As we all know most "Antique" Chinese Jades on eBay are blatant fakes. However, within the past years, a few authentic Qing-Dynasty carvings have surfaced on eBay, mostly coming from private sources.

How to recognize an authentic Chinese Jade just from a normal eBay online picture? Well, I guess this is a rather difficult task. So what can you do? I suggest checking the sellers background first. The biggest chances to find an authentic piece is from an antiques dealer who has access to private sources, and who handles a large number of antiques of many different kinds. These sellers normally overestimate recent jades, but underestimate authentic ones. It is likely that they don't bother getting an estimate from Sotheby's or Christie's, and would rather list the jade directly on eBay. In this case their reserve is probably reasonable, and all you need to do is ask for additional pictures sent by e-mail.

You should also always tell the seller that you are planning to bid, and that under no circumstance he should pull the auction for a direct deal. In case he still does, he should contact you and invite you to make a private bid. This is against eBay rules, but not your fault.

Now once you got detail pictures, you should specifically look for the surface polish. Machine polish and hand polish look different on internet pictures, always! A smooth and oily surface, such as it is a must for an authentic Chinese Jade Carving, will produce a specific shine or glow even on an internet picture. To compare, just take a look at some of the pictures online at Christie's and Sotheby's sites.

Provenance is another good method to determine truly authentic Jades. We have all heard the stories about "true provenances" a hundred times. However, real provenance information from a honest seller always sounds a bit different that the stories we are used to hear. Try to read between the lines, it works! And of course, don't believe what sounds just to good to be true!

To be continued.