How Can I Avoid Buying a Fake in The Market?

Compiled from Collecting Chinese Antiquities in Hong Kong

        This is a simple question that may come with a complicated answer, depending on the piece you purchase. Where wooden pieces are concerned, there are universities such as the University of Toronto and the laboratories to provide Carbon 14 testing. Bronzes can be authenticated at London University. For jade, stone and glass, there are different techniques to determine authenticity.

        For pottery pieces, Oxford University provides an authenticity certificate based on the Thermoluminescence Test. This test is quite accurate for anything dating back to a few hundred years of the creation of a piece. Doreen Stoneham, a well-known expert in Chinese antiquities based in London, provides this test through the company she founded, Oxford Authentication Ltd. She has more than 28years experience and has surveyed more than 30,000 pieces. Her assistant, Phyllis Hsia takes samples from the pieces in Hong Kong and sends them directly to London for testing. Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses use her reports.

        While this test certifies authenticity, a professional dealer still assesses each piece according to its patina, style, weight, colour, hardness of clay and general look. In order to ignite your sense of art and to achieve a better understanding of the history and culture behind each piece of work, you should see and touch authentic pieces by visiting museums and galleries, and delve into the relevant literature. Having an antique consultant is very important as he guides you in the right direction, provides you with information on the history and culture behind each work of art and may help you save the extra expense of an Oxford test. Always find a dealer who is knowledgeable, professional, has an established reputation and has been in business for a long time. However, if you’re doubtful about a piece, ask the dealers if their galleries provide Oxford certification and whether they will be willing to bear the cost of the test if the results are negative.