Fake Jade: Three "Buyer Beware" Guides

These days it almost goes without saying that much of what is labeled jade of one sort or another is enhanced or fake. Quite often, poorer quality nephrite or jadeite is treated in order to make it more appealing. Another significant problem is that many materials labeled jade -- quite often with modifiers such as "Yellow Dragon" or "Mexican," just to mention two -- are not true nephrite or jadeite.

I have visited a great many sites offering clues to the identity of fake jades. Here are three sites that should provide a very good overview for the wary buyer.

The number and variety of these fakes may be daunting but, on the other hand, these guides may save you some future disappointment. For example, when I was about to purchase a piece labeled "yellow dragon jade," a bit of research revealed that this probably refers to steatite, not true jade.

Molly Kalafut did us a great favor some years ago by surveying the various materials often identified as jade on the eBay auction site. "African jade," "Alaska jade," "Australian jade," "Dushan jade," "Happy Camp jade," "Honan jade," "Mexican jade," "New jade," "Transvaal jade" and "Vesuvianite jade" may be familiar, and there are many others listed on this site: "Identifying Fake Jades"

R.V. Dietrich's site is rich in information, taking us first through various names given to jade from different locations, and then into "simulants." This is a more extensive list than that noted above and includes warnings about "greenstone" and "yu," two terms covering a variety of material often mistaken for jade. There is also mention of glass and plastic in the list to be found at this site: "The Jades"

Eric J. Hoffman offers a thoughtful essay proposing q estions that should be asked by the buyer of antique jades. Firstly he gets into the question of "What is jade?" and observes: "Without becoming a mineralogist, how can the collector tell jade from pseudojade? First, of course, is to see and handle as much true jade as possible. Jade, especially, is a tactile material."
Other considerations are covered such as "Stylistic Analysis" and "Provenance." The site, addressing "a growing number of collectors chasing a limited supply of older jades," thoughtful essay proposing q may be found here: "Old Chinese Jades: Real or Fake?"