In the jadeite trade, the letters A, B, and C do not rank color or quality. They describe treatment: what has—or has not—been done to the stone. Learning to read these grades is the surest way to collect with confidence.
Type A is natural, untreated jadeite. A traditional wax polish may be used on the surface; the structure and color remain the stone’s own. This is the jadeite a serious collection is built on, and the only jadeite Catharina Henrique Jewel Gallery offers: 100% natural, untreated Type A.
Type B has been acid-bleached to remove brown or grey staining, then impregnated with a polymer or resin to fill the weakened structure and improve apparent clarity. The color may look cleaner at first, but the treatment is structural. Over time, the polymer can yellow, or the surface can lose its integrity.
Type C is dyed. Color often gathers along grain boundaries and fissures rather than sitting evenly in the crystal. Some pieces are both bleached-and-impregnated and dyed; the trade calls these Type B+C.
A trained eye may notice dye pooling, a plastic-like luster, or unusually vivid, uneven color in treated material—but appearance alone is not conclusive. Infrared spectroscopy in a gemological laboratory is the reliable test for polymer impregnation. When a piece matters, ask for Type A confirmation from a trusted laboratory, and buy from a gallery that states its standard clearly.
At Catharina Henrique Jewel Gallery, every jadeite acquisition is natural, untreated Type A. For a 4K viewing or a question of origin and treatment, our Private Concierge is available on WhatsApp.