If you've ever bought expensive jadeite jade, or fei cui, and then wondered if it was really worth big bucks, it's time you turned to authenticated and certificated gemstones.
A testing and standards system introduced a year ago is enabling more people to avoid the dodgy jadeite commonly found on sale in Hong Kong.
The system, launched by the Gemological Association, gives clear indications on jadeite's identification and verification.
Association chairman Louis Lo Yick-sun said the lack of an authoritative testing standard and corresponding accreditation system led to the decline in the jadeite business a decade ago.
'Different jewellery shops had different criteria. Some even misled consumers by labelling chemically treated and resin-impregnated fei cui products as 'genuine jade with genuine colour',' Mr Lo said.
'The malpractice severely damaged Hong Kong's reputation as a global fei cui trade centre.'