Reborn Treasure Appraiser: I Really Didn’t Want to Be an Expert

Chapter 111 Dare to buy anything?

"Sister An Ning, you guys go to the office first, I'll be right there!"

"Xiao Yuzhu, go make tea!"

As she was making arrangements, the woman waved her hand: "No, this is fine!"

As he spoke, he stepped into the room and stared at the two bowls on the table, his eyes shining: "Hello, can I take a look?"

What's not to see?
Lin Sicheng nodded: "Of course!"

"Thank you!"

The woman nodded and took out her glasses from her bag. After putting them on, she stared at the two bowls with a look of deep admiration on her face.

"pretty……"

"beautiful……"

Lin Sicheng was stunned: I feel that this person’s aesthetic sense is similar to Xiao Yuzhu’s?
The gold-sprinkled bowl is fine. It has been completed, painted and gilded, and the visual effect is really good.

But the other one was only half painted and had not been retouched. The colors of several leaves were not evenly blended. The cracks had not been repaired at all, and there were even two gaps on the edge of the bowl.

Anyway, Lin Sicheng felt that it had nothing to do with "beautiful".

After taking a quick look, Li Zhen handed over a towel. Lin Sicheng took it and wiped it: "Sister An Ning, you guys sit down first. I'll go wash it!"

Ye Anning nodded, then looked around slowly.

The studio was a full two hundred square meters, only half of which was currently in use, with the other half still empty. Even so, it still seemed quite spacious.

But it was very clean, and the few machines that did exist were polished to a shine. The walls were white, and the windows and wooden shelves were filled with green plants, and there was no smell of paint at all.

Thinking about it again, the machine has only been here for a little over a week, and Lin Sicheng has been planning projects and designing reports with his uncle, so he definitely doesn't have time to take care of it.

That's the other two.

She had met Li Zhen before, and she had a deep impression of her: very beautiful, with a gentle, scholarly air. She was also very skillful: she seemed to work very well with Lin Sicheng at the lab bench.

The other one was slightly younger, about the same age as Lin Sicheng, with bright eyes and a keen eye. But he seemed to be more playful.

So, for this place to be so clean, Teacher Li must have worked hard for several days...

In a flash, Xiao Yuzhu brought the tea. Ye Anning said thank you, took it and took a sip.

Xiao Yuzhu smiled and her eyes lit up: So beautiful?
Her skin is so tender and white, her smile is beautiful, and her hair is as shiny as satin.

She is tall, and her legs are straighter and longer than her life.

Just as I was staring intently, Lin Sicheng came out of the cubicle.

Hearing the noise, the woman straightened up, glanced around, and landed on Lin Sicheng's face.

When she came, Ye Anning said that the person invited today was a bit young, and reminded her: This person has a high level of appreciation and an even higher level of cultural relics restoration.

Bai Wan also joked: How high?

Now I know...

Praising secretly, she extended her hand: "Student Lin, my name is Bai Wan. I came to Xijing for a trip and happened to find two things. I don't know anyone there, so I wanted An Ning to ask someone to take a look for me... Please!"

"You're welcome!"

Lin Sicheng shook it: "What exactly is it?"

"Gold jewelry!"

Bai Wan replied, lowered her head and opened her bag.

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment and looked at Ye Anning.

Ye Anning smiled, nodded slightly, and shook her head gently.

Lin Sicheng suddenly understood.

He asked: Expert?
Ye Anning: I know a little bit, but I’m basically still an outsider.

Therefore, Lin Sicheng had to admire him.

The reason is simple: gold jewelry is expensive, not to mention it is an antique, a piece costs at least tens of thousands.

Of course, the compensation is tens of thousands...

While pondering, Bai Wan took out two boxes. They were not big, about the size of a palm. Although they were not antiques, the carvings were very simple.

He opened it gently and pushed it forward, and a golden light reflected on Lin Sicheng's face.

He narrowed his eyes: Gold bracelet around the arm?
At first glance, it looks like a spring:
There are five circles inside and outside, which are linked and stacked. The gold rings are of the same thickness and the same diameter.

The twelve Chinese zodiac animals are engraved on the outside of the ring, arranged in order, with the ring gradually narrowing at the beginning and end, without any other decorations. Overall, it is both beautiful and simple.

"Love Poem" from "Yuefu" in the late Han Dynasty: How can I express my deep affection for you? Two golden rings are tied around my arms... This is what it is talking about.

The three golds for marriage in the Song Dynasty: gold bracelets, gold hairpins, and gold shawl pendants, also refer to this.

However, this type of sculpture is actually an imported product: it originated from the "snake" worship culture in the Bronze Age of Eurasia, flowed in through the Western Regions from the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty, and gradually became assimilated to China, with the craftsmanship becoming more and more complicated.

Look at this one: melted into a blank, hammered into shape, spirally coiled, engraved with patterns, inlaid with gold... It actually has three of the eight arts of gold crafting in the Tang Dynasty?
And it looks very realistic: the gold ring is convex on the outside and flat on the inside, smooth as a mirror, without any trace left... It is a typical moldless hammering technique from the Tang Dynasty.

Then there's the engraving: the patterns range in depth, using techniques like hook chiseling, quartz chiseling, sand chiseling, and even more elaborate and challenging hollow carving. And then there's the gilding: less than 0.1mm thick, yet so even and firm...definitely a Tang Dynasty amalgam technique.

It’s not that it hasn’t been passed down, but the process is too complicated and the toxicity is too high, so not many people know how to make it.

Although some parts were still imperfect, this gold ring was definitely handmade. After examining it for so long, Lin Sicheng could not find any trace of machine assistance.

