Have you ever walked into a pawn shop? If not, Rick’s pawnshop that features in the History Channel is definitely something that you must not miss out on. Rick and his brother’s pawn star features as a reality television show on the History channel for quite some time now. If you are wondering what is so special about this pawnshop that it became the content of a reality channel, then know right away this is no ordinary pawn shop. Started in 1989, the Gold and Silver Pawnshop has become world-famous for dealing with genuine and rare artifacts some of which date back even to ancient times.
Table of Contents
A fun family business
Though there is no definite host for the Pawn star, what remains constant throughout the series are Richard Harrison, often referred to as the ‘Old Man’, his two sons- Rick and Corey, and their friend Austin Russell along with their pawn shop as the setting.
Amid all the bargains and the beautiful artifacts that are sure to steal your heart, the constant repartee between the family member and the clients adds to the comic element of Pawn Star
The gem episode
In this particular episode of Pawn Star, you can witness another exciting deal at the Gold and Silver Pawnshop as one of their regular clients Davey Deals walking into the store. It will immediately pique your interest about what he is going to bargain foe, as there is no big and bulky object in his hand.
But you do not have to hold your curiosity for too long as he fishes out a large pinkish gem from his pocket and places it in the counter. The gem is indeed eye-catching and seems to be fit for a royal crown.
Davey also briefs about the stone and says that it has been a part of his family heirloom, being passed on from generation to generation. He furnishes some details such as the gem that was discovered near Santa Barbara. CA around 1902 and it is composed of pure lithium that is used to power batteries and treats bipolar disorders. It is known as the Kunzite
Though Davis is an old friend of Rick and furnishes all the details about the stone, this is not enough. The popularity of the Pawn star owes to the fact that they do not accept any of the artifacts at their face value. They find out all possible details related to it and take it to an expert to get cross-checked and confirm whether it is genuine or not.
The experts do not just give their notes on the particular object, but also throw light on other interesting facts pertaining to it. No wonder the Pawn star has been able to capture the attention of so many people. Loaded with information and interesting historical facts, right from the mouth of the experts, this show is definitely worth time for every history buff or those who are interested in broadening their knowledge in various general subjects.
The gem test
Going by the system of their shop, Rick takes this interesting gem to a gemologist by the name Jeff G.G. From the very beginning it is quite clear that Jeff is an expert in his line as he is able to furnish a lot of information just by hearing the name Kunzite.
The Kunzite
The Kunzite is named after the famous gemologist who was the first to identify it- George Fredrik Kunz. Kunz was also the chief of the famed Tiffany and Co Jewellers. He recognized it as a different and unique variety of spodumene. It is very popular among the people owing to its clarity and delicate range of colors that are given by the manganese which is present in the stone.
Some people even consider it as the alternate birthstone for February and it has a number of interesting lores associated with it. The San Diego country in California is considered as one of the chief sources of good quality kunzite and as Davis claims, even the kunzite in his possession owes its origin to California. Whether the stone is real kunzite or not still hangs as a mystery, as gemologist Jeff continues to examine it using his different tools.
The various physical properties of the gem are carefully checked and it is confirmed that the properties do indeed match with that of a Kunzite. But is a check of just the physical properties enough to confirm the fact? Well, the answer is no. The synthetic counterparts of Kunzite can be easily made in the laboratory and it may show the same physical and chemical properties but it is not as valuable.
Refractive Index test
To take his probe further, Jeff now checks the refractive index of the given stone. Refractive Index points out how much light is able to pass through the gem and is an important indicator of its value. It is confirmed at once that Davis’ stone indeed has a very high refractive index and it is indeed a real Kunzite. Jeff informs further that each caret of the Kunzite costs no less than ninety dollars and given the huge size of the particular stone, its value would come to a few thousand dollars.
The bargaining
The most interesting part of the Pawn star is indeed the bargaining, with each party trying their best to crack the most profitable deal. Indeed Rick is a master of the game and presses hard to reduce the prices using various kinds of arguments. But Davis is not a novice either. He starts the deal at about 15,000 dollars. But Rick keeps on bargaining to get a more favorable deal.
Finally, the deal is struck at 6,500 dollars. Davis, though slightly disappointed goes back with his pockets bulging and from Rick’s expression, it is quite clear that he has struck a very profitable deal. Indeed the Pawn Star cannot just give you historical insight but also polish your bargaining skills.
