5 Very Unreliable Jade Identification Methods

Jade is not only a wearable jewellery but also a collectible. But whether it is worn or collected, the most important point is to identify the authenticity of jade. First of all, the jade must be natural, and then pay attention to the quality. It must be carefully selected before it can be collected. Don't be careless.

1. Jade identification is very important

01

The luster of jade

Jade usually has a glassy luster, with bright and sharp luster, concentrated reflection points, and no divergent light. Moreover, jade with glass luster is highly transparent, especially glass-type jade, which is deeply loved by people for its transparent texture. In the market, the luster of B and C jadeite is not as good as that of A grade, and a clue can be seen by comparing them.

02

Hardness of Jade

Jade has a relatively high hardness and very good toughness. Using it to scratch glass will leave marks on the surface of the glass without damaging itself. Therefore, we can test the hardness of jade. If it is artificially treated jade, its hardness will inevitably decrease and will not be as high as that of natural jade.

03

The Jadeite Nature

The green nature of jadeite is like fly wings, which is one of the important bases for identifying jadeite. Fly wings are the small shiny surfaces on the surface of jadeite when illuminated by light. They are like wing-shaped flashes, which are a unique characteristic of jadeite.

There are also certain tricks when observing "fly wings". You should focus on the reflective surface of the jade and try to avoid the better polished parts. The processed jade has no fly wings at all.

04

White cotton of jade

The white cotton in jade refers to the transparent or translucent white substance with irregular shapes inside the jade, which can also be called impurities. Its existence affects the quality and texture of jade, but it is also one of the bases for identifying jade. Because only natural jade has white cotton, artificially processed ones do not.

05

Jadeite color roots

To identify the color root of jadeite is to check the authenticity of the green color of jadeite. On the entire piece of jade, you can see a point or a trace of dark green, and then the dark green gradually becomes lighter, forming a color transition, which is called the color root.

If it is natural jade, its color roots are visible and unevenly distributed; if it is processed, the color roots float on the surface and there is no natural feel.

2. These identification methods are not advisable

In addition, there are many widely circulated methods for identifying the authenticity of jadeite, and they sound reasonable, but in fact, either they are not practical or the identification results are mostly inaccurate. These methods are not rigorous or scientific enough, and may even cause damage to jadeite. Some are simply not advisable. Today, let’s talk about the five undesirable methods of identifying jadeite!

1. Water dripping observation

Method: Drop a drop of water onto the surface of the finished jade product. If it condenses into water droplets, it proves to be a Grade A jadeite. If it spreads out, it is a Grade B or C jadeite.

Practice: Ridiculous theory. If the finished jade product is sealed with wax, even if water is dripped on it, the water drops will not spread out. Whether the water droplets spread out should be related to the smoothness of the jade surface, and has no direct relationship with A-grade, B-grade, or C-grade jade.

2. Soak with boiling water

Method: When C-grade jadeite is soaked in boiling water, the color will dissolve in the water.

Practice: The colorant of dyed jade enters the jade along the cracks. When exposed to light, heat or air oxidation for a long time, the original bright color will fade. However, after being treated with sealing wax, the colorant can be kept in a safe state. Soaking in boiling water will cause a certain damage to the wax, but it will not necessarily cause the color to fade. However, natural jade may be damaged after being soaked in boiling water, so this method is not worth the cost.

3. Scrape the surface of the jade with a sharp knife

Method: During the production process of B-grade jadeite, the jadeite is soaked in strong acid, which destroys its internal structure. The structure becomes loose and cracked, so epoxy resin glue must be injected into the interior of the jadeite for filling and reinforcement. At the same time, there is a large amount of epoxy resin glue on the surface of the jadeite, so small particles can be scraped off by a sharp knife.

Practice: Epoxy resin glue is hard and corrosion-resistant, and it is almost impossible to scrape it off with a knife. If you want to scrape off the small particles, the finished jade product would be basically completely wrapped in epoxy resin glue, and the wrapping would be extremely thick, which is somewhat unimaginable.

4. Tap and listen to the sound

Method: Knock the jades against each other. If a crisp, pleasant, steel-like sound is produced, it is natural jade.

Practice: After acid washing and filling with glue, the sound of B-grade jadeite will change, becoming slightly duller. If less glue is filled, the sound will not change much. The dyed C-grade jadeite also makes a steel sound when knocked. In addition, water foam jade, diopside, etc. also make a steel sound when knocked.

Whether it is a pendant or a carving, large or small, the value of the finished jade product varies. If it is knocked, it will inevitably cause hard damage such as broken edges and breakage.

5. Sour roasting method

Method: Rub concentrated acid on the back of the jadeite, then bake it with a red-hot pin, repeat this process. If you see yellow and burnt spots on the back of the jadeite, it means the jadeite is not a genuine product.

Practice: Rubbing concentrated acid on the back of jade will cause corrosion damage to the jade and should never be practiced.

Jade identification is a very complex science and involves many details. All in all, the most scientific and accurate way to identify jade is to go to a professional and authoritative identification agency for identification. Only in this way can you have complete peace of mind!

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