How Labs Test Jade: FTIR, Raman, and What Type A Certification Actually Proves

A Type B jadeite bangle is cold to the touch, dense in the hand, translucent under a flashlight, and it rings when you tap it. It passes every test you can run in your kitchen, because in every way your senses can measure, it is jade. What it isn't is natural, and that difference is worth five to over a hundred times in price. Everything in our jade collection ships with a report that settles this question, and this article is about the machines that produce it.

I'm Hong, founder of BMjade. I've spent nearly a decade between the Hpakant rough auctions and our Kunming workshop, and I've sent a lot of stones to laboratories — including stones I was confident about and turned out to be wrong about.

Home tests take you further with jade than most people expect. A flashlight reveals internal structure, a kitchen scale catches glass and plastic, and dye shows itself pooling in surface cracks. The full walkthrough of what each home test can and can't prove is a separate article.

But every home test hits the same ceiling, and the ceiling is treated jadeite. This guide covers what's on the other side of it: what FTIR actually detects and at which wavenumbers, what Raman settles that FTIR can't, why the UV flashlight test you've been told is reliable isn't, and what testing actually costs — a question nobody in English seems willing to answer.

The ceiling every home test hits

Untreated jadeite is Type A. Bleached and polymer-impregnated is Type B, dyed is Type C, and both together is B+C. That's the vocabulary; what each grade means and how each shows itself is covered fully elsewhere.

The problem specific to Type B is that the treatment sits inside the stone. Acid dissolves the material along the grain boundaries, polymer fills the voids the acid created, and the surface you're touching is still jadeite. Density stays close. Temperature behavior stays the same. Translucency improves. It rings.

Nothing available to your senses distinguishes it. That isn't a limitation of any particular test — it's a limitation of the category, and it's why laboratory instruments exist.

What FTIR actually detects

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy is the workhorse, and it works on a simple principle: organic compounds absorb infrared light at wavelengths inorganic minerals don't.

The diagnostic region is around 2850–2960 cm⁻¹, where carbon-hydrogen bonds stretch. Polymer resin is full of C-H bonds. Natural jadeite has essentially none, so untreated material shows no strong absorption there.

Feed a Type B stone into the beam and the C-H absorption appears clearly. The reading takes seconds, requires no sample preparation, and is typically performed on the polished surface using an ATR accessory. It is not a judgment call and it is not a matter of the examiner's experience — the peak is there or it isn't.

This method has been standard since the early 1990s, when Type B treatment first flooded the market and GIA researchers published the foundational identification work: Fritsch et al., "Identification of Bleached and Polymer-Impregnated Jadeite," Gems & Gemology, Fall 1992. Three decades later it remains the test behind every A货 (A huò, "A goods") result on an NGTC certificate.

The wax problem: what separates a real lab from a checkbox

Here's the nuance that decides whether a laboratory result means anything.

Traditional Type A finishing includes a thin beeswax polish, and that is accepted practice. It does not disqualify a stone from Type A status. Wax has been used on jade for centuries and every fine bangle you've handled has some on it.

But wax also contains C-H bonds, and it shows features in the same spectral neighborhood as polymer resin.

So the laboratory's actual job is not "is there a C-H signal." It's distinguishing a faint surface-wax signature from the strong, deep absorption of resin impregnation — a difference of magnitude, depth and profile rather than of presence.

That distinction is where experience lives, and it's why "my friend has a spectrometer" is not the same thing as a laboratory that runs thousands of jade samples a year. An instrument produces a spectrum. Reading it correctly on a waxed stone is a different skill, and it's the one you're paying for.

What Raman settles that FTIR can't

FTIR answers has this been treated. It does not answer what is this stone.

Raman spectroscopy does. It reads the vibrational fingerprint of the crystal structure itself, and the fingerprints are unambiguous:

• Jadeite shows a strong, sharp characteristic peak near 700 cm⁻¹ (symmetric Si-O-Si stretching), with a doublet around 1040 and 990 cm⁻¹ and a band near 375 cm⁻¹
• Nephrite shows a distinctly different profile
• Quartzite, serpentine, glass and aventurine each have their own, and none resembles jadeite

Two things make Raman particularly useful. It needs no sample preparation and works through a mounting, so a set stone can be tested without removing it. And it separates jadeite from omphacite (绿辉石), its close pyroxene relative, by the precise position of that ~700 cm⁻¹ peak.

That last capability matters more than it used to. Omphacite is a significant component of much Guatemalan material, and it's also the mineral behind black ink jade. How origin and mineral composition interact.

A useful way to hold the two apart: FTIR asks what was done to it. Raman asks what is it. A Type A conclusion needs both answered, which is why no single instrument produces a certificate.

Why the UV flashlight test doesn't settle it

You will find this advice on several jade sites, sometimes described as "one of the most reliable home tests": shine a UV flashlight on the piece, and if it glows, it's Type B.

It doesn't work, and treating it as reliable is how people end up confidently wrong about a piece they own.

Four reasons.

Not all resins fluoresce usefully. Formulations vary and many modern impregnating resins show weak fluorescence or effectively none under consumer UV.

Some natural jadeite fluoresces. Certain untreated material shows a response. A glow is not proof of treatment.

Traditional wax can respond. The same beeswax finish that's perfectly acceptable on Type A material can produce a reaction, which means the test can flag a genuine Type A stone.

Consumer UV sources are inadequate. Wavelength and intensity both matter, and a flashlight bought online delivers neither reliably.

What UV is actually for: laboratories do use UV fluorescence, as a screening step that flags a stone for closer instrumental work. It narrows the queue. It does not produce the conclusion, and no laboratory issues a treatment finding on fluorescence alone.

