Tips and steps for identifying jadeite with the naked eye, methods for identifying A-grade, B-grade, C-grade and D-grade jadeite

We start by classifying jade into A, B, C and D grades. Anyone who knows a little about jade knows that: Grade A refers to natural jade that has not been artificially processed; Grade B refers to jade that has been soaked in strong acid to remove impurities and then filled with glue; Grade C refers to jade that has been artificially dyed; Grade D refers to counterfeit jade that is not made of jade itself.

B-grade jade has its physical structure destroyed. In gemology, it is called processed jade. It can be used as a general ornament, but has no collection value. C-grade jade does not destroy the physical structure of jade, but is dyed to imitate the color of natural jade. In gemology, it is still processed jade. Both B-grade and C-grade jadeite can be issued with certificates, which will state "processed jadeite". These jadeite can at most be used as ornaments and have no collection value. It is not recommended that you wear them on your body.

Most of the jade nowadays is both filled with glue and dyed, which is often called B plus C jade. If such jade is marked as "optimized jade" and sold at the price of "optimized jade", then there is no problem in purchasing it for general consumption, but it is not suitable for collection. D-grade jade is imitation jade, which is a fake, or what people often call "non-jade". Similarly, if B-grade, C-grade, or B+C-grade jade is sold as natural jade, it would be considered fake and also considered as industry fraud. Consumers who mistake fake things for real will naturally suffer financial and emotional damage.

At present, these fake jades can still be seen in the market, mainly concentrated in tourist product markets, collectibles markets, and street stalls. If buyers do not have rich experience, they can easily be cheated. It is not recommended for novices to buy expensive jade products without certificates in these places.

Below is a brief introduction to the conventional methods of identifying jadeite with the naked eye.

The first step of identification: distinguishing between jadeite and non-jadeite

When it comes to identifying jadeite, we first need to determine whether it is jadeite or "non-jadeite", that is to say, we need to determine whether it is jadeite or not. This is the first step in collecting and purchasing. Generally speaking, there are two criteria for identifying jadeite: one is the jadeite nature, and the other is its internal structure with interwoven silk threads. Jade is an aggregate of jadeite mineral particles. For example, a complete bracelet is composed of tens or even millions of tiny jadeite particles combined and stacked together in a special way.

(1) Jadeite

Jadeite texture is a characteristic that appears on natural jade. It is the name given to the crystal surface of jade crystals in the jade industry and is generally considered to be a unique mark of jade. Physically speaking, jade is a mineral with a polycrystalline interwoven structure. Jadeite generally appears on jade in the form of long strips or irregular flakes, reflecting the shape and size of the jadeite minerals in jade. Because the jadeite minerals inside jade are different, the positions where jadeite appears in jade are also different. When the crystals of jadeite are large enough, the jadeite nature will be particularly obvious and can be easily observed with the naked eye, which is what is called the jadeite nature of jadeite.

It is worth noting that Afghan white jade also has star-shaped flashes. This phenomenon is not called jadeite quality. Everyone should learn to distinguish it carefully in practice. The flaky flashes on the surface of Afghan white jade are uniform and of equal size, whereas the reflective phenomenon of jadeite is uneven in size and length.

If the jadeite nature is confirmed, then its origin as jadeite can be proved, but it cannot be confirmed whether it is A grade, B grade or C grade. If the sparkling flakes can be easily seen with the naked eye, it also means that the quality of the jade is not very high, because if the jadeite is large, the grains of the jadeite will also be large, and if the grains are small, the jadeite will also be small. Jadeite texture is a very good basis for identifying jadeite, but jadeite texture is not found everywhere. The jadeite texture is easier to find on unpolished jade. On polished jade, you should try to avoid the well-polished areas and observe the areas that are not completely polished or are large in area and difficult to polish. What you must know is that jadeite with fine quality has small grains, and it is not easy to see the jadeite texture with the naked eye or a ten-fold magnifying glass, so other methods are needed to determine it.

