Gemscentric

A gem novel about blue sapphires.

“From the pavilion depth of the blue sapphires we learn of the intrigue, trust, and eternal mystery confronting the reader as Julian Robov explores the characters hidden under the “fingerprints” of this venture into Southeast Asia.”

Margaret Magnussen
Author “Namaste—Chronicle of a Peace Corps Volunteer”


“So you think the gem business is glamorous? You’ll think twice after reading Gemscentric!, this second novel by Julian Robov. It’s a thrilling tale with a multi-colored cast of characters lighting up the gem world. Page after page takes you on a journey through a maze of twists and turns of the plot, uncovering the hidden passion and greed in the world of gemstones.”

Barbara Lipatapanlop

Written by Julian Robov


Two

Ban Ploi has been a hangout for Chantaburi’s big time gem dealers. This facility had become their second home after moving away from their expensive condos in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Big brokers had a reason to be there—updating on the latest arrivals of large sapphires and rubies from the mines of Cambodia and elsewhere. They loved gossiping about the losers and winners of the week. Special brokers frequented it to keep in touch with the new arrivals. They had nothing to lose. A good week meant thousands of tax free dollars.

Rudy Smith entered the place, as a foreigner, he was an exception. They trusted him. As the members saw him, the conversation became louder and explosive. Loud cheers permeated throughout the room to officially welcome his arrival. There was a joyous cry from a corner.
“Khun Rudeee! Welcome again to Chanburi.”
They had all known about his ordeal in the Khmer Rouge territory. The reaction was a mixture of shock and disbelief. But then working in Pailin had always been full of risks and opportunities.
Now, he was back. It was natural, and the expected cheer rose again from his friends as the brokers frequented there regularly for two main reasons: drink and women.
Sendi, the man of the house, welcomed the man of the hour—Rudy, with a wai (greeting) and a warm embrace. “Rudee,” he called. Mekong Whisky and Chateau de Loei (Thai wine) began to flood the table. Rudy took a gulp. The mutual respect and trust they had for the past several years seemed to accumulate from nowhere—lost chances and gained experiences. The special look followed by the warm embrace showed that Rudy was still the same respected gem dealer of the town.
Rudy acknowledged with a wai (greeting). Later on, it was back to drinks and food. A female singer dedicated a Isan love song on his behalf followed by roars of laughter and cheers.
He was back. From nowhere Noi—a broker, came and wai-ed him. She remembered the old days when he helped her sell blue sapphires. She wanted to thank him in return with a warm embrace. He was happy to see them all in the flesh, because he could do business with them again in the coming days.
Noi offered him a drink to show her affection—followed by a juicy kiss on his abraded cheeks. In her Versace dress, she looked much younger. Another group of women rushed forward to get his attention. They all knew that if he consented, the tips would be more than enough for the whole month. He danced with them as a token of appreciation.
But, he had other reasons. This was where relationships bloomed, and transactions harvested abundantly. His longstanding friends were awaiting him in the adjacent dining room.
Toni Chen was there too. Most important of all—James Hughes, Gary Seth and Bill King. They approached Rudy, and shook his hand with a brief embrace and a high five followed by that ritual body slam.
Rudy had enough of the noisy welcome. Instead, he wanted to get back to his business—BLUE SAPPHIRES. He had several things in his mind.
“They miss you, Rudy,” Gary said, as he was motioned by Rudy to sit close to him. “Since you are back, it’s going to be business as usual. On Chantaburi scale—I must say, you are nine out of ten—hard enough, and tough. Only you could have survived such a situation. I admire you a lot.”
“Thank you buddy,” Rudy replied.
Gary was his anchor in New York. The partnership had worked well for several years. Since the mysterious kidnapping of Rudy, Gary had difficulty getting good quality blue sapphires from other sources. He too was broke, as business became low other dealers forced him out of business due to his close association with Rudy.
