Learn Jade Identification Effortlessly in Five Minutes

Do you know the easiest way to identify jadeite? In an age of rampant fakes, how can we choose real jade if we don’t have the same solid skills as experts? Therefore, the editor has compiled some of the simplest methods to identify jadeite for everyone. Through this kind of fool-proof operation, except for the realistic jadeite produced by superb counterfeiting technology, the rest of the ordinary counterfeit jadeite can basically be recognized!

Pencil identification method: After moistening the jade with water, scratch it with a pencil. The surface of real jade will not leave any pencil marks. Colorless and transparent fake jade such as crystal glass and tourmaline will leave marks.

Pen identification method: Dip a pen into ink and draw a line on the jade. When observing real jade under a magnifying glass, a smooth and continuous ink line will be left on its surface without any breaks. The lines left by fake jade are composed of small dots.

Identification by scratching: Jade is very hard and it is difficult to leave a mark on it with a blade. In addition, if you gently scratch the glass with jade, it will leave a obvious white mark. Fake jadeite does not have this phenomenon.

Identification method using water drops: Wipe the small upper surface of the jadeite clean and drop a drop of water on it with the end of a toothpick. The water drop on the real jadeite will be in the shape of a small round drop of medium size. Water droplets on fake jade will spread quickly.

Photographic identification method: Real jade has single refraction, and is radiant and dazzling. No lines can be seen on the hand when it is placed on the hand. Fake jadeite that is imitated by crystal has poor dispersion and low refractive index, and the lines on your hands can be seen through the crystal. Use other jade jewelry or heavy objects to tap it gently. If there is a crisp metallic sound and an echo, it is the real thing. If you remember the above simplest method to identify jadeite, you can basically say goodbye to 80% of fakes on the market!

Jadeite counterfeiting technology

The jade business has great opportunities. Some illegal merchants often take advantage of consumers' love of travel shopping at tourist attractions and sell inferior jade under the name of origin. It is not uncommon to see jade crafts worth only tens or hundreds of yuan being marked with prices of tens of thousands of yuan. Just think about it, how can you buy a good product in a one-time deal? When talking about jadeite, we have to talk about the three major types of jadeite, headed by the blessing of children and grandchildren. In the jade collection world, many experienced players basically only buy the three major types of jade. The main reason is that the industry is too complicated, with too many fakes and inferior products passing off as good ones. Even experienced people often suffer losses, let alone ordinary consumers.

Currently, the counterfeiting of jade is nothing more than adding color and removing impurities. But in terms of color, there are usually three ways to enhance the color of jade: baking, dyeing, and coating treatment. Color baking refers to changing the original brown or yellow jadeite through fire, into red jadeite with good sales appearance. Dyed jade, which we call C-grade jade in our jargon, refers to fake jade that has been artificially colored. C goods have no value and will not appreciate in value. The coating treatment is to use the principle of applying nail polish to apply highly volatile green glue on the ring surface. From the perspective of removing impurities, B-grade jade is a product that is made from natural jade raw stones that have undergone post-processing artificial processing. It is the product of beautification treatment by merchants in order to make a profit. Usually, 83 material is selected, which is bleached in acid, washed with alkali to increase the porosity, and finally filled with epoxy resin to solidify.

The procedure for general testing agencies to identify jadeite

As the editor said above, the simplest method to identify jade can only deal with ordinary counterfeits, but what should we do when we encounter super-realistic jade that is really difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake? The most reliable thing to do at this time is to send it to an inspection agency for testing. After all, they are professionals and they will know whether it is a dragon or a worm after going through the identification procedure.

1. Use a balance to measure weight.

2. The appraiser observes the appearance of the jade with the naked eye, looking at its color, transparency, shape, appearance and luster. The luster of jadeite should be glassy. If some jadeite has a waxy appearance, it is suspected to be B-grade jadeite.

3. Use a refractometer to measure the refractive index. The refractive index is a very important optical property of gemstones. Different gemstones have different refractive indices. By measuring the accurate refractive index, we can determine what kind of gemstone it is. The refractive index of jadeite is about 1.66, while the refractive index of green nephrite, which looks similar to jadeite, is 1.61~1.63, and the refractive index of quartz jade that impersonates jadeite is 1.54.

4. Observe the internal structure of jade with a microscope. The characteristic of jade is its granular mosaic metamorphic structure, which is a term in geology, which means that jade is composed of many small mineral particles. These small mineral particles are granular, fibrous, long columnar and short columnar, and are arranged in an inlaid shape. Experts call this structure "jade quality", which is an important basis for experts to identify with the naked eye. Many people call it "fly wings". When observing B-grade jadeite under a microscope, you can see that the structure of the jadeite has been destroyed, the structure is loose, and resin is filled between the small mineral particles.

5. Use a spectroscope to measure the absorption spectrum of jadeite. A spectroscope can measure the degree of absorption of light of various wavelengths by a gemstone. Different gemstones have different absorption characteristics to light. Green jadeite absorbs light of wavelengths of 489~503nm and 690~710nm. These two absorption spectra are the absorption characteristics of jadeite to light.

6. Use fluorescent light to observe whether the jade has fluorescence. Pure jade does not produce fluorescence under ultraviolet light, but B-grade jade emits a pink-blue fluorescence due to the later injection of glue.

7. Measure specific gravity using specific gravity liquid. Put jadeite in liquids of different specific gravities. In liquids with the same specific gravity as jadeite, jadeite will be suspended in it, neither sinking to the bottom nor floating. The specific gravity of jadeite is between 3.25 and 3.4, but B-grade jadeite has a lighter specific gravity due to internal glue injection.

8. Check with a color filter. C-grade jadeite dyed with artificial chromium-containing dyes appears red under the Charles filter, while natural-color jadeite does not change color. Some jadeite dyed with special dyes will not change color under the Charles filter.

9. Use an infrared spectrometer to identify the absorption spectrum of jadeite. Natural jade has a specific absorption spectrum. When an obvious resin absorption band appears in the absorption spectrum, it can be confirmed that it is resin-filled B-grade jade. This method is a very effective way to identify B-grade jadeite.

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