This is an old-looking commercial building. The exterior decorations, reminiscent of the 1990s, may not seem fashionable, but they exude a rich local flavor.
Taking the escalator to the second floor, the first thing that catches the eye is Liang En's shop. Contrary to what one might expect, the shop's decor is not the typical extravagant style favored by Indians but rather a fresh and minimalist style.
This is because from the beginning, the brand decided to implement different marketing strategies based on the location, so each branch has its own unique characteristics.
For example, the Indian stores are filled with Indian ethnic style, the Chinese stores adopt a modern minimalist style, and the European stores have different styles depending on the country.
"The Mysterious Maya—Are they promoting Guatemalan emeralds here?" Joan of Arc asked curiously after glancing at the sign at the shop's entrance.
Although she still couldn't recognize all the Chinese characters, she could roughly understand the content of the advertisement outside through the translation function on her phone.
"Yes, high-end emeralds have their specific uses and can be sold at high prices, but it's not so easy to get a good price for mid-to-low-end emeralds," Liang En said, looking at the Maya-styled silver jewelry with emerald inlays.
"One way is to carve those mid-to-low-end emeralds into various small ornaments that can be carried around. This is the simplest way."
"But this method has a fatal flaw, which is that it is very likely to be used to impersonate Burmese emeralds, thus completely destroying the reputation of Guatemalan emeralds."
In another world, the reputation of Guatemalan emeralds was ruined in China this way. Because they were used to impersonate Burmese emeralds, Guatemalan emeralds were always considered counterfeit and inferior products.
Honestly, while the average quality of Guatemalan emeralds isn't as good as Burmese emeralds, they're not so bad as to be considered trash.
Unfortunately, the bad reputation left by such practices is very hard to shake off, making Guatemalan emeralds always regarded as second-rate in another world.
So, when Liang En decided to sell these emeralds, he did his best to highlight the differences between Guatemalan and Burmese emeralds, even making these differences the main focus of his marketing.
In terms of design, the jewelry in this first batch of Guatemalan emeralds also highlights the fusion of Maya culture and contemporary jewelry design, as much as possible distinguishing it from traditional Chinese jade styles.
In Liang En's plan, the marketing of Guatemalan emeralds would not ride the coattails of the already mature Burmese emerald market but rather make it clear from the start that they are different.
Undoubtedly, apart from the inherent qualities of gemstones, the most important thing for their value is historical legacy. This is why emerging gemstones like alexandrite often don't sell well.
For Guatemalan emeralds, they clearly fall between having a history and not having one. They have history because these gems held an important place in ancient Maya civilization, but they lack history because that civilization has completely disappeared.
Therefore, there are two options for marketing Guatemalan emeralds: one is to disregard the lost history and make quick money by disguising them as Burmese emeralds, and the other is to gradually establish their cultural heritage by combining them with ancient Maya culture, making them truly recognized by the public.
Undoubtedly, the former is much easier than the latter, and for private individuals, the profits from both ways are roughly the same when considered comprehensively.
But for Liang En, choosing the latter not only allows for long-term profit but also brings a brighter future to the people living around the Guatemalan mines.
Since they started mining there, the local development has been progressing smoothly under the absolute advantage of their armed forces and the combined suppression of four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
According to analyses by a series of professionals, if they can maintain this mine for more than 20 years, the area will develop a stable and sustainable economy.
This means that Liang En and his team need to ensure that the business lasts longer because only then can the local area form a significant economic cycle.
From a humanitarian perspective, eliminating poverty in a region is very noble and provides great spiritual satisfaction.
From a profit perspective, this kind of long-term investment is unlikely to make one rich quickly, but its biggest advantage is the ability to generate a stable income over a long period.
Take, for example, the income of many European aristocrats, which largely comes from land rents, and these lands were often pioneered by their ancestors.
Therefore, for Liang En, investing in the most basic development is clearly very valuable, representing the possibility of significant and sustainable growth.
Thus, he naturally hopes that the Guatemalan emerald industry can develop healthily, benefiting both himself and the local area.
With the intention of inspecting, Liang En and Joan of Arc entered the jewelry store and began looking at the jewelry. While selecting items, Liang En found that the quality of the jewelry was indeed good.
Of course, this quality doesn't compare to the top custom pieces designed by Liang En himself, but considering the price, they were indeed good value for money.
Moreover, the overall design style of the jewelry leans towards modern jewelry, with a simple and bright design but still featuring clear Maya influences.
"If you hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have realized that the gemstones used here are emeralds," Joan of Arc said as she looked at another necklace. "They're completely different from the jade jewelry I've seen before."
Previously, when they visited museums, Joan of Arc saw several top-tier jade pieces, so she naturally noticed the difference when she saw these emerald pieces.
This difference lies not only in the quality of the emeralds but also in the design style and the content they aim to express, making these pieces vastly different from traditional Chinese jade jewelry.
"Of course, that was my intention when I designed this jewelry," Liang En said, nodding as he looked at a bracelet in his hand, then quickly switched to French.
Since they were in a low-profile visit, it was best to keep some comments from the sales assistant to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"I hope to use these obvious differences in jewelry for promotion, at least to leave an impression in people's minds that Guatemalan emeralds are also valuable, with a long history."
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