(2) Internal structure of interwoven silk threads

When observing the finished polished jade through light, you can see the special jade growth lines, that is, the boundaries where the jade particles are combined with each other can appear to be interlaced. This phenomenon only exists in jadeite and is more easily seen in mid- and low-grade jadeite. High-end jadeite has a very delicate structure and excellent transparency, so it is not easy to observe its internal structure under a low-power magnifying glass. At this time, it should be combined with observation of flaws within the jadeite. The internal flaws (white cotton, white flowers, and tendons) appear to be interwoven with silk threads under the naked eye or a magnifying glass, which can be used as a basis for determining the jadeite's quality. Generally speaking, filaments are easy to appear in white cotton and tendons. As long as the filaments can be seen, it is usually jade.

Jade with coarser grains generally has jadeite properties and poor transparency. Jadeite with slightly better transparency generally has finer particles, and the jadeite nature is not visible, but the interlaced structure of the jadeite threads can be easily seen through light.

The second step of identification: the basis for determining the A-grade goods

After confirming that the item to be identified is jadeite, the second step is to determine whether the item is natural jadeite, that is, Grade A jade. This requires determining the quality of A-grade jade based on the basic characteristics of natural jade.

Before that, there is one more thing to learn, which is that when identifying A-grade jade, you must know how to use the correct light to observe. Not all light is conducive to the observation of jade. Colored light can easily interfere with and mislead the identification of jade. The light that is more suitable for observing jadeite includes natural light at noon, white light under fluorescent lamps, and white light from a flashlight made of multi-head light-emitting diodes. In addition, a 10x magnifying glass is also a commonly used tool for identifying jadeite. Three ways to observe the use of light in jadeite:

1. Reflected light

Adjust the polished jade product to make the surface reflective, and observe the reflective part of the jade surface with the naked eye or under a ten-fold microscope. Careful observation will reveal a lot of information, such as gloss characteristics, the presence or absence of reticular acid etching marks, etc.

2. Observation through light

Through natural light or artificial light, light passes through the jade and enters the eyes. You can see whether the jade structure is loose, whether there are cracks, black spots, white flowers, and the color distribution.

3. Side light observation

When observing jade in the direction of vertical transmitted light, one can observe the density of the jade structure, the coarseness of the mineral particles, the quality of its transparency, etc. Observing jade in side light is helpful in determining the quality of the jade.

To determine whether the jadeite to be identified is natural jadeite, it can be identified from the following two aspects.

(1) Surface polishing characteristics - micro-ripples (orange peel effect)

The surface of polished jade with coarser grains will appear slightly uneven when observed with the naked eye under reflected light, due to the uneven hardness of the mineral particles that make up the jade. Commonly known as micro ripples, they are like slight ripples that appear on the surface of calm water. The micro-ripple phenomenon on the polished surface is an important identification feature of natural A-grade jadeite. If the polishing is rough, the micro-ripples are not obvious, but if the polishing is good, the micro-ripples are clear. There is a smooth transition between the depressions and undulations without any discontinuity. As long as you see micro-ripples, you can be sure it is natural A-grade jade. B-grade jade has rough, non-reflective surface pits and obvious network acid etching patterns. There are no micro-ripples on jade imitations.

The micro-ripples on the polished surface of jadeite with coarse grains can be observed with the naked eye, while those with fine grains require the use of a 10x or even 20x magnifying glass (the oil, sweat, hand lines, etc. on the surface of the jadeite should be wiped clean). Carefully observe the highly reflective areas under soft light for any micro-ripples. This observation requires a certain amount of experience.

(2) Color distribution characteristics

① The coexistence of multiple colors, especially secondary colors such as red, yellow, and brown, is evidence of natural jade. Yellow, red, and brown are formed by iron oxides, which are easily removed by acid washing, in sharp contrast to the clean appearance of jade after impurities and colors have been bleached away.

