Imitated, never duplicated. Jade remains an extremely sought after gem especially in Asia where its value can skyrocket. What can you do to distinguish a true jade from a false jade? Here are some easy ways specifically found on the website “Chinese Objects “.
Note in the first place that to know if jade is genuine you have to learn about its origin. The jadeite jade is found in Guatemala, in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and there are some small deposits in Russia. As for nephrite, there are deposits in China, Russia, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Certain stones resemble jade. For example, the jadeite (do not mistake with jadeite jade). Its grain is less tight and thin, it is dark green. Its density is lower than the true jade and may have quartz stripes, and it is rapidly heated. Another mineral used is Jasper. It is quartz that when it is chemically dyed, it resembles jade. The way to distinguish it is to do a hardness test: quartz can scratch the glass but it cannot be scratched, contrary to jade.
Agate and sardonyx can also be dyed to look like jade, but they do not have the same depth and brightness as jade does. Finally, a fairly simple imitation, easy to notice is saponite, the soapstone that can be scratched with a single piece, and is not absolutely translucent. The plastic may be used. Just touch it to notice that the texture is not the same.
How can you test if you do not have a gemologist loupe with you?
Here are four simple ways:
- You can toss the stone. If it feels heavier by tossing the stone and catching it in your palm, it may be a real jade, because jade has a high density.
- You can tap two stones together, because when two jades are tapped together, its clicking produces a crystal clear sound.
- You can tighten and heat the stone in your hand for a minute, then put it away for thirty seconds and touch it with the tip of your tongue. If the stone is cold, this is a good indication that this is real jade.
- You can perform a scratch test: jade scratches metal and glass.
The jade is divided into categories according to their quality:
- Jade Type: is the natural jade, untreated. It has its natural color and has not undergone artificial treatment.
- Jade Type B: has been chemically bleached and its translucency has been improved due to injections of polymers. It can discolor over time, but it is still an authentic natural jade.
- Jade type C: its color has been dyed and chemically bleached. It degrades with the heat, strong light or in contact with household detergents
Source: Chinese – information.com.
“We can value gold, but jade is invaluable”
Chinese proverb
Jade prices vary according to quality, a beautiful green jadeite jade category A can easily be sold at more than $ 250 per carat, that’s to say 20 grams (because 1 carat = 20g). And a green jadeite jade category B, around $ 150 a carat.
The record of 12.23 billion dollars is the price at which a white jade seal that belonged to the Emperor Qianlong in the 18th century was awarded, in an auction organized by Sotheby’s in 2010.
The difference between jadeite jade and jade nephrite:
Jade is a family of minerals arranged in two different branches and different properties but sometimes they have the same aspect: jadeite and nephrite. It was the French mineralogist Alexis Damour who identified in the nineteenth century both types of jades: the nephrite that belongs to the group of amphiboles and jadeite jade that is a sodium aluminum silicate belonging to the group of pyroxenes. These two minerals are few aggregates (poly-crystalline and cryptocrystalline).
Its physical properties are very different, the nephrite has a hardness of 6 – 6.5 on the Mohs scale, while jadeite gets 6.5 – 7. Its density is different: it is 2.9 – 3.03 for nephrite and 3.3 – 3.38 for jadeite.
Jadeite is harder and heavier than nephrite.
These two minerals are very solid and are very difficult to break, but this is also what allows it to have a very finely carving.
The jadeite jade exists in all colors without exception, while nephrite is coated with a limited number of dyes.
Lilac jadeite (or lavender) is always sought as a very rare blue jadeite jade. In green, absolutely transparent emerald is the ideal tone.
Source: Stephen Rosenberg, Stephen Rosenberg director of Gemology (SRG) based in Zurich.
ALFA