How to Read a Jade Certificate (and Spot a Fake One)

You have a jade certificate in front of you, covered in numbers and abbreviations, and you are not sure whether it means anything. That instinct is correct — plenty of jade "certificates" are worth nothing at all. Here is how to read a real one and how to recognize the ones designed to look official without saying anything.

The one line that actually matters

Everything else on a jade report is secondary to the treatment disclosure. A legitimate certificate states the treatment status explicitly:

  • Type A — natural jadeite, no treatment detected. Often written as "no polymer detected" or "natural color."
  • Type B — bleached and polymer-impregnated.
  • Type C — dyed.
  • Type B+C — both.

If a certificate does not use this language anywhere, or hedges with vague phrases, treat it as decorative. A report that identifies the stone as "jadeite jade" but never addresses treatment has told you almost nothing — Type B is still jadeite.

The physical properties, and what they rule out

A proper report lists measured gemological properties. You do not need to be a gemologist to sanity-check them:

  • Refractive index — around 1.66 for jadeite, around 1.62 for nephrite. Numbers well outside that range point to a simulant.
  • Specific gravity — jadeite runs roughly 3.24 to 3.43; nephrite roughly 2.90 to 3.03. Serpentine and quartzite sit well below both, which is how those imitations get caught.
  • Hardness — jadeite is 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, nephrite 6 to 6.5.

These figures are why lab testing beats any at-home test. They separate jadeite from nephrite and both from the look-alikes, without guesswork.

Does the certificate describe the piece in your hand?

This is the check most buyers skip. A real report lists weight, dimensions, shape, and color, and usually includes a photograph. Compare all of it to the actual piece.

A certificate whose measurements do not match is a serious red flag. Recycling one genuine report across many pieces is a common tactic — the document is real, it just describes a different stone.

Verify the lab, not the seller's link

  1. Find the report number. Legitimate reports carry a unique identifier.
  2. Go to the lab's official website directly. Type the address yourself. Do not use a QR code or link supplied by the seller — those can point anywhere.
  3. Look up the report number in the lab's own database and confirm the details match.
  4. Check the lab exists. Search the full name, logo, and contact details independently. Dealer-issued "certificates" from labs with no verifiable presence are marketing material.

Red flags worth memorizing

  • No explicit treatment statement
  • "Guaranteed Grade A" printed by the seller rather than an independent lab
  • Weight or dimensions that do not match the piece
  • A lab you cannot find any independent trace of
  • A verification link supplied by the seller instead of the lab's own site
  • No report number at all

So do you need one?

For a significant purchase, a verifiable report from a recognized lab is worth having — for your own confidence, for insurance, and for resale later. For smaller everyday pieces, the more important thing is a seller who states clearly and in writing that the jade is natural and untreated, and who stands behind that.

The certificate is a tool for checking a seller's honesty. It is not a substitute for one.

Buyer checklist

  • Treatment status stated in plain language
  • Refractive index and specific gravity within the jadeite range
  • Weight and dimensions matching your piece
  • Report number verified on the lab's own website
  • Lab identity confirmed independently
  • A seller who welcomes all of the above

Everything Brother Ryan Shop sells is authentic natural Type A Burmese jadeite — untreated, never bleached, never resin-filled, never dyed. We source directly from Burma, every piece is one of a kind, and we verify each one live on video before it ships. No stock photos, no substitutions. We are in Clovis, California, and we are happy to answer questions before you buy rather than after.

Browse our jade jewelry, jade bangles, and necklaces.

Back to blog