Gemologist flashlight

[cnxgary]

Is there a shop or business here in Chiang Mai that sells ultra violet flashlights for examining or testing Jade?

[lopburi3]

Would any of these work?

https://shopee.co.th/search?keyword=uv flashlight

https://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=uv+flashlight&_keyori=ss&from=input&spm=a2o4m.home.search.go.1125719cNJpPSU

Edited April 2, 2019 by lopburi3

[Barley]

I think you will need longwave uv light.

The commercial uv lamps are usually not suitable for gemological work, they have more this kind of black light effect and not the necessary strength.

My gemological uv light from GIA can be switched from long wave to short wave and should be used with protective spectacles and by not exposing your skin.

I think it is a totally different light than the consumer uv lights coming out of China.

[Teak]

If you are buying smallish stones for rings....use methyline iodide. It has the same specific gravity as jadeite so it will sit suspended in the chemical...not sink or float. It also has a similar refractive index.

Being 'real' does not indicate value. It is all in the colour. Japanese prefer a darker green, Chinese a lighter green. Use a peacock feather, the feather's eye is a guide. That 'imperial green' is to search for. However, jade has all to do with 'magic' and power. It is also tainted by a Westerner's involvement. Avoid the 'lottery rocks' Jade is ofen found as an alluvial rock with oxidation on the outer skin, so a 'window' is traditionally cut on one surface and you bid on the rock....like a lottery. No one knows what is truly inside. Good luck.

Rubies are actually easier, as you look inside for the 'silk'. No silk and it is probably a spinal. Hard to reproduce that internal 'silk'.

[Barley]

The SG test is certainly an option, specifically if you want to test jade at home that you already own for genuineness.

However the specific gravity test will not show you if the jade has been dyed or not, a proper UV test might give an indication of this.

Anyway, unless you have a background in Gemology I would recommend not to try any tests that you are not familiar with, since there are too many variables and any experienced dealer will know in a few seconds if you are an expert or not, and most wholesale dealers will immediately take advantage of it.

A jade expert determines the quality of the stone not just by color, but also by touch. Most experts in gemstones have through their extensive experience heightened sensory perceptions.

In the industry we call it "the eye", meaning not only can the person who has this skill of "the eye" differentiate more subtle shades of color in a gemstone than the average person, but he can also do it in different lights (f. e. daylight has subtle differences in Asia as compared to Europe and America) and without a reference color next to it.

That's why@Teak gave you the very wise advice to bring a reference color with you, because color comparison with a known reference is infinitesimal easier than remembering a reference color in your brain.

Jade expertise is however an even more specialized skill than most gemstones, since you also need this heightened sense of touch. Genuine jade feels slightly slippery, some call it even greasy, but maybe smooth would be a better word.

Many decades ago there was a famous jade dealer who became blind, but he was still able to continue his profession, because he was able to determine the quality of the jade purely by his heightened sense of touch.

The skill of a dealer is to know the authenticity of the merchandise AND the price of the material.

That is of utmost importance, since the dealer or broker will completely unpredictable ask maybe double the market price, maybe 10x the market price or maybe 50x the market price - there just is no guideline. That is why this business is a skill and knowledge based business, in which even experienced members of the industry easily get taken.

So my advice is to find a really reputable retail dealer with fixed marked prices. You may think you will pay more but you will find that it actually will be less, because a reputable, established retail dealer will not cheat you or take advantage of your ignorance, but treat you fairly and educate you at the same time.

When I was more exposed to the public eye, I received many calls from amateurs who returned from Asia or South America and wanted to sell me the stones which they bought at fantastic prices directly from a miner blah blah blah.

Rarely did they purchase fake gemstones (therefore the seller cannot be pursued for fraud) but ALWAYS did they pay a high multiple of what the merchandise was actually worth. Sometimes I made these people mad because I didn't want to see their stuff but told them already on the phone that they got taken.

So please be very careful in what you are doing, the chances that you will get taken if you are an amateur are upwards of 95%. Even when you have retail jewelry experience the chances are very high.

[Teak]

????  35 odd years ago I bought some 'sapphires' in Tachilek and paid 300 baht each. I took them down to a shop on Thapae ...Shiraz, if I remember correctly. He looked at them and asked me "how much I paid ? " After I told him, he said I did good.....they were worth about 500 baht. Of course I thought they were worth thousands more ;-(. He explained that they were actually grown in a lab in France, faceted and then shipped to Asia to be sold....to gullible people like me. ????  I was in the jadeite business once, when it was illegal in Burma so I bought from various 'Khon Doi' smugglers and I worked for the Chinese buyers

in CM. There was a room in the back of the Chinese shop where the known fakes were kept. It held a lot of rough stone and I was shown how to avoid the harder to spot fakes. Fakes who had fooled these very experienced Chinese buyers.  Did I make any money....nope ;-(