“As a dealer, I have to tell you this. The gemstone market needs you back. They need you to compete with the fat cats of Chantaburi and Bangkok. And most important of all, you are alive,” Bill echoed his sentiments exactly.
“Your table is flawless, Rudy. We need to find the guys who rocked the boat. Maybe, Toni has something to say,” James said.
All this time, Toni was silent. He was always like that. But everyone liked him. He was the best bug in town—loyal and faithful.
“I suspect, it is Jeffrey and Morakot,” Toni said.
“How do you know that?” Bill asked.
“Give him a break. He is drunk,” Gary interrupted.
“Okay, guys. That’s enough. We need to follow up with the news. I mean, Jeffrey and Morakot,” Rudy said. That statement put everyone deep in thought. No one knew how Toni got the information. But everyone knew he was the real bug in the gem market. If he didn’t know anything, then others knew nothing.
“I don’t think you will do anything crazy,” Bill added.
“Why do you think that Bill?” Rudy jumped in.
“Because, I know how you feel about the situation. If it is true, then they deserve it.” James interrupted again.
“What about Philip?” Rudy asked.
“He killed himself,” Bill replied.
“What about his company?” Rudy had something in his mind. They were right. No one had thought about it.
“All right, Rudy. Philip deserved that. There was more. Outright cheat. Guess what? He sells a 20carat surface-diffused blue sapphire as untreated natural blue sapphire to a rich Parisian. The very same Parisian sells it again to a Japanese industrialist as a Kashmir sapphire. Now, listen to this. This industrialist who happened to be in Bangkok, gives the sapphire to one of the independent gem testing laboratories for certification just to know its quality, because he had decided to design it for his Thai mia noi (mistress). The result shocked him, and the poor chap died of a heart attack. He had paid a bundle to acquire this blue sapphire. It was like an after-quake shock. The Parisian visits Philip in the guise of buying more sapphires. The last thing we all know is that Philip kills himself for the irreparable damages. Otherwise, he knew his fate. That’s the tragic end,” Bill added.
The arrival of Mekong whisky heightened the mood.
“What are we gonna do now?” James asked.
“Start all over again,” Rudy said. “That’s the only way out of this situation. Let the market know that we are not out. At least you guys are still alive. We can do it.”
“How much capital, Rudy?”
“Get me the details on Jeffrey,” Rudy said, addressing the question.
“And after that?” Bill asked, wanting to know a definite plan.
“Seven weeks,” Rudy answered.
“So, how much?” Gary asked.
“Five million. That will do for the time being,” James answered.
“We got taken by friends. The market is watching. Everyone around us are also watching. If you want to become the tallest tree in the forest, there are two ways—either you grow taller or cut down other trees. Remember the old saying?” Rudy said.
“I think we should do both. This shouldn’t have happened to us in the first place,” Bill reminded.
“O.K. One more thing,” said Rudy. “Have any of you heard of a guy named Bobby-must be-Seri Fonhlaeng?”
“Yeah,” said James. “He has a small office opposite the Peninsula Lapidary on Mahesak Road.”
“Natural or an imitation?” Rudy asked.
“Never bothered,” answered James. “Why?”
“I met his brother in Pailin, and he is still with them,” Rudy said.
“Really? But....”
“Confirmed crook. Only he, had the balls to bluff the Khmer Rouge soldiers thinking that they were dumb and primitive. He traded salted blue sapphires for real ones—mixing and confusing them all the time. This was going on for sometime when one day their boss decided to send some stones to Bangkok for testing. Very unusual, but it happened. All fucking surface-diffused, and eventually surface-confused,” said Rudy.
“What’s the big deal? The gems are still natural, aren’t they?” Gary asked.
“How is Seri involved?”
“To quote his own brother, he did the treatment,” Rudy replied. “Low profile and clean deception.”
Another round of drinks arrived.
“I got an idea after that revelation,” Rudy added. “But his brother is still alive.”
There was a deep silence.