{"id":1065,"date":"2026-09-07T12:50:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T12:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jadeallday.com\/guides\/natural-jadeite-vs-treated\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T12:59:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T12:59:35","slug":"natural-jadeite-vs-treated","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jadeallday.com\/vi\/guides\/natural-jadeite-vs-treated\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural Jadeite vs Treated Jadeite \u2014 What Type A Means and How to Tell"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the jadeite trade, <strong>Type A<\/strong> means natural jadeite whose color and structure have not been altered: the stone has been cut and polished, and nothing has been added beyond the light surface wax the trade treats as normal finishing. <strong>Type B<\/strong> has been bleached in acid to strip staining, then impregnated with polymer to fill the structure the acid opened. <strong>Type C<\/strong> has been dyed. <strong>B+C<\/strong> has been bleached, impregnated and dyed. Only Type A is sold as natural jadeite; B, C and B+C are treated material and should always be disclosed as such. This guide explains what each treatment does, what the eye and the laboratory can each tell you, and what an honest listing should and should not claim.<\/p>\n<h2>What Type A, B, C and B+C mean<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Type A \u2014 natural.<\/strong> Cut, shaped, polished, and conventionally finished with a light surface wax. The color and the texture are the stone&#8217;s own. Type A is a statement about treatment, not about quality: a plain, opaque, inexpensive stone can be Type A, and so can a fine one.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Type B \u2014 bleached and impregnated.<\/strong> The rough is soaked in strong acid to remove brown and yellow staining. The acid also attacks the boundaries between crystals, so the stone is then filled with a clear polymer to restore some strength and to bring back an appearance of translucency.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Type C \u2014 dyed.<\/strong> Color is introduced from outside, usually green or purple, so that the finished stone reads as something the rough was not.<\/li>\n<li><strong>B+C \u2014 bleached, impregnated and dyed.<\/strong> The two processes combined, and the most common form of heavily treated jadeite on the open market.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A fifth category is worth naming because it is not a treatment at all: assembled or composite pieces, where a thin slice of better material is backed by lesser material or by a cement layer. Those are constructions rather than treated stones, and they need their own disclosure.<\/p>\n<h2>What treatment actually does to a stone<\/h2>\n<p>Bleaching is not cosmetic. Acid works along grain boundaries and takes structure with it, and polymer impregnation is what makes the result wearable at all. That polymer is the weak point. Polymers age: over years they can yellow, craze, cloud, or lose their grip on the stone, and heat, ultraviolet light, ultrasonic cleaning and household solvents all accelerate the process. A treated piece that looks convincing today can look tired in a decade in a way natural material does not.<\/p>\n<p>Dye behaves the same way. It sits where it can, in fractures and along grain boundaries, and it can fade with light and time or bleed under a solvent.<\/p>\n<p>This is why disclosure matters beyond price. Treated material needs different care and has a different life span. It is also why our <a href=\"\/jade-care\/\">jade care notes<\/a> stay conservative: mild soap, a soft cloth, no ultrasonic cleaner, no steam. That advice is sensible for natural stones and essential for treated ones.<\/p>\n<h2>What the eye can and cannot tell<\/h2>\n<p>A trained eye, strong light and a ten-power loupe can raise suspicion. They cannot settle the question. The signs usually discussed are these.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Color that pools in fractures or runs along grain boundaries rather than sitting in the body of the stone, which points toward dye.<\/li>\n<li>An over-clean, slightly washed look: whiteness without depth, or a green that reads flat and uniform in a way natural color rarely does.<\/li>\n<li>A softer, resinous surface luster instead of the hard return a well-polished natural stone gives.<\/li>\n<li>Under magnification, a fine network of etched channels at the surface, where acid has opened the boundaries between crystals.<\/li>\n<li>Sound. Two natural pieces tapped together are often described as ringing brighter than impregnated material. It is a folk test that depends on shape, mounting and the listener, and on its own it proves nothing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>None of this is conclusive, and photographs make the judgment harder rather than easier. A well-made Type B can photograph convincingly, and an unusual but entirely natural stone can photograph suspiciously. Anyone offering a definite verdict from an image alone is claiming more than an image can carry.<\/p>\n<h2>What instruments and laboratories can tell<\/h2>\n<p>Testing at a gemological laboratory is the only reliable answer, and it helps to know what the tests actually do.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Infrared spectroscopy, or FTIR<\/strong>, is the standard method for detecting polymer inside a stone. It is the test that separates Type A from Type B.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Raman spectroscopy<\/strong> can identify polymer and some dyes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ultraviolet light<\/strong> often makes impregnated material react in a way natural jadeite does not. It is a screening step, not a verdict.