A dealer's word and guarantee are important when we purchase an antique, but it is equally important to take the object in your hands and study it carefully, in order to form an opinion of our own based on objective elements.

The forgery situation is out of control:

Every year, a flashy array of fake Chinese antiquities enters the global marketplace, from souvenir-shop reproductions to brilliantly executed masterpieces that curators call "scary." Most of those fakes come through Hong Kong, China's capitalistic gateway to the world. Trying to quantify the trade in fakes is impossible. No one keeps records of the illegal trade. Authorities rarely enforce the laws against fraud. And most people agree corrupt officials look the other way, or even participate in the trade.

The business in fake ceramic, jade and bronze objects is worth untold millions of dollars each year. In Hong Kong itself, the best estimates say that three-fourths of the "antique" ceramics for sale are fake. The reason is simple: Collectors are eager to buy the real thing. After a string of stunning archaeological finds in recent decades and the opening of China to private enterprise, museums and collectors in the West, Japan and China are clamoring to buy Chinese art. Auction prices are soaring: Last year, a bronze wine vessel from the Shang Dynasty (1766- 1122 B.C.) brought a record $9.2 million at a New York auction.

For art dealers, then, "it requires absolutely constant vigilance. Forgeries aren't exclusive to the trade of Chinese artefacts. Anyone who collects art knows that fakes abound, even in contemporary art. But Chinese art comes with particular issues.

With a 7,000-year-old culture, the Chinese have a reverence for antiquity and a long tradition of making and selling reproductions. If you are learning from a master, you're copying the master. The idea isn't to produce an exact duplicate. You end up with a product completely different. The hand of the artist is there." Yet even in ancient times, some Chinese reproductions were meant to deceive. "It's been going on at least 1,000 years. "There are notes about it: 'How to make a jade look old, bury it in the belly of a rabbit for umpteen years,' et cetera."

A few rare objects are so amazing they not only baffle the experts but retain their value despite disagreements about their origin

Whatever type of antique you want to buy I recommend everybody to do their own research and buy exclusively through art and antique dealers able to offer the best guarantee and most important a money back guarantee if item turn out to be not as represented.

At Dream Art Gallery we aim to educate all our clients and virtually anyone who will contact us. We strongly believe any art and antique's collector should educate him/herself before deciding of buying any art's work. So please don't hesitate to contact us for anything you need.

Amazing Rare And Authentic Chinese Ceramic