② The green color is distributed in various forms such as dots, veins, filaments, and patches. Even on a full-color ring face, the color distribution in different areas is uneven (the phenomenon of uniform color cannot be ruled out, but it is extremely rare). If the color distribution is uniform everywhere, it can basically be determined to be C-grade jadeite. The colors of other jades such as nephrite, Malayan jade, and aventurine are also relatively uniform. The fusion and reflection of the green color of jadeite with the jadeite base is also evidence of natural jadeite. It is manifested as the green color varying in shades or when observed through transmitted light, the green color appears to shrink and narrow. However, under strong transmitted light, the green color of dyed C-grade jadeite will stay where it is and will not change in width.

(4) Clarity of outlines of jadeite and jadeite particles

The particles of natural jade are clear in outline, naturally tightly combined, and have a solid texture. The particles of B-grade jade are chaotic and unclear. However, this type of observation only applies to jadeite whose particles can be seen through light with the naked eye, and does not apply to jadeite with fine particles such as glass and ice jadeite.

(5) Observe the yellow hue through light

Prerequisite: The jade must have a certain degree of transparency. Varieties with white background and green color or dark blue-green color are not suitable.

Under natural light, a faint yellow tint can be seen through the fine, solid base of natural jadeite; this can also be seen in full green or completely colorless jadeite. This is because there are iron ions in the gaps between the jadeite particles in jade. Therefore, when observing natural jade under white light, you can see a hazy, faint yellow tint on the background of the jade, especially where defects such as cotton and streaks are more likely to appear. This point is both commonly used and important for confirming the authenticity of jadeite, but you should pay attention to accumulating observation experience, as it is difficult to photograph this phenomenon.

(6) Auxiliary observation methods

Jade identification can also adopt some auxiliary means besides the above six methods. Some auxiliary means are very effective in special circumstances, and can also be combined with the above methods to confirm each other.

The first method: tapping.

We often see people hanging up and then knocking on jade bracelets when choosing them. This is one of the very simple and effective methods, so many people are using it. If the bracelet particles are not too big and there are no large cracks, hang the bracelet with a thin wire and knock it with a confirmed natural jadeite, agate stick or other harder objects. The sound of natural jadeite is clear and melodious, with a distant echo. The finer the quality, the clearer the sound. The artificially processed jadeite will have a dull sound, stop abruptly, and have no echo.

The second method: weigh it.

The average density of jadeite is 3.33. Generally speaking, it has a higher density than similar jades. Weighing it is sometimes very effective in determining its authenticity.

The third method: slippery feeling.

The surface of natural jade is smooth, while the surface of some coated jade is rough and rough, and can be distinguished by the smooth feel.

The fourth method: cool feeling.

Generally, it is also used for coating and other situations, and the natural cool feeling is more obvious.

The fifth method: hardness test.

The hardness of jadeite is 6.5 to 7, which is smaller than crystal but larger than nephrite. For some raw materials, they can be distinguished by scratching and other methods.

The sixth method: fracture observation.

Fracture refers to the unpolished broken surface of jade. Even in finished products, tiny fracture surfaces can sometimes be seen. The fracture of jadeite is granular, the fracture of nephrite is flat, and the fracture of quartz jade and glass is shell-shaped.

The above naked eye identification method is a summary of long-term experience. It is very helpful for jade lovers to understand and know jade and complete general jade identification. Apart from identification by naked eye, the most reliable is laboratory identification - the jade identification laboratory uses objective identification results based on experience and scientific instrument testing. For ordinary enthusiasts, faced with the vast differences in jadeite, identification experience still requires a process of accumulation and summary.

In general, there are objective and absolute criteria for determining the authenticity of jadeite, but novices who have not received systematic training cannot be absolutely sure of distinguishing the authenticity of jadeite with the naked eye. Therefore, it is recommended that everyone must be cautious during the purchase process, and it is best to request an appraisal certificate from a formal quality inspection department so that the authenticity of the goods can be effectively guaranteed.

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