Fine Imperial Necklace??

[balu40]

Thank you for this opportunity to post in your forum! This supposes to be a gorgeous antique necklace and a very fine emerald color piece of Burma jadeite. It was acquired from a Chinese estate many years ago. However, I'm not sure if it's a real jadeite or a fake. Can someone help me to identify it?

 

[LoversKites]

Welcome to the forum

Maybe others might be able to guess from how the beads look in the picture but a lab report from a reputable lab is the only way to be certain.

In any case, it is a beautiful necklace!

 

[balu40]

Thank you for the reply!

 

[chrono]

Unfortunately, one cannot tell by pictures alone whether the piece has been dyed or not. What I can tell though is that the beads are opaque, not translucent. It is best to view the necklace in person to see if there are any "dye lines" in the piece and examine the drill holes for signs of treatment.

 

[balu40]

I'll try to post better images later or tomorrow. Here's a close-up image with different lighting.

 

[marymm]

Do you own this piece already or are you considering purchasing it?

There is really no way to tell if it is jade or fake from a visual inspection - it could be real jade, but Type C (dyed) or Type B (impregnated) jade as opposed to Type A (untreated) Jade - and it could be something else entirely.

If you own it already, send it to GIA for testing - rather than test every single bead, you can request they test several random beads (more cost-effective).

If you are considering purchasing it, talk with the vendor about making the sale contingent on GIA or Mason-Kay issuing a Type A report for the piece.

 

[balu40]

I own it. It’s an old piece but one would never know without proper examination. Thank you for your advice!

 

[innerkitten]

No idea. But it sure is a pretty color. Let us know if you send it in.

 

[balu40]

Yes, I will.

 

[balu40]

Someone said it's antique green quartz. It's too heavy to be from the chalcedony family. However, I'll contact Mason-Kay next week.