The bug used its ability to turn back time, and images of the rubies and the ruby artwork appeared.
In the first image, there was a boiler-like apparatus with a fat black man fiddling with it. Behind the black man was a test bench with a pile of beautiful "rubies."
The second image was still of the same environment, but there were more rubies and more black men. They were examining the rubies with magnifying glasses. Some were left on the table, and some were thrown into the trash can at the foot of the table.
Seeing this, Li Du was sure that the rubies were fakes. They were the most hated synthetic rubies in the jewelry market.
The technology of synthetic rubies had been around for half a century. The cost of this stuff was very low, incomparable to the price of natural rubies.
How low was the cost of this stuff? Most of the cost came from the cutting and grinding costs, not the raw materials and production costs. As a result, some unscrupulous jewelers sold synthetic rubies as natural rubies to make a huge profit.
The reason why synthetic rubies were so notorious was that their appearance had almost destroyed the ruby market.
There were many ways to synthesize them, such as the common hot-melt method, flux method, hydrothermal method, Verneuil method, and so on. Some of the counterfeiting methods were so advanced that the synthetic rubies were almost identical to natural rubies in terms of physical and chemical properties. It was impossible to tell the real from the fake.
It was under such circumstances that people lost interest in natural rubies because they were too gullible.
Li Du didn't know if the three of them had been fooled, or if they had brought these fakes to put on an act. After discovering that the rubies were fake, he became even more suspicious of their identities.
After some thought, he asked, "These rubies are so beautiful, but are they real? I heard that some synthetic rubies look like the real thing, and it's hard to tell the real from the fake. "
Du Dayuan smiled casually. "How can it be hard to tell the real from the fake? Xiao Li, you've been fooled by the news on the Internet. The real can't be fake, and the fake can't be real. For experts, they can tell at a glance whether a gem is natural or synthetic! "
"These are all real?" Li Du asked.
Du Dayuan said confidently, "Of course. How could Christie's accept fake rubies? These are real rubies that have been appraised by many gem appraisers at our auction house. "
Ma Cheng added, "This autumn auction in Phoenix, they are one of the main attractions. Many people came for these jewelry."
As he spoke, he took out the information from Christie's Autumn auction. There was indeed an introduction to ruby jewelry.
Seeing this information, Li Du's suspicions began to waver again.
Du Dayuan picked up the rubies, then took out his work permit, looked at it, and said, "Luckily, my permit didn't spill coffee on it."
Li Du's heart skipped a beat. Yes, he could also check these work permits.
The little bug used its time reversal ability again. Its target was Du Dayuan's work permit.
The first scene that appeared was a sealed room in a basement. Du Dayuan, Ma Cheng, and the others were busy in front of some equipment. Some were in charge of photos, some were in charge of computer design, and some were in charge of printing.
In the next scene, Li Du saw someone who should not be there: Ma Zhi-an.
Ma Zhi-an operated an electric heater and coated the document with a layer of tempered film.
Seeing this, Li Du could not help but curse. These people are liars! Not only them, but even Ma Zhi-an was a liar!
They could explain that they had been deceived for the ruby, but how could they explain the production of false evidence? Could it be that Christie's employee identification was made in this dark room by a few Chinese people?
However, this scam was too elaborate. Even though he saw the truth, he still could not believe it.
There was no doubt that Ma Zhi-an and the others had put in a lot of effort to deceive him. But what were they after? Li Du was a treasure hunter and had indeed obtained a lot of valuable items. However, he had not announced it to the public, so they should not have known.
Li Du was full of doubts. Ma Cheng urged, "Xiao Li, don't you still have some good items to identify? Hurry up and take them out, we'll show you. "
Hearing Ma Cheng's urging, Li Du could not help but sneer. He was ready to call Luo Qun in to deal with these guys.
However, he immediately thought that the police had no reason to arrest the three of them. They had not committed any fraud, and had even helped him identify a few fake pastels.
In this way, even if they were arrested, they could say that it was a joke between the Chinese, and the police would not be able to do anything.
Just as he was hesitating, Hans' phone rang.
Seeing this, Li Du tried to stall for time and said, "Wait a minute, Big Fox. Who called you?"
"It's Olly." Hans picked up the phone and started chatting.
After a while, he hung up and said, "Olly and the others want to have a party to thank you for bringing them to the Hopi Reservation to get those good items.
"In addition, they also told us that Frank and the other Californians know that we have been to the Hopi Reservation, and they want to go and take a look."
Li Du nodded. Then, he thought of another plan. If it worked, he could kill two birds with one stone!
Ma Cheng was pleasantly surprised after hearing Hans' words. "You have been to the Hopi Reservation? And got some Native American art? They have quite a lot of valuable items there. "
Li Du smiled. "Yes, but they are all at the campsite. If we want to appraise these items, we have to go to our campsite."
Du Dayuan asked hesitantly, "You have a campsite? Where is it? It might not be convenient for us. "
Li Du said, "It is in Flagstaff, very close to here. Don't worry, our campsite is absolutely safe. Also, not only can you help us with the appraisal, you can also help my colleagues in the same trade. They have quite a lot of good items too. "
Ma Cheng licked his lips, and the three of them exchanged glances. Then, he said, "Alright, we will go and take a look. Mr. Du, you can look after the jewelry and be careful."
Li Du said, "That's great. Don't worry, the safety of our campsite is definitely not a problem. Also, why don't we have a party tonight? An appraisal party. How about that? "
The three of them agreed readily, and their faces were filled with anticipation.
Li Du said to Hans, "Inform everyone to bring their valuable items for the teachers to appraise. Also, inform Frank and York."
"Why inform the Californians?" Hans said unhappily.
Li Du said, "Don't they have some silverware that is worth hundreds of thousands? Let the three teachers appraise it for them and give them some help to ease our relationship. "
Hearing his words, Ma Cheng laughed and said, "Hey, Xiao Li, are you treating us as free labor? You have caught a strong labor force, haha. "
There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his words, but his tone was cheerful. Obviously, he was willing to do that.
Li Du was also very willing.
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