QING DYNASTY 18TH WHITE NEPHRITE JADE BUCKLE AUTHENTIC Start Price USD 3,500.00 Current Price USD 3,500.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price USD 5,000.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Friday, August 29, 2008 End Time Friday, September 05, 2008 Location Tucson, AZ. See more about 'QING DYNASTY 18TH WHITE NEPHRITE JADE BUCKLE AUTHENTIC' Description  Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) White Jade Belt Buckle 18Th Century Exquisitely carved and pierced, from the finest White Khotan Nephrite Jade, this belt buckle dates from the reign of Emperor QianLong (1736-1795) of the Qing Dynasty.  Two dragons are masterfully incorporated into the design of this beautiful and functional buckle, and it appears to have always been a collector's piece, showing minimal wear and only slight discoloration (not rind) from use, on the outside portion.  Please Note: While there are multitudes of look-alikes on the Internet every day and at the Auction Houses every month, this is the real deal: A true 18Th century piece.  As always, the 18Th - 19Th century pieces are the hardest to identify and the easiest the reproduce.  This wonderful buckle was soaked for four days in fresh acetone to make sure all wax was removed so the original tooling marks could be properly identified, and to find out if it was a modern-made piece, a re-cut piece or an original.  It came out of the acetone just the way it went in (clear wax always turn white in acetone); no wax was ever used to hide any new diamond tooling marks or re-cutting.  In fact, I still had to take a blade to remove the old remains of a tag that was also not affected by the acetone.  When looking at the piece under 35 power, it was totally original, with the fine  polish (even in the tooled areas) that is so typical of a great QianLong piece.  As it is impossible to determine on any waxed piece exactly what you have, and as so many people are 'taken' daily by all the modern waxed pieces and Chalcedony items which hit the markets, and even the museums, we always take this approach to authenticate our collection, and other collections we authenticate.  People say such absurdities as 'old polish' when they can not even see what polish is there because of all the wax and dyes, and then they think they can actually see a piece of this nature under a 10 power loupe and be an authority, while in just one factory in China, over 1,500 employees churn out these new white pieces daily.  Also, common sense should tell a person that real 17Th century pieces do not have starting bids of $.99 to $200.00; or, could it be that these people are importing newer items and selling them as 18Th - 19Th century? No one, in my opinion, can tell anything 100% by 'stylistic' alone. While on the subject, I'll mention that they also do this with the 'older' pieces, like the 3,000-some-0dd pig-dragons that are to be found daily on any search, which 'could only have belonged to the Shaman Kings in the Hongshan era'.  Now, I ask you: how many Shaman Kings were there,  5,500 years ago?  And, are the people that sell these 'treasures' really so stupid as to sell one for $.99 plus shipping?  More on this subject later. This item came to us from a Naples, Florida Estate.  The previous owner was a Mrs. Walper, from Naples, who had inherited it from her great, great aunt, Eliza Radcliff, of Toledo, Ohio.   Measurements: 3-3/4" long, 3/4" wide, and 5/8" high.   Scheduled for Display: Big Sur Jade Festival - Jade Cove  October 10, 11, & 12, 2008                                                          3rd annual Jade Art Now Show 2009 (see jadeartnow.com for dates) This jade buckle has also been authenticated by Dr. Timothy Jones, PhD, Anthropologist, formerly with the University of Arizona.  Dr. Jones has accepted invitations to the world's largest museum in Beijing, and has received privately guided tours of the Beijing Museum, which included some of the most treasured vault items hidden away from the general public.  Dr. Jones has directed the excavations and analyses of more than 20 major sites and 40 archaeological surveys.  Dr. Jones now runs his own appraisal and authentication business, and is certified RPA-IAA.  Dr. Jones can be reached at 520-744-2766.  He helps in the verifications of all our later porcelains, as I do for him on the older items of Jades and pottery.  He has no vested interest in our business, and we just truly enjoy each others company and knowledge. You may view this item or any of our other antiquities, fine art or artifacts at our gallery, by appointment only. We are Antiquities, Plus... David Fredericks 2752 North Campbell Ave. Tucson, AZ 85719 Phone 520-991-2153 Refunds will be made only upon receipt by us (within 14 days of buyer's receipt of the item), of a written verification from a major University Department Head, or Major Museum Curator from a recognized institution in the appropriate field. Note: For International sales, buyer is responsible for all import duty taxes.     Place a Bid!