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Hello all-I have spent hours and hours researching and wondering about this piece..BUT, I am such a novice that I am probably not even using the correct search words. It comes from a little old hole in wall shop that was closed many years ago and then the contents were bought by a new antique dealer -he is still going through the shop and showed this to me and I just had to have it-he knew nothing about it. I have only just started learning about jade. I do know that gold thread is supposed to be reserved for nobility and /or members of the court? Someone mentioned that village scholars also sometimes used it? I think , during the 1800s , more and more people used it anyway though. So, I know how childish my understanding sounds but, that is one one the elements I have been using in my searches. This seems more primitive than any court necklaces I have seen. I am just wondering..if this could be even older than the 19th century? I don't know how long they have been using this color/type jade-I know spinach jade has been used for a long long time but I don't think this is spinach jade? And, I don't think this type of green jade has been used for that long? Again, I know that everything I am saying could be wrong-I am really trying to learn! Any thoughts? Thanks so much for your time!

First use a few drops of dish-wash detergent in lukewarm water, and soak those beads, maybe use a soft toothbrush to clean them. Depending where you live, if there is a good jeweler, show them to that person, they may know the answer...Jade or maybe Quartz. If that is the right color, then it would be apple green.Check your area for a Jade specialist.
Ernest

Are you sure it was gold thread because it looks like the thread was made of some kinds of fiber? Have you gone to a jeweler and had him tested those golden color beads in between the jade beads? They really do not look like either 18k or 24k gold to me but I can be wrong judging with low resolution pictures only. You would not find any old Chinese gold made of less than 18k gold.

I do not like the looks of your "jade" beads (sorry). From their pictures posted here, they may be dyed. They are also very translucent and do not look like either jadeite or nephrite to me. I also do not like the white edges around their holes and the inside of their holes, that may mean they are soft or their original color is not that green. I also do not like some of the corrosion (weathering) found on the surfaces of some of the beads because their surface should not have such severe corrosion if they were made of jadeite or nephrite, and even they were being buried. There are also no luster whatsoever on their surfaces. If this necklace is truly OLD, then you will think they would be made of white Hetian nephrite jade or if more modern, then they would be made of nice spinach nephrite jade or jadeite. Without looking at it in person, I cannot tell for sure. These days there are many expensive jade necklace fakes - dyed jadeite or agate beads, sold for thousands of dollars. If you do not pay a lot for it, then just enjoy it or bring it to a local expert for appraisal. GLTU. Super

Thank you both so much! After reading your comments, and taking a closer look-I think quartz makes more sense as well. The gold beads are not beads but strands of gold thread or wire knotted together-I think the thread/fiber you see is underneath the gold wire which is wrapped around the thread/fiber material. So-I'm still curious. I can't find any examples of green quartz necklaces-there are some pink quartz and some aquamarine necklaces but, this is much more primitive than them. I think the gold knots and color make it such a beautiful piece but the way the beads are cut seems crude. I wish I knew more about its history. I will bring it in to get tested just to satisfy my curiosity about the gold. Trying to figure out the age..it literally fell apart when the man I bought it from picked it up to show me-but,it had been in storage for many years so that doesn't mean it is fragile with age. I don't see any quartz pieces predating the 19th century. So, possibly late Qing? Early 20th?
Thanks again!

Here are close ups of a bead after gentle cleaning

This is very interesting, because the color of the beads in pictures you first posted are vastly different than that of the bead after cleaning. The color of the beads in your first pictures are celadon (light and pale green), semi-translucent and almost appeared to be dyed. Yet the color of the bead (after cleaning) you posted is dark green and opaque. Judging by the color and appearance of that one single cleaned bead, its material actually appears to be nephrite. Very difficult to pin point its source though. It could come from USA (California or Washington state) or its "plastic" look can show that it may be Taiwan nephrite jade which does resemble plastic. You may want to do a "scratch test" (using a sharp pocket knife or needle to see you may scratch the bead and leave a white line) to confirm it was made of hard stone. I still do not like the corrosion found on its surface though.

Maybe glass beads??

NO glass bead, not Emerald either, I was thinking about Aventurine quartz...
Ernest

Well, I brought it to a local estate jeweler and he thought the beads might be emerald beads? But I would have to have them tested to be sure

Thank you both! It does scratch

Thinking Aventurine quartz is right. Am I right in thinking that wasn't used much before the late 19th century?

Scratch test...if it shows white, it is NOT Jade or Quartz (Aventurine)
Ernest

Thanks for doing the scratch test and if you performed it correctly and did see a white line after you scratched it (on its flat surface preferrably), then I am afraid your beads were not made of jade (nephrite or jadeite) or any hard stones including aventurine since it is a type of quartz that has a MOH hardness between 6.5-7.0, therefore cannot be scratched by metal. It also usually has this unique glitter inside it and can be very beautiful when shone with light. In that regard, your beads may be made of some types of soft stones such as serpentine, may be dyed or natural, or even made of plastic (unlikely though because of the corrosion). It will be hard to confirm with low resolution pictures of just one cleaned bead. But like I had said in my previous messages that it was never a good sign to see any types of corrosive surfaces on any jade beads or jade jeweleries. It may also appear that the chance of your thread was made of real gold is just not good, sorry. However, the necklace does appear to be unique and possibly vintage though I do not believe it can be anything other than that of 20th century. Of course I can be wrong. As long as you truly enjoy it and did not overpay for it, then just enjoy it. If you did pay a lot for it and the dealer listed it as jade necklace on your receipt, then you may have recourse to get your money back especially if you paid with a credit card. Either way, best of luck. Super

Thank you both so much for all of your help and sharing your knowledge and opinions with me! :)

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