Gemscentric

Written by Julian Robov

Eight

The noise was getting louder at the restaurant. Rudy needed a break. It was approaching nine o’clock. James wanted to stay a bit longer. He tried to contact Tony Chen, but he had gone to Malaysia for three days. Later, Rudy returned to his room on the tenth floor. He had a lot of thinking to do, as days approached like seconds. Getting back to the gem market became his utmost priority.

A quick trip to a foreign country should solve his problems to a great extent, but still he had a lot of work ahead—putting all the numbers and people in the right place. He checked the time.

It was approaching midnight. He decided to call the reception to check if James was still in the room. The reply was positive. He was in the room, possibly drunk and asleep by now. Rudy left his room and arrived at the lobby. People were still checking in. He watched the people and their mood, a hobby for the past several years. Mostly gem dealers were from Bangkok and other provinces. He looked around to see if anyone was watching him. After confirmation that no one was watching him, he walked to the public telephone, and stood there for a few moments. It was all in his head. He hated writing anything on a piece of paper. Instead, he tattooed important numbers deciphered into alphabets on both his arms and chest in a way he could read. He knew it all by heart. He began to dial the number. The international operator’s usual may I help you call came in. He opted for a collect call to Singapore for Jackie Chan. Before she could ask, he spelled his name as Robert Lim. Gem dealers always preferred to use fictitious names to avoid detection and duplication. As dealers without borders, this scheme tremendously helped them to move funds, and keep their anonymity. And knowing the efficient system in Singapore, he was more careful. That’s why he preferred to use Chinese names. It had worked in his favor in times of need.

After a pause, the call came. Rudy heard the surprise in Julian Tsang’s voice after several years of absence. Julian Tsang, Rudy’s confident and trusted right-hand man managed his finance and other legal matters. Some of his superior quality blue sapphires from Pailin were also deposited with him, in case he had to flee to a different country, and start all over again. These blue gems were to become his seed capital if needed. But he had several million stashed away in various accounts—altogether thirty million dollars. Julian knew Rudy called only when he needed money. From personal experience and watching other gem dealers, Rudy knew that the money made in gems didn’t last long if not carefully managed and deposited in safe banks. But banks too had a tendency to go broke given the examples of bankruptcies in Thailand, Indonesia and elsewhere. Instead, he was advised by an experienced dealer to split his profits in a 3:3:3:1 ratio—thirty percent in real estate, thirty percent in banks, thirty percent in gems and jewelry, and the last ten percent—for charity.

Rudy had no interest in putting his money into real estate because most of them collapsed before completion, and being a foreigner, the locals always remained suspicious for strange reasons. They had this superstitious belief that the foreigners were on a holy mission to swallow the whole country with their powerful money and technology. Instead, he recycled his profits into a 3:6:1 ratio—thirty per cent in banks, sixty per cent in top quality gems and jewelry, and the rest—for meaningful charities. No one knew this arrangement except two people. Julian and himself—not even James Hughes. Rudy had two choices: either Switzerland or Singapore. Switzerland used to be a favorite destination among big gemstone dealers for obvious reasons. Transactions if complete were faster and the profits were converted into any chosen currency. Many gem dealers had secret accounts in Swiss banks for this very reason. In their own country when paying taxes and bribes became beyond the limit, gemstones offered a portable and a less visible liquid wealth. Trips to Switzerland became frequent and legitimate. Infighting among dealers, and tipping to the authorities by jealous competitors made the frequent trip to this favored destination almost halt. That’s why Rudy opted for Singapore. It was closer and efficient in so many ways because of the Chinese connection. They were the masters in moving liquid wealth—at a cost—once requested, from country to country. He could finish the transactions quite fast, and be in Bangkok the same day. Most important of all Singapore being a reputed financial center with good fundamentals, transactions became just smooth and faster, despite the economic difficulties.

Rudy had a reason to like Julian. In his late fifties, Julian knew all the combinations for a successful nest-egg operation. He had several business tycoons from Southeast Asia as his clients, and Rudy became the only gem dealer in his portfolio. In fact, Julian was approached by several military generals and local businessmen from Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Indonesia, but never trusted their face and actions. He became suspicious of their background and their accumulated wealth, which always came from drug transactions or something similar. Knowing the corrupt landscape and the information he had been receiving through diplomatic channels, Julian became very selective in choosing clients.

Rudy had that sparkle in his eyes, when he turned up in Julian’s office on Orchard Road. Julian liked him immediately. The chemical match in the relationship had not disappointed him. He explained in detail how the whole system worked simplifying the technical jargon in a layman’s language—including his percentage. It looked fine with Rudy as long the system took care of his money.
“Are you in Singapore?”
“Not yet. I’m calling from Chantaburi. I would like to see you soon.”
“When?”
“How about Sunday?”
“Are you really sure about it?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
“Why don’t we make it in the evening? By the way, what time will you be arriving Singapore? I can make a room reservation for you.”
“Thank you. Shangri-la will be fine with me.”
“Done. Anything else?”
“Are the numbers and gems safe?”
“Safe. Thou shalt know when thou arrive. I look forward to meeting you at the airport. One more thing—the flight number.”
“I’ll call you from Changi.”
“Excellent. You’re always like that. Good thinking. I like that.”
“Take care.”
He hung up and checked the time. Nope. It was in his room. Instead, he looked around again to see if anyone was watching. He walked to the information counter. The wall clock said 12.30 a.m. Going back to bed seemed unlikely. His mind was full of numbers and the gems he had accumulated with time, and were now in Julian’s hand. They were the best. He always picked the best and kept them separate. Instead, he sold the second grade as the top, and there was no problem. The market and his clients accepted it. The cream—he stashed away for future plans. He loved to see them again in his own privacy. Those brilliance flashes, the soothing blue, and the excellent cut, drove him crazy. At times he wouldn’t take his eyes off these beauties, when in a good mood. With that thought in mind, he decided to stay in the lobby to while away the time. Gem dealers were still pouring in with their leather handbags and suitcases even at this odd time. He enjoyed the solitude. It was already two in the morning.