Frequently Asked Questions About Buying Chinese Jade Antiques

 We receive many good questions about purchasing Chinese jade antiques, especially over the internet. Here are some answers that we hope can shed light to your Chinese jade antique buying experience:
Q1. Is it legal to purchase or sell jade artifacts?
A1.Yes, jade artifacts may be sold or purchased legally when the artifacts are not on the government's wanted lists of stolen jade antiques.
Q2. Is anyone on eBay selling authentic artifacts?
A2. There should be (although not so many) authentic pieces of jade artifacts being sold on Internet stores if the price is reasonable and not extremely low like below one hundred US dollars( According to Dr. Daphne Lange Rosenzweig, we should collect valuable items which are genuine and with mastery workmanship). To be on the safe side, one would want to have basic knowledge of jade identification. We've provided some helpful information on jade identification</a>in our website for jade lovers and visitors who are seriously considering collecting and purchasing jade antiques and artifacts, for example, you may read description in our website. Please be noted that recently we have found some seller in eBay using the information in our Palace Antique International website page  to fake the certificate for their items. Please verify with us if you see one.
Q3. There are so many sites, and museums and private parties, and seems you can purchase the antiques off the Internet.   How is this possible?
 A3.  Private collections are permissible for selling even in in Chinese territory. There are many auction houses there to perform artifacts transaction for commercial selling purposes.
Q4. Why most of the experts of established auction houses deny my items?
A4.  The reasons are twofold. First, they don't want to spend time to study your object, to deny it is the easiest way to close the case( The content of their reply letter even preformed ). Second, they want to monopoly the market, they don't want to see many other items in the market to lower the value of their transaction.
Q5. Can I assume any of the jade artifacts on ebay are real? A5. No. you cannot. To be safe, you probably should assume a cautious position on jade artifacts being sold on the internet. Most of the time the sellers themselves do not have the knowledge to indentify whether an artifact is genuine.
Q6. Are all the Chinese artifacts will be returned to the country?
 A6. Not if the jade artifacts are not listed by the government as stolen items. As a matter of fact, most of the artifacts in the museums outside China are the bounties of war during the Qing dynasty.
Q7. Can  you purchase and own Chinese jade artifacts?
A7. Yes. if the artifacts are not on government's "wanted" list of stolen goods.
Q8. From whom can you legally buy jades from, Can jade artificats be purchased overseas into the United States?
 A8. Yes. If the jade artifacts are purchased legally.
 Q9. It is known that China & Taiwan are the origins of fake jades, can jade artifacts be purchased in the US or Europe be safer?
 A9. Not necessary. If the jade artifacts dealers or collectors are not professional enough, they may acquire some fake jades. On the contrary, if you know how to identify jade yourself or if you have qualified expert examined before you buy, you have equal chance to obtain genuine jade.In other words, place of purchase is not the factor to determine whether it is genuine or not.
When you say modern jade, what time frame are you talking? 1950's, 1900's?? 1990's?
 A10.There is no definite time frame. Usually when the item has age less than 100 years will be considered modern. In China, when open market system has been adopted, jade collection and fake jades prevail in the past 20 years. More over, when electrical powered tools start to be used, the carving styles will be quite different from those using manual tools. As a result, jades made in the these period will be considered MODERN.
Q11. How to distinguish Ming imitation jades from real Han or Warring States jades?
A11.The Ming imitation jades </a>will have the same form of those of the WS or Han, therefore the difference will not base on the motifs form but on the the lining carving style of the motifs.
Q12. Are jade artifacts are controlled by the Chinese government?
A12. Jade artifacts that are on the inventory of Chinese museums, or remain unearthed in the Chinese territory, or are in the process of unearthing are indeed controlled by the Chinese government.