Gemscentric

Written by Julian Robov


Thirty


The violet blue colored building on Silom stood aloof and graceful from other tower blocks. There were many praying for occupants. But Malee Towers was different. It was a twenty-five storied tower block named after Prapan’s loyal wife. The tower was fully occupied, and was run professionally by an internationally acclaimed management consultant providing top class service and quality image. He chose the eighth floor for business and other private consultation. Politicians, businessmen, and army generals from Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam arrived discreetly for special deals, and he never disappointed them. He made sure it was always a win-win situation, and they returned quietly without the world’s knowledge knowing the pros and cons.
There were five visitors waiting for him, as he walked into his office. His secretary, Maew, had already arranged the meeting knowing his tight daily schedule.
She then introduced one Mohammed from Nigeria to Prapan, as he was welcomed to Prapan’s private office.
“In what way can I help you?” he asked smilingly.
“I think you can help me this time. I have brought the kind of rough blue sapphires you can sell. I listened to your advice during the last visit, and made sure everything was selected carefully for your perusal,” Mohammed said cautiously.
Prapan listened attentively without making any comment. He had brought a special parcel of rough blue sapphires from Kaduna province. From initial inspection, the crystal habits were very characteristic with tabular and barrel shapes. Even though the crystals looked pretty big in sizes and cleaner than the previous samples, there was no way the crystals were going to look good in color and clarity without heat treatment. The samples Mohammed had were inky blue.
“Still not good enough for my clients,” Prapan commented.
“Oh no, please don’t say that. I know what you are thinking. You want to buy these crystals. And I have always given you good prices,” Mohammed countered.
Prapan just laughed. Mohammed was wasting his time and knowing their background and persistence, Prapan decided to do something about it.
“What’s your asking price?” Prapan waited. Rough crystals were mostly bought in grams not carats (1 carat = one fifth of a gram ). Mohammed had his calculations ready, and handed a piece of paper for Prapan’s decision. Instead, he scribbled a number and called his secretary to wrap the parcel for final inspection.
“Oh my God, how can I go home with this price? My people will kill me,” Mohammed interrupted. “Please give me more. Your price is not good enough.”
“Bobby will take care of the price,” Prapan said. “Listen, Mohammed, I have a very important client coming soon. The price is fair and you will come again to see me. I know. So don’t waste my time. Good luck, and see you soon.”
Bobby was the man who decided which one was good enough for heat-treatment, and Prapan had already adjusted the price scribbling in a Chinese dialect so that only Bobby knew the final number, before closing the deal. Prapan had a way of doing this price trick, and he was quick. He knew it took only a split-second to convince or reject the deal, depending on the need of such qualities. Mohammed also knew that going elsewhere didn’t make much difference, because Prapan’s office happened to be his last stop. So he knew the previous price quotes, and after comparing the numbers, Prapan’s price was a bit higher, because of the qualities he had selected, before the bidding had started. What Mohammed didn’t know was that Prapan had already scribbled different price quotes for different qualities due to the size and shape of the rough crystals he had, which obviously was mixed purposely. And Bobby was going to give Mohammed the final price breakdowns. In the end, as always it was a win-win situation, even though in the beginning it looked like the prices were a bit higher than other quotes. Prapan also knew one thing. Mohammed wasn’t quick enough in calculating numbers in his head for that few precious seconds, which always made the big difference in a day. He was the master calculator.
Maew herded Mohammed to Bobby’s office, who was already working on other rough samples from traditional localities. Bobby knew Mohammed already, and he began to follow Prapan’s instructions. Gradually Mohammed knew what was going on, as he saw the final numbers. He couldn’t believe how it all had happened so quickly in front of his eyes, even though he thought he was a bit smarter than Prapan. He had no words to utter. A final handshake was a final handshake. He had to keep that tradition.
Prapan welcomed the second visitor: Zaw Oo. He was Burmese. After unloading the rough samples from a cloth bag, it was spread on a white paper tray to study the size and shapes of the roughs. The crystal habits were mostly tabular shapes, but the colors were good. In fact, very good. As the inspection continued, Bobby just walked in to Prapan’s office for a final price adjustment. Mohammed was crying after he got lost in the price calculation. But as always, business was business. Prapan urged Bobby to stick to business logic first, and then urged him to adjust prices in the next deal. This price trick always worked in Prapan’s favor in a way, because Mohammed had no other choice but to visit the office again for that price adjustment.
Now Prapan’s attention turned to Zaw Oo. Even though the Burmese dealer acted polite, Prapan knew from experience that the guy always had surprises under his sleeves. It was partly due to the social environment and tradition. Gems were the only portable wealth they could move swiftly in countless guises. It was business time.
“Do you have an asking price for these qualities?” Prapan asked smilingly.
Instead, Zaw Oo remained silent. He wanted Prapan to open the price. Knowing the time factor, and the game the Burmese dealer was playing, Prapan decided to make his move.
“You know something. If Aung San Su Kyi just left Burma for good, all the political problems would have been solved. She is just a pain in the ass. Look what’s happening in Burma. Virtual bankruptcy and a generation full of violent people,” Prapan commented.
Zaw Oo became furious. Like a wounded animal, he woke up from his silence to air his opinion in a very hard tone.
“Please don’t talk about Aung San Su Kyi,” he added. “She is our only hope and the guiding light for the next generation. You are wrong, Khun Prapan.” That was a good start. Now Zaw Oo was talking.
