How to Verify Your NGTC Jade Certificate

If you're buying jade from Asia and the seller mentions an NGTC certificate, there's a reasonable chance your first thought is: I've never heard of them. That's the honest reaction of most American and European buyers. GIA is the name you know. NGTC is the name the jade trade runs on.

I'm Hong, founder of BMJADE. I've spent nearly a decade between the Hpakant rough market in Myanmar and our workshop in Kunming, and in that time I've watched the certificate become the single most important document in a jade transaction — and also the single most commonly forged one.

Every piece we ship carries an original NGTC report, so you're entitled to know exactly what it is and how to check it yourself. This page covers what NGTC is, why jadeite specifically runs on it, how to read a report line by line, and how to verify one in about ninety seconds. Three real certificates are published further down, with their numbers, so you can run the whole process before your own order arrives.

NGTC vs GIA: the short answer

NGTC is enough for most Type A jadeite. GIA helps with Western insurance, estate documentation and international resale. For everyday jade jewellery, a verifiable NGTC report answers the question that matters. Dual reports start making sense at collector level.

The practical translation: NGTC answers is this real and untreated. GIA answers can I show this to an insurer in Ohio. Most buyers need the first question answered, and only some need the second.

What NGTC actually is

NGTC stands for the National Gemstone Testing Center, in Chinese 国家珠宝玉石质量检验检测中心. It is China's state-level gem and jade testing institution, operating under national quality supervision, with laboratories across the country's major gem trading centres. Every certificate on this page was issued by the Kunming laboratory in Yunnan — the province we ship from.

Three things about it matter to a Western buyer.

It is state-operated, not a private business, and not affiliated with sellers. NGTC does not sell jade. It has no commercial interest in any report's outcome, which is the entire point of third-party certification and the thing that separates a real report from the increasingly common "in-house certificate."

Its reports carry international accreditation. NGTC laboratories operate under Chinese national accreditation, which is itself a signatory to the international mutual-recognition arrangement connecting accreditation bodies across more than a hundred countries. An NGTC report is not a domestic-only document; it rests on the same accreditation architecture Western laboratories do. You'll see the marks printed in the top right corner of the certificate: CMA, CNAS, and ilac-MRA.

For jadeite, it has the deepest sample base in the world. This argument matters most and is rarely made. Volume of exposure determines a laboratory's practical competence, and the overwhelming majority of the world's jadeite passes through the Chinese market. NGTC sees more jadeite in a month than most Western laboratories see in a decade. For a material where the hard cases are subtle — telling a faint surface wax from a deep polymer impregnation, for instance — that exposure is not a small advantage.

Why jadeite runs on NGTC specifically

Diamonds have the 4Cs, and GIA wrote them. Jadeite has Type A/B/C, and that vocabulary comes out of the Asian trade.

The classification exists because jadeite has a treatment problem diamonds don't. Bleaching and polymer impregnation can transform mediocre material into something that looks fine and holds no value, and the difference is invisible without instruments.

• Type A — natural colour and structure, surface wax only. The only grade sold as untreated.
• Type B — acid-bleached, then impregnated with polymer resin.
• Type C — dyed.
• Type B+C — both.

What settles it is infrared spectroscopy, which detects the polymer's absorption signature inside the stone, with Raman spectroscopy confirming the species. Neither is a judgement call — which is why a laboratory report ends the argument and a seller's assurance doesn't.

Here's the evidence this isn't a Chinese-market quirk. When Sotheby's sold the Hutton-Mdivani jadeite necklace in Hong Kong in April 2014 — the world auction record for jadeite jewellery — the lot carried two laboratory certificates. One from the Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory confirming the beads as natural, known in the trade as "A jade." One from SSEF in Switzerland confirming natural with no indications of impregnation.

Not GIA. At the very top of the jade market, the reports that matter come from laboratories specialising in this material. That's the system NGTC belongs to.

Two certificate layouts

Certificates arrive in one of two formats. Both are genuine.

The full-size layout puts the certificate number and photograph at the top, results listed below, and the QR code, issue date, security code and barcode along the bottom edge.

The compact layout is a smaller card. The number sits top right, the photograph moves to the right-hand side, the results run down the left, and the QR code, date, security code and barcode sit in the lower right corner.

The fields are identical in both — only the arrangement differs. Don't be concerned if yours doesn't match the first example below; the second example on this page uses the compact layout.

What your certificate says, line by line

The certificate is bilingual, but only the field labels are printed in English. The values are in Chinese. Here is the full translation, using our first sample certificate as the example.

That last-but-one row matters more than it looks. A certificate can be entirely genuine and still be attached to a different object than the one you're holding — moving a real report onto a similar-looking piece is a known fraud. Look at the photograph.

