Chapter 52: The First Commission that changed everything.

I made the brooch so that the solemn-looking outfit would suit her well in the first place.

In addition, I engraved a temperature-maintaining magic circle on the safety pin that turns the pendant into a brooch.

The appropriate temperature will help calm her down when she gets stiff with tension.

“Also, regarding the necklace…”

“No!”

The customer’s voice denying it rang loudly.

The maid following her twitched her shoulders and opened her eyes wide, but it wasn’t surprising to me.

“This brooch is enough.”

Because it was proof that she liked the brooch I made very much.

“Still, the necklace chain is included in the commissioned content, isn’t it? You have already paid the corresponding cost.”

“You don’t have to return it. You have already done enough of what you had to do.”

Although young, the generous customer said I didn’t even have to return the money paid for the gems to be set on the necklace chain.

But a merchant also had a sense of shame.

I couldn’t just brush it off when I used a much smaller amount of gems than specified in the contract.

“I am grateful for your words. Still, since I have prepared it, please take a look.”

I opened another case.

A head ornament made by layering several thin white gold chains with diamonds attached here and there.

A necklace and bracelet mixed with blue melee diamonds made with the same concept.

And earrings made in the same shape as the butterfly on the brooch were all one set.

They were accessories that were bling-bling as the customer initially intended but much lighter, elegant but not heavy.

Combined with the monotonous dress, it was certain to turn the dress’s disadvantages into advantages.

“Ah…!”

Her face changed as if she were about to cry.

Of course, because she was so happy.

Her hands taking out the necklace and quickly holding it against the dress were even trembling slightly.

“What is this pure white metal? I have never seen such thin metal.”

“It is gold.”

“Gold?”

“To be precise, it is an alloy of gold and palladium. As you can see, very precise processing becomes possible. In addition, unlike the yellow color of gold, it takes on a pure white color. I used the same metal for the brooch. Isn’t the color beautiful?”

“Really, it really is.”

Palladium in this era was still very cheap.

Palladium, originally used for alloying with gold because it looked like platinum, skyrocketed in value for industrial use in the 21st century, becoming more than three times the price of platinum.

It was more expensive than gold.

“I’ve never seen gold like this. You are truly amazing.”

Palladium alloy, excellent in malleability and ductility, has a wider range for crafting than pure gold.

Meaning thinner and finer precision processing is possible.

It’s an era where alloy technology is not yet very developed.

If chemistry had developed enough for alloy technology to be excellent, making synthetic diamonds wouldn’t still be a distant dream.

Although I don’t know how to make a chamber that can maintain high temperature and high pressure, I knew the exact alloy ratio and technical requirements of white gold well.

Because I handled it often at the jewelry shop in Jongno.

If I didn’t know even that, I should have quit being a jeweler long ago.

“It suits you well.”

I said to the customer standing in front of the mirror wearing the full set including the head ornament, necklace, earrings, and bracelet before I knew it.

It wasn’t meant as a compliment.

Since it was custom-made to suit her, it would be a big problem if it didn’t.

“Thank you.”

“I didn’t say it for you to thank me.”

“No. I sincerely thank you. You deserve to receive thanks.”

The girl, whose tone pretending to be an adult was still awkward, thanked me with a bright smile.

My first custom-made client’s debutante ball seemed quite successful.

Enough for the accessories she wore to appear in the newspaper the next day.

Honestly, I don’t know what kind of reputation she received.

I don’t know if she established her position as a noble and gained fame as her family wanted.

What I know is that after that, custom-made requests started coming into Palmer Jewelry ceaselessly.

Also, that the name of the jeweler Jay became known a little.

However, I couldn’t squeeze into the territory of existing famous jewelers.

Famous families had lines they traded with for generations, and to them, I was still an untrustworthy existence.

If not for the solid background of Palmer Jewelry, the request wouldn’t have come from the Dime family either.

No matter how urgent they were.

In the midst of that, a request came from Duchess Mare, a member of the royal family.

As Nathan pointed out, if it becomes known that I received a request from Duchess Mare, the eyes doubting me will also be diluted a lot.

Though I have to complete her request successfully.

She asked to make citrine more beautiful than topaz, but the refractive index itself is superior in topaz from the start.

It means if raw stones of the same color are cut in the same way, topaz reflects light much more beautifully.