If a seller waves a UV flashlight at a piece to demonstrate it's natural, they've performed a screening test and presented it as a verdict.

The instruments, and what each one can't do

No single line in that table produces a certificate. A Type A conclusion is the intersection of several, which is the actual reason laboratory testing costs what it costs and takes the days it takes.

When is testing worth it, and what does it cost?

This is the question buyers actually ask, and English-language jade content almost never answers it. Here are real figures.

Approximate USD, converted at roughly 7.2 CNY to the dollar. Rates move and laboratories differ by branch, so treat these as the shape of the market rather than a quote.

Individual submission

NGTC's own submission channel lists jade and jade-stone identification at around $35 per item, with some variation by laboratory branch.

Trade and bulk submission

That gap between $2 and $35 for the same test is not a pricing anomaly. It's volume, and it's why a seller shipping hundreds of pieces can certify every one of them without it meaningfully affecting the price you pay.

What moves the price

Scope. Identification alone is cheap. Grading, origin determination and full treatment screening are not. Value and size of the piece. Higher-value work gets more careful handling and is charged accordingly. Turnaround. Normal is three to seven working days. Rush costs extra. Channel. Laboratory counter, then mail, then platform intermediary, in ascending cost. Location. Branches in different cities price slightly differently.

So: is it worth it?

Under about $100 for the piece: the test costs a meaningful fraction of the object. Buy from a seller who already certifies, rather than paying to certify afterwards.

$100 to $1,000: a $20–35 identification is between two and thirty percent of the purchase. At the lower end of that range it's clearly worth it; at $100 it's marginal. This is the band where buying pre-certified matters most.

Over $1,000: not testing is the unreasonable choice. An identification costs under one percent of the piece and settles the only question that can wipe out its value.

Over $10,000: the full workup at $40–110 is trivially cheap relative to the stone, and dual reports start making sense.

The practical shortcut: buying from a seller who certifies every piece as standard removes the decision entirely, and it costs them $2–7 rather than costing you $35.

What a report will and won't tell you

Briefly, because this belongs to another article.

It will say what the material is and whether treatment was detected. For jadeite that means the Type A / B / C conclusion.

It will not say whether the piece is beautiful, what it's worth, or where it came from. A Type A report on a coarse opaque bangle is entirely accurate and the piece may be worth very little.

And it is only as good as your verification of it. Forged certificates are cheap and widespread. How to read a certificate and verify it yourself covers the procedure, and the single most important part of it is typing the laboratory's address into your browser rather than scanning a code printed on a document you haven't checked.

Frequently asked questions

What does FTIR detect in jade?

FTIR detects organic compounds inside the stone by their infrared absorption, principally polymer resin from Type B treatment. The diagnostic region is around 2850–2960 cm⁻¹, where carbon-hydrogen bonds stretch. Natural jadeite has essentially no C-H bonds and shows no strong absorption there, so impregnated material is clearly distinguishable.

Can FTIR alone confirm Type A jade?

No. FTIR detects treatment but doesn't establish that the stone is jadeite in the first place. That requires Raman spectroscopy or refractive index measurement. Laboratories combine multiple methods before issuing a Type A conclusion, which is why no single instrument produces a certificate.

Does Type B jade glow under UV light?

Sometimes, and it isn't a reliable test. Many modern impregnating resins fluoresce weakly or not at all under consumer UV, some natural jadeite fluoresces, and traditional beeswax finishing on genuine Type A material can also respond. Laboratories use UV fluorescence as a screening step to flag stones for instrumental testing, never as a conclusion.

Why does wax make jade testing harder?

Because a thin beeswax polish is accepted practice on Type A jade and wax also contains C-H bonds, which show in the same spectral region as polymer resin. The laboratory's task is separating a faint surface-wax signature from the strong deep absorption of impregnation, which is a matter of magnitude and profile rather than presence — and it's where experience matters.

How much does jade testing cost?

Individual submission for jadeite identification runs roughly $20–35 per item, with a full workup including grading and origin at around $40–110 or more. Trade bulk submission through jewelry-market laboratory points can be as low as $2–7 per item. Costs vary by laboratory branch, scope and turnaround.

How long does jade certification take?

Typically three to seven working days for standard turnaround. Rush service is available at additional cost at most laboratories.

Is lab testing worth it for an inexpensive piece?

Usually not after the fact. Below about $100 the test costs a meaningful share of the object's value. The better answer at that level is buying from a seller who certifies every piece as standard, since bulk submission costs them a few dollars rather than costing you thirty.

What can Raman spectroscopy tell me that FTIR can't?

Raman identifies the mineral species. Jadeite shows a strong characteristic peak near 700 cm⁻¹ with a doublet around 1040 and 990 cm⁻¹, and nephrite, quartzite, serpentine and glass each have distinct profiles. Raman also separates jadeite from omphacite by the precise position of that peak, works through a mounting without removing the stone, and needs no sample preparation.

Conclusion

The gap between what your hands can measure and what determines a jade piece's value is exactly one thing: whether polymer sits inside the stone. Nothing in your kitchen closes that gap, no UV flashlight closes it, and the instrument that does costs about the same as a decent dinner.

If you have a report you're unsure how to read, send me a photograph at jadeworldchina@outlook.com and I'll walk you through which fields matter. — Hong

Sources

• Fritsch, Wu, Moses, McClure, Moon — "Identification of Bleached and Polymer-Impregnated Jadeite," GIA Gems & Gemology, Fall 1992
• GIA — Jade Overview
• GIA — Jadeite Quality Factors