I must say, you are very, very fortunate.”
Holding the Lucky Star in his hand and examining it for a long time, Gao Yang finally sighed, “I might have to keep it for a long time.
I hope it brings me good fortune.
No, it must bring me good luck!” (To be continued.
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