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<p>[QUOTE="KikoBlueEyes, post: 448077, member: 8363"]Here is an article about this test not being conclusive because quartz behaves in the same way. Also it is about testing rough not objects</p><p><font size="6">Gimmick Test For Jade Is Not Conclusive</font></p><p>By</p><p><a href="https://www.jadeitejade.com/author/arthur/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.jadeitejade.com/author/arthur/" rel="nofollow">Arthur</a></p><p>-</p><p>June 24, 2010</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.jadeitejade.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/burning-hair-on-jadeite-jade2.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.jadeitejade.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/burning-hair-on-jadeite-jade2.jpg" rel="nofollow"><b><img src="https://www.jadeitejade.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/burning-hair-on-jadeite-jade2.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></b></a></p><p><b>Burning Strands Of Hair Tied To A Jade Rough</b></p><p>As a jade dealer for more than 20 years, I have come across many sales gimmicks by retail jade sellers or flea market sellers demonstrating to a prospective buyer on how to do some quick test to ‘prove’ that what they sell are real genuine jadeite jade.</p><p>The commonest one is to tie a few strands of hair onto a jade piece and use a cricket lighter to burn it. And if the hair can still withstand the flame of the heat for some time without being singed, then the piece is a real jade.</p><p>The rationale is that jadeite jade is a cool mineral and is a good conductor of heat. Therefore a ‘real’ jade can withstand the high temperature of a flame.</p><p>To the uninitiated or a person without any knowledge on jade or even to a seasoned jade dealer, this test seems fool-proof. In my early days when I began to learn the ropes of the jade trade, I was taken in by this quick and dirty test too. But I know that this test is not conclusive as I explore further into the subject. This test is still commonly used by many jade shops in China for the tourist market. I have witnessed it several times but I rather keep my own counsel. Let these sales girls have their day at the jade store with the tourists of whom I am not even acquaintance with. Moreover, it is none of my business to disparage them.</p><p>The top picture shows a polished baroque jadeite jade with a few strands of hair tied over it. I applied a flame from a cricket lighter for about 1 minute. (The temperature can be quite high). The hair still did not get singed.</p><p><a href="https://www.jadeitejade.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/burning-hair-on-quartz.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.jadeitejade.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/burning-hair-on-quartz.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://www.jadeitejade.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/burning-hair-on-quartz.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></a>The lower picture shows a rough quartz with a polished window. The strands of hair also did not get singed after the flame is lighted over it for 1 minute.</p><p>So beware and don’t fall for this trick anymore.</p><p>Jadeite Jade and quartz are both crystals. A crystal is a solid material or mineral, whose constituent atoms, molecules or ions are arranged in a orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. Therefore, they are good conductor of heat. The test shows that the specimen is only a crystal but it is not conclusive that it is jadeite jade.</p><p>On the other hand, you might use a sort of a negation exercise to determine that a certain specimen is not jadeite jade mineral but may require additional tests to determine the real identity of the stone.</p><p>Say, you have a small jade cabochon. You rub it in between your thumb and fore-finger and if it heats up easily then the specimen is definitely NOT jade mineral. Jade cabochon is cool to the touch while plastic resins heat up easily by the friction generated with the thumb and finger.</p><p>A more effective way is to place the specimen onto your cheek, for your cheek is much more heat-sensitive than your fingers. If you can feel a bit of a heat, then the specimen is definitely not jade mineral.</p><p>Now this is not really a smart test, but it has saved me some money from buying some imitation stuff from unscrupulous dealers. There are a lot of green imitation stones in the market that resembles jade and most of these are plastics polymers.</p><p>There is still a long way to go in learning the ropes of the jade trade. But the best lesson that you ever learn was when you bought some duds and you thought you had a good deal as the seller swore that all his jade were the real thing. Sometimes you cannot fault the seller for he is only a trader. He just buy from one source and sell it at his retail store with a profit mark-up, never mind whether his retail store is a plush antique-furniture furnished or he just uses an army-issued old blanket on the road side to display his goods.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="KikoBlueEyes, post: 448077, member: 8363"]Here is an article about this test not being conclusive because quartz behaves in the same way. Also it is about testing rough not objects [SIZE=6]Gimmick Test For Jade Is Not Conclusive[/SIZE] By [URL='https://www.jadeitejade.com/author/arthur/']Arthur[/URL] - June 24, 2010 [URL='https://www.jadeitejade.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/burning-hair-on-jadeite-jade2.jpg'][B][IMG]https://www.jadeitejade.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/burning-hair-on-jadeite-jade2.jpg[/IMG][/B][/URL] [B]Burning Strands Of Hair Tied To A Jade Rough[/B] As a jade dealer for more than 20 years, I have come across many sales gimmicks by retail jade sellers or flea market sellers demonstrating to a prospective buyer on how to do some quick test to ‘prove’ that what they sell are real genuine jadeite jade. The commonest one is to tie a few strands of hair onto a jade piece and use a cricket lighter to burn it. And if the hair can still withstand the flame of the heat for some time without being singed, then the piece is a real jade. The rationale is that jadeite jade is a cool mineral and is a good conductor of heat. Therefore a ‘real’ jade can withstand the high temperature of a flame. To the uninitiated or a person without any knowledge on jade or even to a seasoned jade dealer, this test seems fool-proof. In my early days when I began to learn the ropes of the jade trade, I was taken in by this quick and dirty test too. But I know that this test is not conclusive as I explore further into the subject. This test is still commonly used by many jade shops in China for the tourist market. I have witnessed it several times but I rather keep my own counsel. Let these sales girls have their day at the jade store with the tourists of whom I am not even acquaintance with. Moreover, it is none of my business to disparage them. The top picture shows a polished baroque jadeite jade with a few strands of hair tied over it. I applied a flame from a cricket lighter for about 1 minute. (The temperature can be quite high). The hair still did not get singed. [URL='https://www.jadeitejade.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/burning-hair-on-quartz.jpg'][IMG]https://www.jadeitejade.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/burning-hair-on-quartz.jpg[/IMG][/URL]The lower picture shows a rough quartz with a polished window. The strands of hair also did not get singed after the flame is lighted over it for 1 minute. So beware and don’t fall for this trick anymore. Jadeite Jade and quartz are both crystals. A crystal is a solid material or mineral, whose constituent atoms, molecules or ions are arranged in a orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. Therefore, they are good conductor of heat. The test shows that the specimen is only a crystal but it is not conclusive that it is jadeite jade. On the other hand, you might use a sort of a negation exercise to determine that a certain specimen is not jadeite jade mineral but may require additional tests to determine the real identity of the stone. Say, you have a small jade cabochon. You rub it in between your thumb and fore-finger and if it heats up easily then the specimen is definitely NOT jade mineral. Jade cabochon is cool to the touch while plastic resins heat up easily by the friction generated with the thumb and finger. A more effective way is to place the specimen onto your cheek, for your cheek is much more heat-sensitive than your fingers. If you can feel a bit of a heat, then the specimen is definitely not jade mineral. Now this is not really a smart test, but it has saved me some money from buying some imitation stuff from unscrupulous dealers. There are a lot of green imitation stones in the market that resembles jade and most of these are plastics polymers. There is still a long way to go in learning the ropes of the jade trade. But the best lesson that you ever learn was when you bought some duds and you thought you had a good deal as the seller swore that all his jade were the real thing. Sometimes you cannot fault the seller for he is only a trader. He just buy from one source and sell it at his retail store with a profit mark-up, never mind whether his retail store is a plush antique-furniture furnished or he just uses an army-issued old blanket on the road side to display his goods.[/QUOTE]
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