Expedition to Europe

As for antiques and cultural relics, it is not only China that lost them during the Qing Dynasty. This is a common phenomenon all over the world.

Whenever there is social unrest, there will always be a large number of cultural relics that begin to flow. At this time, as long as you are willing, you will always receive some "national treasure"-level good things.

But talking about French cultural relics in front of Pierre, a Frenchman, always leaves people with an uncomfortable feeling.

"Pierre, there are more oriental cultural relics in the Louvre. Should I be more angry?" Qin Zhiyuan looked down on this double standard.

"Qin, this is different. The Louvre has complete facilities and more professional staff. Those ancient things will be more effectively protected there." Pierre was very serious. He really thought so and did not mean to belittle Qin Zhiyuan's motherland.

"In principle, there is no difference. Cultural relics are cultural relics because they record the history of the country where they were produced. Only in the country where they were produced do cultural relics have the meaning of cultural relics. For example, blue and white porcelain can only become cultural relics and have historical value in our country. If it is preserved in the Louvre, then apart from being used to prove your past violence and barbarity, is there any other value?" Qin Zhiyuan was also sharp-tongued.

"I think it is left to all mankind. Although it is undeniable that you have more reason to own them, from the perspective of mankind, it is our common heritage." Pierre still insisted.

"Of course you can think so, and I won't ask you to change your opinion. But since we all have the right of inheritance, you shouldn't be surprised that these jewels appear here." Qin Zhiyuan used Pierre's argument to question Pierre.

There are still some things that Qin Zhiyuan is embarrassed to say. Thinking of the Chinese cultural relics that appeared in the auction house in another time and space, Qin Zhiyuan felt extremely disgusted. It was like a group of robbers who broke into other people's homes, robbed other people's things, and sold them to the victims openly. It was really shameless.

No wonder so many owners of cultural relics chose to auction anonymously. Maybe they could feel ashamed.

"Well, you are right. I just hope that you can treat them well." Pierre was speechless.

"Of course. And I think these jewels should be worn by ladies to show the value of jewels. Otherwise, no matter how attractive the luster of the jewels is, how high the transparency and purity are, and how perfect the cutting is, if these jewels lie in the display cabinet, they will lose their lives." After staying in France for a long time, Qin Zhiyuan also began to get used to using more attributives.

It was not until this time that Pierre remembered that Qin Zhiyuan was choosing a gift for Julie. Thinking of it this way, it didn't seem so unacceptable.

"Pick me a set of rubies, all of them must be large gems, forget about those with diamonds." Qin Zhiyuan was already overwhelmed by the choices, so he simply handed the task of selection to Huang Fugui.

"Okay, Mr. Qin, please take a look..." Huang Fugui suddenly seemed to remember something, and hesitated: "Mr. Qin, if you want a whole piece of gem, I do have a few here, but they haven't been cut yet, and you need to process them again."

"Uncut ones are best, bring them to me." Qin Zhiyuan immediately changed his target.

Cutting gems is a technical job, and with the advancement of technology, the angles and methods of cutting are also constantly improving, which makes the gems look more and more perfect, especially diamonds, which have very high requirements for cutting. It is precisely because of the rapid advancement of technology that perhaps what seemed to be a symbol of fashion a hundred years ago became a synonym for old-fashioned and outdated a hundred years later.

Soon, Huang Fugui presented a few brocade boxes, and Qin Zhiyuan opened one at random, and inside were four rubies that had been cut into a rough shape.

"This is pigeon blood red from Ceylon, the highest grade ruby. Whether it is the brightness of the color or the transparency, it is the best among rubies. What's rare is that the weight of these gems is quite rare. The largest one reaches 15 carats. Even after further processing, it will not be reduced much. It is most suitable for making ring faces." Huang Fugui said attentively.

Ceylon is Sri Lanka, where there are the best gem mines in the world. 15 carats of pigeon blood ruby ​​is extremely rare. It has exceeded the category of "heirloom" and has been promoted to the ranks of "rare treasures". In other words, the West does not pay enough attention to colored gemstones now, otherwise these rubies may not necessarily flow into Qin Zhiyuan's museum.

"Very good, I want this 15 carat one. In addition, do you have any traditional jewelry from our side?" Qin Zhiyuan wants to add some oriental elements to Julie.

Think about it and you can understand that Qin Zhiyuan is a pure oriental person. Due to limited conditions, Qin Zhiyuan can't give Julie an oriental engagement ceremony now, but Qin Zhiyuan must try his best to add oriental elements to the ceremony.

"Traditional ones... they really do exist! Please wait a moment, Mr. Qin." Huang Fugui hurried away, and returned in a hurry after a while, holding a brocade box in his hand. This brocade box was much larger than the previous one: "Mr. Qin, please take a look at this. I just received it yesterday."

Opening the brocade box, the eyes are full of watery green, green that is refreshing, green that is full of spring, and green that makes people intoxicated.

"This is..." Qin Zhiyuan picked up a jade bracelet that was obviously a glass-type imperial green, and was dazzled.

"I collected this yesterday. It is probably passed down from the previous palace. Even in the palace, such quality is rare. The French people don't recognize this. They can't see how good jade is. I only spent 3,000 Franc, I bought this bracelet." Huang Fugui was so proud that he could see his back molars.

This work is compiled and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

Not only the French, but also Westerners are not very accepting of Oriental jade. First of all, Westerners believe that jade does not have a unified specification, unlike diamonds that can clearly give a grade, because it cannot truly reflect the value of jade. Secondly, jade in the East represents nobility and gentleness, which can be seen from the word "jade".

Think about it, the things hanging on the emperor's waist, how could they not be noble?

"It's a good buy. If there is something suitable, keep buying it, no matter how much it costs." Qin Zhiyuan's eyes couldn't bear to leave the bracelet for a moment. He was already picturing the scene of Julie wearing this bracelet in his mind.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the price of gemstones was almost at an all-time low. This was the best time to buy the dip. In the 21st century, Sotheby's auction house auctioned a Shirley Temple ring. The valuation at that time was Between US$25 million and US$35 million.

When Shirley Temple's father bought the ring, he only spent about $7,000.