The lines worth pausing on

翡翠（A货） — Jadeite, Type A. The conclusion that matters most. Natural, untreated jadeite: no bleaching, no polymer impregnation, no dye. Type B and Type C both photograph convincingly and both degrade with time — the resin yellows, the dye fades. The certificate is what separates them. We describe every jadeite piece on this site as Natural Jadeite Jade, Type A, and this line is where that claim comes from.

纤维交织结构 — fibrous interlocking texture. The structural signature recorded under magnification, and one of the things dyed quartz and glass imitations cannot reproduce. When you look at our macro photography with light behind the stone, this is the texture you're seeing. The certificate and the photograph describe the same thing from two directions.

总质量 — Total Mass is the whole submitted piece. On the earrings above, 3.154g covers both earrings including the silver ear wires. Where a piece has no metal at all — like the second example below — the total mass is the jade.

贵金属检测 — the metal is tested too. Where this reads 银S925, the piece is sterling silver, and the product page will say sterling silver. If you ever find a certificate and a product page disagreeing on the metal, that's an error on our side and we want to hear about it.

备注 — Remarks. 另配翡翠 means additional jadeite was fitted beyond the main carving. On the earrings, the small round beads above each rose are jadeite too. A dash means there's nothing further to note.

Why the certificate says "pale green" when the page says "blue"

Worth knowing before you look, because it surprises people.

NGTC records colour in plain, standardised terms — 浅绿 (pale green), 绿 (green), 白 (white), 紫 (purple). It does not use the descriptive names the trade uses for particular looks. So the cool blue-green material the trade calls blue water jade, and that we describe that way on our product pages, is recorded on the certificate simply as 浅绿, pale green.

The certificate classifies the stone; it doesn't market it. A gap between a trade description and a certificate colour term is normal. A gap in species — jadeite versus nephrite — or in treatment — Type A versus Type B — is not, and is exactly what our guarantee covers.

What the certificate doesn't cover

Just as useful as what it does.

It does not certify geographic origin. The certificate identifies the material as jadeite. It does not state that the jadeite came from Burma. Origin determination requires specialised analysis, isn't part of a routine report, and for most jewellery-grade pieces is never done. A listing offering "certified Burmese jade" is almost certainly certified as jadeite and almost certainly not certified as Burmese — including ours. Our jadeite comes from Hpakant, and that's our sourcing account, not a certified claim.

It does not grade beauty. A report confirming natural jadeite, Type A on a coarse, opaque, badly cut piece is entirely accurate, and the piece may still be worth very little. Type A is a treatment classification, not a quality ranking. Judge the material with the certificate; judge the piece with your eyes and the price.

It does not give dimensions or ring size. Measurements come from us, on the product page. The certificate records mass only.

It does not give a valuation. What the material is, not what it's worth.

Two ways to verify

Option 1 — Scan the QR code

The QR code is printed on the certificate: bottom left on the full-size layout, lower right on the compact one.

1. Open the camera on your phone and point it at the code.
2. Tap the link that appears.
3. The record for that certificate opens.

No typing, and no chance of mis-keying a digit.

The record page is in Chinese. Use the translation table above, or turn on your browser's translate function.

Buying jade somewhere else? Type the address yourself. Scanning is the fast way to check a certificate that came to you sealed in the box from a seller you've already decided to trust. It is not the way to check a certificate a stranger has sent you a photograph of. A forged certificate can carry a forged QR code pointing at a page the forger controls — which will confirm the fake beautifully. When you're assessing an unfamiliar seller, type ngtc.com.cn into your browser yourself and use the method below. That habit is worth more than any single certificate.

Option 2 — Enter the number by hand

1. Go to ngtc.com.cn and find the box headed 检测证书/报告查询 (Testing Certificate / Report Search).
2. In the first field, 证书编号 (Certificate No.), enter the number from your certificate — including the letter prefix and the hyphen. For example: Y-PLDY224598
3. In the second field, 防伪码 (Security Code), enter the eight-digit number printed above the right-hand end of the barcode. For example: 77839765
4. Click 查询 (Search).

One thing to watch. Two eight-digit numbers sit side by side above the barcode. The one on the left is the issue date in year-month-day form — 20260725 is 25 July 2026. The security code is the one on the right. Entering the date into the security code field is the most common reason a lookup returns nothing.

Then compare

Material, treatment status, mass, and the photograph, against the piece in your hand and against the product page. If anything mismatches, stop and contact us — don't proceed on an explanation. A mismatch between the online record and the physical certificate isn't a clerical issue.

Three certificates you can check right now

Every number below is real. Scan them, or type them in, and compare the record against the product page.