This request also seemed to be preliminary work for the next request.

Duke Mare buying cheap citrine deceived as topaz might hurt his pride, but it wouldn’t be a financial blow at all.

And if it’s a matter of pride, buying a new yellow diamond would be a much better solution.

Saying she would wear accessories made of citrine to show her love for her husband sounded just like a convenient excuse to me.

It was much more plausible that she intended to test me with citrine, which wouldn’t be a waste even if ruined.

But if I really ruin that citrine, my future as a jeweler would obviously be ruined too.

“It’s a quite troublesome request.”

I placed the raw citrine stone on the display stand.

Even on the display stand where lighting was carefully installed to maximize light reflection of gems, the raw citrine stone just looked dull.

It just looks like a stone with a slightly different color.

“She is… frugal.”

It was a very refined expression for Nathan.

“She just wants to see my skills.”

By choosing something that wouldn’t be a waste at all even if gem prices jumped.

Nathan just blinked his eyes.

He seems to have no idea how to transform this lump of stone into a beautiful gem.

It was the first time he saw a raw stone.

Previous requests were all setting already cut gems.

“It’s yellow.”

Knowing it was a word he barely chose, I chuckled.

“Right, like the yellow diamond I bought.”

He blinked again.

Probably because he couldn’t actively agree with my words that the raw citrine stone, not much different from just a stone, is similar to the contaminated diamond polished in a very old way.

In addition, it meant he wanted to ask why I bought the contaminated diamond and why I accepted that citrine processing request knowing so well, but wouldn’t ask.

“Anyway, even if requests come in for the next month, refuse them all. Don’t forget to give appropriate excuses.”

“…Yes.”

Nathan looked alternately at the citrine and my face, then answered slowly.

With a face clearly showing worry.

Befitting his career of gathering rumors and informing me, Nathan properly understood my words to imply that Duchess Mare’s request was the reason for refusal.

Duchess Mare was a member of the royal family, albeit a collateral one, and a darling of the social circle.

Nathan clearly understood that if rumors spread, even people who just intended to inquire would react by saying they would make a reservation and wait, and so he was worrying more about the result of this request.

Because if I don’t do it properly, I will lose even the small reputation I barely built up so far.

“Want to bet? Whether I can complete this request properly or not.”

“No! I will make sure to tell them they have to wait for more than a month whenever an inquiry comes in.”

When the word bet came out, Nathan answered with a straight face.

“Okay, please do.”

As I was about to go down to the basement where the workshop was, Nathan spoke quickly as if he suddenly remembered.

“By the way, is our shop name going to remain Palmer Jewelry? There are people who call you Mr. Palmer while looking for the manager.”

“The name of this shop will continue to be Palmer Jewelry. Tell them Palmer is the founder’s name, and the current manager’s name is Jay.”

“…Yes.”

Nathan, who has no surname like me, hesitated for a moment but soon nodded.

“From now on, will this jewelry shop become Jay Jewelry?”

Mr. Palmer asked me just before completely handing over the operation rights of the jewelry shop.

My answer was “No.”

“Palmer Jewelry already has a solid foundation. I don’t want to cause confusion by changing the name unnecessarily. Palmer Jewelry will continue to be Palmer Jewelry.”

“…Thank you.”

The elderly gentleman on the verge of retirement was deeply moved.

He could have thought I was free-riding on the foundation he built, so accepting it only with good intentions was rather perplexing.

If I were in my immature days having only a simple ambition to become a world-class jeweler, I would have changed the name.

Maybe I wouldn’t have even thought of operating this jewelry shop at all.

“Although it bears my name, it wasn’t a place run by my strength alone. Without the young lady’s help, I couldn’t have even started.”

Mr. Palmer looked around the shop with eyes drawing a distant place.

He might be looking for traces left by the young lady, the King’s Brother’s mother.

But I had already changed many parts.

I even installed new protection magic circles on the display stands changed by Philip, the mansion’s butler, who visited.

The eyes searching for fragments of the past returned to reality and looked at me.

“Thank you for not scolding an old man’s foolishness. And sorry for leaving with an excuse of an old body at an important time.”

Mr. Palmer tightly gripped the cane full of hand stains.

He, who finds it hard to walk even a step without a cane, was now unable to kneel before nobles.