“This is Thailand, my friend. It’s a free country,” Prapan continued. “All I was doing was giving an opinion. That’s all. We have good and bad politicians in this country and look what the people are saying. Obviously, good and bad. Don’t be too upset about Aung San Suu Kyi. She is just a woman, and knowing the landscape she could have done better.”
Zaw Oo was not stupid. He was wondering why Prapan was bringing a totally different topic when he was supposed to be doing business not politics. But since he was in Prapan’s office, asking such questions meant no business. He recognized that he had got a bit carried away by supporting Aung San Suu Kyi, but decided to be attentive and concentrate on the gems he was carrying.
“You’re right. You are absolutely right. I have no further comments on that topic, because as you know I am too weak to fight the system, and Thailand is more open than Burma. Now let’s get back to our business. I have brought better qualities this time for you, and we must have a fair deal,” Zaw Oo added.
Fair deal. That was a good start. Prapan recognized that Zaw Oo was not Mohammed, but a smart ass.
“I think you have bigger, but better qualities with you. Show me those pieces?” Prapan said tactfully. Zaw Oo was quite surprised. That meant Prapan knew already what Zaw Oo was carrying, and instead of talk, talk and talk, Prapan decided to finish the whole transaction quickly. As if mesmerized, Zaw Oo took out a plastic bag from his jacket and spread the rough crystals for Prapan’s full view.
Without making any exciting comments, Prapan studied the size and shape of the crystals under a fiber optic light to check any hidden fractures and other blemishes. The colors were superb. Zaw Oo was watching Prapan’s face. He wasn’t speaking, instead studying the crystals intently.
“They are the best I have for now,” Zaw Oo commented. He couldn’t resist as the crystals were screaming for anyone to say something.
“You’re right. They are good. Listen, I have some important people coming to see me now. Bobby will be handling this parcel,” Prapan said calmly.
Zaw Oo knew Bobby too well, but he wanted Prapan to quote the numbers, before haggling with Bobby. Before Zaw Oo could act, Prapan called Bobby and scribbled on a piece of paper in a Chinese dialect for the final deal. Prapan was too quick for the Burmese.
Maew then brought in one Hamid from Sri Lanka. He had some special stones for Prapan. He took out a small sack full of crystals from his briefcase for Prapan to view. Prapan slowly spread the crystals on his table to have a rough view. All were spindle-shaped hexagonal bi-pyramids from bright blue to dark blue. He then took a few sample rough crystals to view them under the fiber optic light to check the blemishes and inclusions. With the exception of a few crystals, the blue color was more or less evenly spread with less noticeable color zoning. Prapan knew the quality, and it was time to close the deal.
“Do you have an asking price for the lot? As you know, it’s a mixed lot,” Prapan reminded.
“I believe you’re interested in buying the whole lot,” Hamid continued. “And roughs of this particular quality are quite difficult to find nowadays as you know.”
Prapan knew too well what Hamid was trying to deflect. The political situation and the kind of low-tech mining the Sri Lankans used to extract the gems was known to him a long time ago. And, historically, Sri Lanka had been a source for all varieties of gems, and he recalled one incident when a 4000carat blue sapphire rough he was offered at a private office was lost due to a last minute politicking. Some top level government minister had already eyed the piece for reasons only he knew, and when the identity was known, Prapan didn’t want to touch the piece knowing the unpredictable landscape. The crystal was really good.
Prapan called Bobby for a second opinion, because of the sheer number of well-developed crystals. He then scribbled a note in a Chinese dialect and requested Hamid to work with Bobby. Hamid didn’t have any complaints. He had worked with Bobby before, and believed in his fair judgment.
As Bobby left the office with Hamid, Zaw Oo walked into Prapan’s office to thank him for the final deal. He was happy, because he was now loaded with more than enough cash to try his luck again. After promising to bring better but big crystals on his next trip, Zaw Oo left Prapan’s office—like an accomplished man.
One Sisouk from Battambang was brought in by Maew. Prapan welcomed the dealer wondering about the qualities he was holding.
“These blue sapphires are from Pailin,” Sisouk said, as Prapan viewed the parcel of rough crystals in front of him.
“Phnom Yat,” Prapan replied quickly after inspection. Sisouk sat shell-shocked and talking any more rubbish meant a lost sale.
“You’re absolutely right. This time I tried hard to get the best quality for you,” Sisouk added. Though the crystals looked a bit smaller than the other sapphire localities he knew, there was one crystal—a big one, which caught Prapan’s attention. Instead of sending Sisouk to Bobby, Prapan decided to close the deal immediately.
Sisouk sensed the sudden shift in Prapan’s body language. Prapan was doing some calculation in his head. As Sisouk took out a piece of paper showing the total weight and suggested price for the lot, instead of haggling, Prapan had decided to buy the whole parcel for US$50000: no questions asked. Sisouk sat dumbfounded after seeing the number, and without saying anything he took Prapan’s hand and kissed hard, a way of showing his gratitude. Sisouk was the happiest man in the world after he had received the check.
Tarin, a Thai broker had wanted Prapan to have a look at an exclusive piece of blue sapphire crystal from Kanchanaburi. The piece was a perfect hexagonal bi-pyramid shaped with no color zoning. The crystal looked a bit dark and inky, and only after cutting would anyone have known its true color. As Prapan was studying the crystal, his cell-phone rang.
Rudy was on the line.
Prapan called Maew and hurriedly said something she didn’t understand. It was just too fast for her.
Tarin sat confused wondering what the hell was going on. The rough crystal was still on Prapan’s table waiting its fate. This was very unusual. Bobby immediately walked in. Tarin was later escorted to another room for consultation.