1. Jadeite Rose Drop Earrings, S925 Silver

• Certificate No. Y-PLDY224598
• Security Code 77839765
• Issued 25 July 2026
• Product page: https://bmjade.com/products/s925-blue-jadeite-rose-stud-earrings

The record confirms a pair of S925 sterling silver jadeite earrings, total mass 3.154g for the pair, carved, pale green, fibrous interlocking texture under magnification, jadeite Type A. The Remarks line reads 另配翡翠 — additional jadeite fitted — covering the small round beads above each carved rose. That 3.154g includes both silver ear wires, so the jade weighs less than the figure suggests.

2. Peach Blossom Carved Jadeite Band Ring

• Certificate No. Y-PLDY224313
• Security Code 33486750
• Issued 11 July 2026
• Product page: https://bmjade.com/products/peach-blossom-carved-jadeite-jade-band-ring

Check this one specifically. The Conclusion reads 翡翠戒指 — jadeite ring — with no metal named, and the Precious Metal line is a dash. There's no silver, no setting and no adhesive anywhere in the piece: the entire band, including the flowers carved around its full circumference, is cut from a single piece of jadeite. Which means the total mass of 1.201g is the jade itself, not a mixed figure.

This certificate uses the compact layout, so the number sits top right and the photograph beside it rather than above. Same fields, same laboratory, same standards.

3. Jadeite Pixiu Ring, S925 Silver

• Certificate No. Y-PLDY224597
• Security Code 77823764
• Issued 25 July 2026
• Product page: https://bmjade.com/products/blue-jade-pixiu-adjustable-ring

The record confirms an S925 sterling silver jadeite ring, total mass 2.753g, carved, pale green, fibrous interlocking texture, jadeite Type A. Here the Remarks line is a dash rather than 另配翡翠 — no additional jadeite components. The carved pixiu is the only jade in the piece; the coin motifs at the shoulders are part of the silver mount.

Read the first and third certificates side by side and you can see how much a single dash tells you.

Why these numbers are public. These three certificates belong to pieces that have already sold or that we keep in-house as reference samples. We publish them so you can test the process on a real record before your own order arrives. The certificate for the piece you buy is unique to that piece, and it ships in the box with it.

If your certificate doesn't verify

Work through these before assuming anything is wrong.

Check the prefix and the hyphen. The number includes its letter prefix — Y-PLDY224598, not PLDY224598. A truncated number returns nothing.

Check you haven't entered the date. The left-hand eight digits above the barcode are the issue date. The security code is on the right.

Check the issue date. NGTC's online lookup covers reports issued from a certain date onward, and an older certificate may not return a result even though it's entirely valid. If yours predates the coverage window, send us the number and we'll confirm it with the laboratory directly.

Try the other method. If the form is giving you trouble, scan the code. If the site loads slowly, that's usually distance — try again on a stable connection.

If it verifies but contradicts the product page on species, treatment or metal, that's covered without argument. Send us your order number and we'll refund the purchase price, your laboratory fee, and return shipping. That guarantee is the reason this page exists. We'd rather you checked.

The question that matters more than which laboratory

Before NGTC versus GIA, before report numbers, one question outranks all of it: who issued this, and do they work for the seller?

A certificate from a laboratory a seller owns, operates, or has a commercial relationship with is not third-party verification, no matter how professional the document looks. This category has grown fast in online jade sales, and the documents are often more elaborate than genuine ones — gold foil, holograms, impressive seals.

The test is simple:

• Can you find the laboratory independently, without a link from the seller?
• Does it have a public verification database you reach by typing its address yourself?
• Does it test material it has no financial interest in?

NGTC, GIA, the Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory, SSEF, Gübelin and GIT all pass that test. An "in-house gemological department" does not, and neither does a laboratory whose only web presence is a page the seller sent you.

Forged certificates are their own industry. Fake reports carrying convincing CMA and CNAS marks cost a few dollars to produce. That's exactly why the verification step exists, and why an unchecked certificate is worth approximately nothing.

Nephrite certificates look different, and that's correct

This trips up buyers constantly, because it looks like a downgrade when it isn't.

Type A, B and C are jadeite-only terms. Nephrite is never graded A, B or C. A genuine nephrite report reads natural nephrite — 天然和田玉 or 天然软玉 depending on the material — with treatment status noted separately if any is detected.

That is the correct equivalent standard for nephrite, not a lesser one. Anyone selling you "Type A Hetian jade" is either confused about the vocabulary or counting on you being confused.

Our own pieces are either Type A jadeite or natural nephrite, and the product page states which.

When you actually need GIA as well

For most buyers, never. For some, genuinely yes.

Insurance and appraisal in the US or Europe. Many Western insurers and appraisers work from GIA documentation as routine. If you're scheduling a piece on a policy, a GIA report removes friction that an unfamiliar laboratory name creates, regardless of the underlying gemology.

Estate and probate documentation. Same reasoning. Executors and Western valuers default to names they know.