Including gilding, the most primitive chemical materials are also used.

More importantly, it's old enough: the gold ring is bright, but its color is slightly darker, a bit like natural aging. If you calculate the time, it seems just fine: gold is an inert metal, and it wouldn't take thousands of years for it to change color to this extent.

So at first glance, it really looks like an object from the Shaofujian and Gold and Silver Workshop of the Tang Dynasty. To put it bluntly: it is an imperial court utensil of the Tang Dynasty.

But Lin Sicheng instinctively felt it was unlikely: such an object might appear in the Forbidden City or the National Museum of China. Or it might be buried deep in the tomb of a Tang Dynasty emperor, empress, prince, or princess. It simply couldn't be here.

It is unlikely that you can find it just by traveling casually. I feel that the probability of winning five million by spending two dollars is greater than this.

After taking a quick look around, Lin Sicheng extended his hand.

Li Zhen handed him the three usual things: a high-power scope, a high-intensity flashlight, and gloves.

Then he looked carefully, and the more he looked, the brighter Lin Sicheng's eyes became.

Ye Anning blinked: It can’t be that this thing is real?
Just as he was secretly suspicious, Lin Sicheng suddenly asked, "How much did you buy it for?"

Bai Wan was stunned for a moment: "Twenty-five thousand!"

Is it really so?
If it were true, you couldn’t buy it even for 25,000, let alone 25 million.

Because this thing is already worthy of being called a national treasure.

If it is fake, of course you will lose a lot of money.

The price of gold in 2007 was around 1400 yuan. This ring looks quite long, but it's only about 50 to 60 grams. Even if it were made entirely of real gold, it would only be around 7,000 to 8,000 yuan.

What's more, gold only accounts for a small part.

After watching for about ten minutes, Lin Sicheng raised his head and took off his gloves: "Teacher Bai, you have to be mentally prepared!"

Bai Wan's heart skipped a beat, and she forced a smile: "Okay!"

"Let's talk about the craftsmanship first: moldless hammering, layered chiseling, hollow carving, amalgamation... all of which meet the requirements of the Eight Arts of Real Gold in the Tang Dynasty, without the use of any modern machines or chemicals..."

Bai Wan cheered up a little: "But what?"

Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "But it's a modern imitation!"

"Huh?" Bai Wan was stunned for a moment and pointed at the gold ring. "But the gold is dark. It looks like it's aged naturally."

"Because he's aged according to the natural aging process!"

Lin Sicheng asked for a cotton swab and explained as he wiped it, "The reason why gold artifacts age is that ancient craftsmen mixed copper and silver into gold to increase its hardness and glossiness, melting it into a gold-copper-silver alloy, which is what the ancients called 'red gold'..."

"But copper contains lead. Long-term contact with air will form lead sulfide. The same is true for silver, which will form silver sulfide... And sulfide is one of the few common chemicals that can cause gold to oxidize and darken..."

Lin Sicheng gestured and said, "Teacher Bai, you must have some gold jewelry, like earrings and necklaces. Do they turn black after wearing them for a long time? That's because the gold rubs against the skin, reacting with the lead and sulfide in the cosmetics..."

Except for Teacher Bai who was too focused, the other three women were all stunned: According to Lin Sicheng, all cosmetics are poisonous?
Lin Sicheng smiled and continued, "If it's a genuine gold artifact, the lead and silver are all inside the gold, so the process is extremely slow. It would take about a thousand years for it to oxidize to the slightly darker color you see..."

"So if it's a replica, how do you make the gold quickly reach this level of aging? It's simple: cover the surface with a sulfide layer, which reacts quickly..."

As Lin Sicheng spoke, he placed the cotton swab tip into the test tube and handed it to Li Zhen. Then he smiled again and said, "As for whether it's true or not, we'll send it to the lab and we'll know once we test it..."

Bai Wan's heart sank: Did I make a mistake?

As he said, as to whether it is true or not, we will know it by taking a test.

After a long pause, she sighed again: "Fortunately, at least it's gold!"

Lin Sicheng was immediately slammed with a bucket of cold water: "Not really. Although gold accounts for a portion, it's very small, about 10%. The rest is all copper and silver."

"Ah, how is that possible?" Bai Wan was stunned. "I even burned it with a blowtorch when I bought it. It's neither black nor soft?"

"Because the surface is gilded, and a little bit of rhenium has been added. This metal has a special property: it has an extremely high melting point, over 3000 degrees, and is even harder... So, no matter how you bake it, the ring won't turn black, and it won't soften, unless you cut it open..."

Bai Wan looked confused: "What is rhenium?"

"It's a rare earth element, and its applications are very narrow: airplanes, spacecraft, and the like, so you may not have seen it..."

Not only have I never seen it, I have never even heard of it.

Subconsciously, Bai Wan looked at Ye An Ning, and Ye An Ning shook her head directly: She had never heard of it either!

Lin Sicheng smiled and pushed the gold ring back: "If you can return it, try to return it. If you can't return it, then you can only keep it..."

But honestly, this bracelet is incredibly well-made. Aside from the addition of rhenium to the gold layer, everything else follows ancient methods, and it's a highly artistic piece!"

No matter how high the artistic value is, it is just an imitation, and more than 90% of it is made of copper and silver?
Secretly annoyed, Bai Wan put the gold ring away and opened another box: "I'll trouble you again!"

Lin Sicheng nodded, took a look, and then his pupils couldn't help but shrink: an agate cup inlaid with a gold animal head?
What did you just say?

national treasure!

As a result, when I turned around, I saw one?
I really admire this lady. How dare you buy anything?

(End of this chapter)