Recently, after the exposure of the counterfeit industry chain in the jade market in Henan, on August 18th, Zhenping County, Henan Province, reported that four suspects involved in counterfeiting have been apprehended.
In a recent investigation by CCTV’s “Financial Investigation” program, journalists visited Shifosi Town, one of China’s largest processing and trading hubs for Hetian jade, where they found that the air in front of multiple stalls in the wholesale area of Hetian jade seed materials at the Yushuzhuang Market was pungent, and customers were wearing plastic gloves when selecting items. The stall owners admitted that these were fake seed materials dyed with chemical agents.
Insiders revealed that the production of Hetian jade seed materials is limited, so some unscrupulous businesses use low-quality Qinghai materials and Korean jade stones to imitate Hetian jade seed materials, passing them off as genuine.
A shop owner detailed the process of producing fake Hetian jade seed materials. Workers first put low-cost inferior jade materials into a special drum machine for polishing and shaping, then through soaking and dyeing with chemical agents, and the industry-known “monkey hair plucking” technique, they bleach the impure low-quality jade materials, transforming them into highly sought-after high-end Hetian jade seed materials in the market.
Furthermore, Afghan jade has a similar appearance to Hetian jade but is much cheaper, and it is also being sold as Hetian jade. Traders stated that Afghan jade, priced at just a dozen yuan (RMB), comes with an “appraisal certificate” and can be sold for several times the price.
The issuing organization of these Hetian jade “appraisal certificates” is the “National Stone Jewelry Inspection Center,” with information on color, quality, refractive index, density, etc., all included on the certificate, and scanning the QR code also displays the appraisal information. Those issuing the certificates stated that each certificate costs only 2 RMB and can be completed in less than half an hour.
However, industry insiders have stated that this appraisal organization is entirely fictitious, and its purpose is to deceive consumers.
At the International Jade City Market in Shifosi Town, every few steps, you can see a “walk-and-sell” live streamer, who not only sells their own products but also helps vendors selling Hetian jade.
For example, in a live broadcast room called “Dream Hetian,” the host accused the vendor of quoting prices far above a reasonable range, promising to bargain for benefits for fans, and the vendor also strongly rebutted, making the dispute seem intense. However, the journalist’s camera captured a scene unseen by fans: the vendor discreetly gestured two fingers to the host, indicating a bottom price of 200 RMB for the product.
In addition to the “Dream Hetian” live stream room, the “Haichuan Jewelry” live stream room was also called out. According to reports, the streamers in these rooms rely on fake bargaining acts every day, collaborating with vendors to form a unique “walk-and-sell” ecology in Shifosi Town.
In response to this, the joint investigation team of Zhenping County reported on August 18th that “individual merchants” were indeed deceiving and guiding consumers to purchase fake Hetian jade through illegal means. Currently, four live streamers suspected of counterfeiting and individuals producing fake certificates have been apprehended, and the relevant online live stream rooms have been closed. Subsequent actions will be taken to handle the situation in accordance with the results of the investigation, adhering to the law and regulations.