How to Identify A, B, and C Grade Jadeite

Among the many varieties of jewelry and jade that are routinely tested by the Jewelry, Jadeite and Jewelry Management Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources (National Jewelry and Jadeite Quality Supervision and Inspection Center) [hereinafter referred to as the Jewelry National Inspection], jadeite must be mentioned. Jade has always had an irreplaceable position in the hearts of Chinese people. "Shuowen Jiezi" says: "Fei means red-feathered bird; Cui means green-feathered bird." The word "Jade" was originally the name of a bird. Since Burmese jadeite entered China in the Qing Dynasty, the red one has been called "Fei" and the green one has been called "Cui", collectively known as jadeite.

When it comes to jadeite, we can’t avoid these three English letters - A, B, and C. So what do A-grade, B-grade, and C-grade jade mean? Today I will explain to you the meaning of these three English letters in jade.

Grade A jade refers to natural jade that has not been processed.

B-grade jade usually refers to jade that has been bleached and filled. These are two steps. Jade with poor color and texture can be bleached through acid washing to remove the impurities and stains of the jade, making the jade look cleaner.

The structure of jadeite after acid wash is loose, and obvious acid etching marks can be observed under magnified inspection. The filling step is then carried out, in which artificial resins and other fillers are filled into the jadeite to make the jadeite appear more transparent. These two steps ultimately improve the clarity and transparency of inferior jadeite, which has low clarity and rough texture.

After being soaked in strong acid and alkali, the structure of jade becomes loose, and before filling, corrosion pits appear on the surface, causing diffuse reflection and weakening the luster. After adding organic fillers such as resin or plastic, jade often has a weak glass luster, resin luster, waxy luster or a special luster produced by mixing.

Bleaching and filling will cause a certain amount of damage to the structure of jade, and the gelatinous solids will age after a period of time. The luster, color, and "water head" of jade will change, affecting the durability of jade.

Filled jadeite often exhibits blue or green fluorescence under ultraviolet light, while natural jadeite usually has no fluorescence.

C-grade jade refers to jade that has been dyed. That is, the originally colorless or light-colored jadeite will be artificially dyed to change or deepen its color.

The durability of dyed jade is poor because the colorant does not enter the crystal lattice but exists in the gaps between the particles. When dyed jade is exposed to long-term light, corroded by acid and alkali solutions, heated, or even oxidized by air, its originally bright colors will fade or even become colorless.

Since the dye enters the jade along the particles or cracks, the dyed color is distributed in a silk screen pattern, and the precipitation or aggregation of the dye can be seen in larger cracks. When magnified, dyed jadeite is tested, and its color can be observed to be distributed along the edges or cracks of mineral particles in a spider-web-like pattern. This is also the most direct evidence for identifying dyed jadeite.

The so-called "B+C goods" jade refers to some dyed jade on the market that needs to be filled with glue to improve its transparency, cover cracks and consolidate; some bleached jade is directly filled with colored binders, which can also play the same role. This treatment method not only improves the clarity and transparency of jade, but also improves its color.

Here I would also like to remind everyone that the words "jade (processed)" will appear in the name of many appraisal certificates. No matter the words "jade (processed)" appear on the appraisal certificate or are said by the merchant, it does not mean that the jade is discounted. Jade (processed) only means that the jade has been filled or dyed, that is, jade B goods, jade C goods or jade B+C goods.

With the continuous development of technology, jade processing technology on the market has become more and more mature, and it is even difficult to detect with conventional detection methods. At this time, experienced identification experts and large-scale laboratory instruments are needed for testing.

Choosing regular purchasing channels, reliable testing agencies, not being greedy for cheap things, and not relying on luck are the shortcuts to avoid pitfalls.

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