International resale outside Asia. If you expect to sell through a Western auction house or dealer, GIA documentation widens your buyer pool.

Collector-level pieces. Above the level where a piece is a financial holding rather than jewellery, dual documentation is normal and cheap relative to the value.

For everything below that — the great majority of jade jewellery — a verifiable NGTC report answers the question that determines value: whether the material is natural and untreated. Adding a GIA report to a $300 pendant costs more than it returns, and we'll tell you so.

Our own practice, stated plainly

We sell jade, so here is exactly what we do and where the limits are.

Every BMJADE piece ships with an original NGTC certificate. Not "when provided." Not for selected items. Not above a price threshold. Every piece, at every price point, with a report number and anti-counterfeit code you can verify at ngtc.com.cn without contacting us.

We do not operate a laboratory and never will. By the standard set out above, a seller-affiliated report would be worthless — including one of ours.

We don't certify origin, because no routine report can. Origin is the story; treatment status is the fact.

Our guarantee, in full: if an accredited gemological laboratory ever determines that a BMJADE piece is not the natural, untreated material stated on its product page and certificate, we refund the purchase price paid for that item and reimburse documented laboratory testing fees and pre-approved tracked return shipping. If testing confirms the material as stated, testing costs remain with the requester. The guarantee applies to the original purchaser, requires proof of purchase and a piece matching its certificate number, and does not cover pieces altered, recut or reset after delivery.

That wording is deliberately specific. A guarantee with no conditions attached is usually a guarantee nobody intends to honour.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGTC certification? NGTC is the National Gemstone Testing Center, China's state-level gem and jade testing institution. An NGTC jade report identifies the material and states its treatment status — for jadeite, whether it is Type A, B or C. Each report carries a unique number and anti-counterfeit code you verify at ngtc.com.cn.

Is NGTC as good as GIA? For jade specifically, NGTC is the trade standard and sees more jadeite than any Western laboratory. GIA is more useful for Western insurance, estate documentation and resale outside Asia. Neither is better in the abstract; they answer different questions. The strongest evidence that jade certification runs on its own rails is that the world auction record for jadeite carried reports from the Hong Kong Jade & Stone Laboratory and SSEF rather than GIA.

Is an NGTC report recognised outside China? Yes. NGTC laboratories are accredited under CNAS and covered by the ilac-MRA international mutual recognition arrangement. Both marks are printed on the certificate itself.

What does Type A actually mean? Natural, untreated jadeite — no bleaching, no resin impregnation, no dye. Type B has been acid-treated and resin-filled; Type C has been dyed. Only Type A is stable over a lifetime.

Does the certificate cover the metal as well as the stone? Yes, where there is metal. The Precious Metal line reports what was tested — S925 sterling silver on two of the three examples above. On the all-jade ring, that line is a dash.

Is the weight on the certificate the jade or the whole piece? The whole submitted piece, including metal findings, hooks and settings. On a piece with no metal, the figure is the jade alone.

Why does the certificate say pale green when the product page says blue? Certificates use plain standardised colour terms and don't carry trade descriptions like blue water jade. See the section above.

Does a certificate prove my jade is from Myanmar? No. Routine gem reports don't include geographic origin. "Certified Burmese jade" almost always means certified as jadeite, not certified as Burmese.

Does an NGTC certificate tell me what my jade is worth? No. It confirms material and treatment status. It doesn't grade beauty, texture, translucency or colour quality. Use the certificate to establish what it is, then judge quality separately.

Are fake jade certificates common? Yes. Forged reports with convincing accreditation marks cost a few dollars to produce and are widespread in online jade sales. An unverified certificate provides no protection at all, regardless of how it looks.

Why doesn't my nephrite certificate say Type A? Because Type A is a jadeite-only grade. Nephrite is certified as natural nephrite, which is the correct equivalent standard for that material rather than a lesser one.

Do I need two certificates? Usually no. A single verifiable report from a recognised independent laboratory covers most purchases. Dual NGTC plus GIA documentation starts making sense for collector-level pieces intended for insurance scheduling, estate documentation, or resale through a Western auction house.

The record is in Chinese. What do I do? Use the field translation above, or turn on your browser's translate function. The labels are fixed and short — once you can read one certificate, you can read them all.

Does every BMJADE piece come with a certificate? Yes, along with a gift box, and it's specific to the piece you receive.

The name on the certificate matters less than three other things: that the laboratory is independent of the seller, that you verified the report yourself, and that the record you got back matches the object in your hand. NGTC satisfies the first and makes the second easy. The third is on you, and it takes ninety seconds.

If you have a certificate you're unsure about — from us or from anyone else — send me a photograph at jadeworldchina@outlook.com and I'll tell you what to check.

— Hong, founder, BMJADE