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Magnification, refractive index and specific gravity<\/strong> confirm that a stone is jadeite rather than another green material, but on their own they say little about treatment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A laboratory report states what was tested, when, and what was found: typically the species, and whether evidence of impregnation or dye was detected. Two limits are worth remembering. A report describes the item in front of the gemologist on that day, so it should identify the stone with a photograph and measurements rather than describing a generic sample. And a report belongs to a stone rather than to a seller, so it cannot be carried across to a different piece.<\/p>\n<h2>Why we publish only what we have verified<\/h2>\n<p>Each listing identifies its material, piece number, photographs and any recorded measurements or natural features. View video where available. A report is included only when the listing explicitly says so. See the <a href=\"\/guides\/jadeite-translucency-and-color\/\">translucency and color guide<\/a> for trade descriptions, which are not quality grades.<\/p>\n<p>Use the measurements, weight and material information recorded on the individual listing. Trade descriptions are not laboratory grades, and photographs alone do not establish origin or treatment. If an essential measurement is missing, ask about the information available for that piece before ordering; do not assume it has been measured.<\/p>\n<p>We also do not list a certificate or a laboratory report unless one accompanies the piece. If a page does not show one, that is not a claim in either direction; it means we have not published one. <strong>If an independent laboratory report matters to your decision, <a href=\"\/contact\/\">contact us before ordering<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Questions worth asking any seller<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Is the piece described as natural, and is that description consistent everywhere on the page?<\/li>\n<li>Do the images show the actual piece from more than one angle, and is there video? A stock image is a warning in a market where no two stones are alike.<\/li>\n<li>Are natural features disclosed rather than retouched away? A seller who hides a growth line will hide other things.<\/li>\n<li>If a report exists, does it identify this stone by photograph and measurement, or is it a generic document?<\/li>\n<li>What happens if the piece is materially not as described when it arrives?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>A seller who answers all five plainly tells you more than any single label does.<\/p>\n<h2>How JADE ALL DAY applies this<\/h2>\n<p>Our catalog includes one-of-a-kind in-stock jewelry and made-to-order designs. Each product page identifies the material and availability. In-stock pieces are sold individually and are not restocked after sale; made-to-order items follow the production details on their own pages. Refer to each page\u2019s photographs, available video and recorded details.<\/p>\n<p>Each listing identifies its material, piece number, photographs and any recorded measurements or natural features. View video where available. A report is included only when the listing explicitly says so. See the <a href=\"\/guides\/jadeite-translucency-and-color\/\">translucency and color guide<\/a> for trade descriptions, which are not quality grades.<\/p>\n<p>Ask before you order. We ship worldwide; production and transit times are set out in our <a href=\"\/shipping\/\">shipping policy<\/a>. In-stock orders are <a href=\"\/final-sale\/\">Final Sale<\/a>, with an exception path within seven calendar days of delivery for a mis-ship, transit damage, or a piece that is materially not as described. A question answered before ordering is therefore worth more than one answered after.<\/p>\n<p>Browse <a href=\"\/product-category\/rings\/\">rings<\/a>, <a href=\"\/product-category\/bracelets\/\">bracelets and bangles<\/a>, <a href=\"\/product-category\/necklaces\/\">necklaces<\/a> and <a href=\"\/product-category\/earrings\/\">earrings<\/a>, or see <a href=\"\/shop\/\">every available piece<\/a>. Everyday handling and cleaning are covered in the <a href=\"\/jade-care\/\">jade care notes<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Type A, B, C and B+C explained: what each treatment does to a stone, what the eye and the laboratory can each tell you, and what an honest listing should and should not claim.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"parent":1063,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_glsr_average":0,"_glsr_ranking":0,"_glsr_reviews":0,"footnotes":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","rank_math_title":"Natural vs Treated Jadeite: What Type A Means | JADE ALL DAY","rank_math_description":"What Type A, B and C jadeite mean, how bleaching, polymer filling and dyeing change a stone, and what the eye, a loupe and a laboratory can each confirm.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"","_dpc-meta-title":"","_dpc-meta-description":"","_dpc-keyword":""},"class_list":["post-1065","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jadeallday.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jadeallday.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jadeallday.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jadeallday.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jadeallday.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1065\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jadeallday.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jadeallday.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}