When he saw a large box of tourmalines, Chen Wenzhe was inevitably amazed.
Compared to rubies and sapphires, which are monotonous in color, tourmalines are richer and more gorgeous in color.
The rich and varied colors of tourmaline are well known to the world, because tourmaline is one of the most special gemstones in the world.
If divided carefully, there are more than 100 colors of tourmaline, so tourmaline is also known as "gem chameleon"!
Nowadays, tourmaline gemstones are not very popular and famous in China, but this kind of gemstone has a profound connection with the history and culture of our country.
Tourmaline first appeared in China, reportedly in the Tang Dynasty.
In the eighteenth year of Zhenguan (AD 644), Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty obtained tourmaline during his expedition to the west and carved it into a jade seal.
In the Ming Dynasty, the emperor specially sent eunuchs or ministers to Tengyue, Nanyun, to supervise the purchase of tourmalines, rubies, and sapphires.
Especially during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, the Sri Lankan king Ariel Kunel donated objects and gems to Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. Among the gems was precious tourmaline.
That is to say, from that period onwards, not only tourmalines, but also various gemstones were imported and presented as tribute to the country.
The Qing Dynasty inherited most of the legacy of the Ming Dynasty, so naturally there were various gems in the palace.
In the Qing Dynasty, tourmaline had different names. From Kangxi, it has evolved into various names such as "Phi Yesi", "Biya Si", "Bixia Xi", "Bixia Xi" or "Bixia";
During the Guangxu period, Chen Xing's "Jade Records" called it "Bixiaxi";
In the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, it was simply called "tourmaline".
From this we can also see that the tourmaline in Cixi’s tomb was not only imported during her reign, but also accumulated over hundreds of years.
Of such a large amount of wealth, not many people would actually enter her tomb, but just such a part would be worth beyond the imagination of the world.
Looking at a large box in front of him, which contained a cubic tourmaline, Chen Wenzhe was a little confused for a moment. Did he get so many tourmalines at that time?
"It's only ten minutes, you have to hurry up, we won't wait until late!"
While Chen Wenzhe was deep in thought, a staff member spoke in a nonchalant manner.
Chen Wenzhe sneered in his heart, is it okay to not see him like this?
Is it difficult to choose tourmaline? Maybe it is difficult in other places, but here, you don’t have to be careful and afraid of fakes, so is it still difficult to choose?
Red is the first choice, but he must choose rubellite like ruby, followed by purple and rose red.
Anyway, they look very beautiful, so just take the prettiest one.
If there is no red tourmaline, then blue tourmaline can also be used, and even some green tourmalines like emerald are not low in value.
The tourmaline here has no flaws, which saved Chen Wenzhe a lot of effort.
The most important factor that determines the price of tourmaline is its color, and rubellite is the most valuable among tourmalines.
The highest quality is tourmaline that looks like ruby.
Tourmalines with colors such as purple-red and rose-red are also very valuable.
Blue tourmaline, which is particularly intense in color, is also very valuable.
Among them, blue tourmaline, which is dyed with indigo, is called "dark blue tourmaline". It is different from other blue tourmalines and has a higher value.
Anyway, Chen Wenzhe chooses tourmalines with rich and special colors.
After all, the tourmalines here are of high quality, so there really isn’t much to choose from.
This is also the reason why many tourmalines, which are very precious to the outside world, appear in front of Chen Wenzhe in large numbers.
It's not only difficult for him to choose the best among the best, but it's also difficult for others.
Ruby tourmaline, green tourmaline, blue tourmaline, no matter which one you choose, just choose the most expensive one.
For example, now, he has seen a lot of the very pure blue among the blue tourmalines.
Pure blue is very rare among blue tourmalines, the most common ones are dark blue or greenish blue, and those that resemble sapphire are the top quality.
Don’t run out of all the good things quickly. Next, the most eye-catching one is the green tourmaline, which is like emerald.
Among green tourmalines, emerald-like ones are the best. In countries such as Europe and Brazil, green tourmalines were once mistaken for emeralds, which shows how valuable they are.
The next most popular green tourmaline is yellow-green green tourmaline.
Watermelon Tourmaline is a complex of two colors or multiple dyes.
This type of tourmaline is very rare, just like watermelon, so this type of tourmaline is also the most valuable among tourmalines.
As long as it is more valuable than ordinary tourmaline, it is Chen Wenzhe’s choice.
In addition to color, transparency is also an important factor in determining the price of tourmaline.
The clearer the tourmaline crystal, the better, and the more transparent the tourmaline, the better the quality.
The other is its clarity and cut. The crystal should have fewer crack inclusions and fewer inclusions visible to the naked eye, the better.
Of course, the weight of tourmaline also directly affects the price of tourmaline.
However, the tourmalines here are impeccable in terms of purity and cut.
As for the weight, even if Chen Wenzhe wanted to choose a bigger one, he couldn't find one.
At this time, Chen Wenzhe also gradually understood. I am afraid that when the first batch of appraisers appraised these tourmalines, they first selected the larger ones.
Therefore, what was left here and presented to Chen Wenzhe were tourmalines of ordinary size.
I'm afraid that the first batch of appraisers were not professional, so they would choose the big ones with good color, but left him alone.
In fact, size is a relative term. For example, the smallest one in the current core is about the size of a pigeon egg.
The price of a single gram of such tourmaline ranges from a few hundred to several thousand or even tens of thousands.
Chen Wenzhe naturally chose the bigger one with the best color.
So, he quickly picked out a lot of them, and they were not expensive anyway.
In just one moment, Chen Wenzhe picked out five or six kilograms. This is five or six kilograms!
"By the way, what's the price for these tourmalines?"
“Ten thousand yuan per gram!”
"So expensive?" Chen Wenzhe was stunned. He thought that the price should not be cheap, but he did not expect that the price given to him would be so expensive.
"Now on the market, high-quality tourmaline has a glass texture and a uniform and full color. The price per gram is around three to four thousand, right?"
Chen Wenzhe was well prepared and naturally knew the price of tourmaline.
This kind of gemstone can be said to be a civilian-grade, medium- to high-quality tourmaline with nearly vitreous body, and the price per gram is about one thousand yuan.
Medium-quality tourmaline has good color but average crystal, and the price per gram is between 300-500 yuan.
Low-grade tourmaline has poor crystal structure and average color, and its price per gram is less than 100 yuan.
"This is the top-grade tourmaline. This kind of tourmaline can be said to be the king of tourmalines. The carat price is tens of thousands of yuan. It is basically sold at auction, and the collection is valuable."
"Are these collector's items?"
Chen Wenzhe refrained from rolling his eyes. The king of tourmaline is not these, but Paraiba tourmaline.
That is a tourmaline produced in Brazil. It seems that it was only discovered in 1989. At that time, the Empress Dowager Cixi had already been dug out.