Chapter 555
It’s synthetic corundum, absolutely not a natural raw stone p>
As soon as he said this, the crowd let out collective gasps.
Quentin Pierce continued leisurely, “Now look at the base of this gemstone. The metal was supposedly handcrafted during the Victorian era.
A genuine metal piece would retain subtle hammer marks from manual forging, and the oxidation would be unevenly mottled—a natural patina formed over centuries.
But this base was cast as a single piece by a machine. Its texture is too uniform and rigid, lacking the irregular marks of time’s weathering p>
As he explained, he gestured for several certified appraisers at the exhibition to step forward and take a closer look.
The appraisers gathered around, half-skeptical, holding up their magnifying glasses and checking the details Quentin Pierce had pointed out one by one.
At first, they still held out hope.
But following his guidance and clearly seeing the internal lines of the gemstone and the artificial aging marks on the metal base.
Their faces slowly drained of color. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief.
The lead appraiser swallowed hard and bowed his head in a public apology.
“It’s true. My appraisal was too superficial. I only checked the exterior shape and completely ignored the internal inclusions of the gemstone and the trace elements on the metal base.
Every flaw Mr. Pierce pointed out is completely accurate. This sapphire necklace is indeed a top-tier counterfeit p>
The other appraisers nodded one after another in agreement, all corroborating his judgment.
“I’ve been in the industry for years, and I’ve never seen such hyper-realistic forgery techniques p>
“If Mr. Pierce wasn’t here today, we all would have made a massive mistake p>
“You truly are a master, Mr. Pierce. Please accept our deepest respect p>
The last shred of hope on Helena’s face completely shattered.
Celeste, who had been by her side the entire time, kept her head tightly bowed, her eyes darting constantly as she scrambled to think of her next move.
Quentin Pierce merely waved his hand humbly, his gaze resting on Helena, his eyes holding the calmness of someone who had seen through it all.
“Mrs. Sterling, the synthetic traces inside your gemstone are very inconspicuous, and the plating is a high-tech replica.
Although the artificial aging hid the fresh machine cuts, the oxidation on the base was spray-painted—a masterclass in forgery.
It can fool ordinary collectors and occasionally even professional instruments and provenance checks, but it cannot fool my eyes.
With that, he raised his hand and pointed to the entire row of jewelry cabinets behind him.
His tone remained light, but his words struck Helena like a bolt of lightning.
“It’s not just this one piece,” he sighed.
“Based on a preliminary professional visual inspection, all the antique jewelry you have on display toda are top-tier fakes. Not a single piece is genuine p>
Boom!
The entire venue completely exploded!
A wave of uproar echoed throughout the banquet hall.
Shock was written across the faces of all the socialites, unable to hide their mocking and contemptuous amusement.
“All fake? The Sterlings are such a powerful family, and Mrs. Sterling can easily drop hundreds of millions. on a collection. How could she have a whole cabinet of counterfeits p>
“Oh my god, the heirloom treasures she’s been showing off everywhere are actually all fakes p>
“Do you remember how she was just bragging? Parading a bunch of fakes in front of us to play the rich wife. What a joke p>
An overwhelming flood of whispers crashed down on Helena.
A wave of sheer terror crashed over her, her knees buckling uncontrollably.
The confidence and arrogance she had radiated just moments ago vanished into thin air.
Completely panicked, she stumbled and grabbed onto the display stand next to her.
Celeste, sitting beside Helena, had her hands tightly clasped beneath her skirt.
Seeing Helena nearly fall, she froze for a second before hastily rolling her wheelchair forward to support her.
“Helena! Careful p>