On this page
UnderstandWhat it is, what people ask, how far this page goes
Unspecified-material term · Trade name: material identity unverified · Actual material to be verified
Liuli
The word liuli, used in Chinese history, crafts and trade; the name alone cannot determine the material, which must be identified and then given a proper material name. This page compares how the major standards and institutions name it, what must be disclosed when selling it, whether it can be worn every day, how it is treated and identified, and which source each conclusion comes from.
Price, rarity and origin are outside the scope of this wiki.
What this page can answer
This page covers
- How Liuli forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale, each finding graded and sourced
- Hardness of LiuliEach value with its source and check date
- Liuli in English, Chinese and Japanese; national standard namesNames in four languages, the GB/T standard name and the suggested listing name; and: Has any of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A put a name for it on record here?
- Listing and disclosing LiuliThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
What we cannot conclude
- Whether one particular bead is natural, treated or synthetic — only a laboratory report can settle that.
- Geographic origin, unless an origin report accompanies the item.
- Price, rarity or investment value: this wiki covers naming and disclosure only.
Material research: formation, causes and history
What authoritative sources say about how this material forms, what causes its colour and optical effects, where its name comes from and how people have used it. Each statement carries an evidence grade and its sources; it describes the material in general, not any specific piece.
How it forms
'Liuli' is a Chinese historical, craft and trade term, and the name by itself does not establish what the material is. The cited authoritative sources offer no material-level definition of 'liuli', so this entry does not claim it to be glass, chalcedony or any other specific material: taken most conservatively, its material identity remains unestablished. What can be confirmed is that CIBJO gives precise definitions for glass (a substance, natural or artificial, that is amorphous and has solidified from a molten state) and for an artificial stone (a man-made product with no natural counterpart), and that in the jewellery trade manufactured glass has long served as a simulant or imitation. If a particular 'liuli' object is tested and proves to be a glass-type material, it should be named and have its material and treatment disclosed under CIBJO's glass/artificial-product rules; until such testing, that remains an unverified inference. The actual material requires testing.
Scope: Applies to explaining the material uncertainty and naming boundary of 'Liuli' as a name; not applicable to asserting the material of any specific sample, nor as an identification conclusion.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · GIA Introduction to Imitation Gems
Where it forms
No natural formation environment applies: the subject is a name of undetermined material identity, so no formation or manufacturing environment can be assigned from the name.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · GIA Introduction to Imitation Gems
If testing later confirms an artificial material (e.g. a glass type), its 'environment' would be a manufacturing/processing one, not a natural setting; no such claim is made until then.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · GIA Introduction to Imitation Gems
How it forms, step by step
Record and verify the term's provenance and usage (a historical/craft/trade term), rather than inferring material from the name.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · GIA Introduction to Imitation Gems
Perform material testing on the actual specimen (e.g. composition, structure) to determine its true material identity.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · GIA Introduction to Imitation Gems
Once the material is established, name and disclose it under the corresponding CIBJO category (e.g. glass / artificial product / imitation).
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · GIA Introduction to Imitation Gems
Link to appearance
Because the material is undetermined, no single appearance–origin link can be given; appearance is only information about an untested specimen and cannot be used to infer the material.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · GIA Introduction to Imitation Gems
Timescale
The sources give no date or process duration associated with 'liuli'.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · GIA Introduction to Imitation Gems
Other research findings
The cited authoritative sources do not define the material of 'liuli'; the name alone must not be taken to assert glass, chalcedony or any specific material, and the actual material requires testing.
Evidence grade CScope: This is an absence-of-definition boundary judgement; it applies to the cited sources and does not exclude a future definition elsewhere.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
CIBJO gives precise definitions for 'glass', 'artificial stone' and 'artificial product' - glass, for instance, being a substance (whether natural or artificial) that has solidified from a molten state and is amorphous, while an artificial stone is a man-made product lacking any natural equivalent; once the material has been established these definitions allow classification, but a name alone is not a material identification.
Evidence grade AScope: Applies to CIBJO's definitions; it does not determine the material of any specific 'liuli' specimen.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
In the jewellery industry manufactured glass has long been used as a gem simulant/imitation that can imitate the look of many gems; so if a given 'liuli' is tested to be a glass-type material it should be named and disclosed under glass/imitation rules rather than have its material hidden behind a vague craft or trade name. This is an inference to be confirmed only by testing and is not asserted here.
Evidence grade CScope: A conditional inference (if it is glass); it does not conclusively equate 'liuli' with glass.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · GIA Introduction to Imitation Gems
Limits of this research
- Research status: Only partial material-specific findings found; gaps are stated as gaps
- The cited authoritative sources do not define the material of 'liuli'; the actual material requires testing.
- This record does not assert 'liuli' to be glass, chalcedony or any specific material, nor exclude that it may be various materials.
- The sources give no date, source or process parameters for 'liuli', so no such claim is made.
Methodology
- Origin determination and its limits
- Quality grading and value factors
- How gemmology became a technical discipline
Evidence grades
- A
- Standards bodies, government geological surveys, peer-reviewed research and museum records
- B
- Institutional educational material
- C
- Specialist databases or cautious readings
A statement is never graded above its strongest source.
This section is LumaLark's own factual restatement of public authoritative sources, credited item by item; it contains no verbatim excerpts, images or third-party logos.
DecideListing name, disclosure, care and treatments
- Suggested listing name
- Liuli (once confirmed, name it by the actual material, e.g. glass or resin)
GB/T 16552—2017 5.1.1 c)
This page cannot answer
Natural? · Origin · Price
A lab report settles these; this wiki covers naming and disclosure.
Related:What this page can answer
Answer at a glance
"Liuli (Chinese trade/craft term; material unverified)" is a market name rather than a mineral species name; before using it, verify: Trade name rather than a mineralogical species name. Actual material is unverified.
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Liuli (once confirmed, name it by the actual material, e.g. glass or resin)" and any disclosed treatments on this page, and ask the seller for a grading report if in doubt.
Known uncertainty
- This entry's exact material identity is not fully settled.
- See “Disclosure and cautions” above
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
Trade-name ruling
- Trade name rather than a mineralogical species name.
- Actual material is unverified.
- Suggested listing name
- Liuli (once confirmed, name it by the actual material, e.g. glass or resin)
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
The name register below lists one name for Liuli in a non-Latin script: 1 with no restriction recorded on use as a name.
Trade and mineralogical namesLiuli is a trade name, not a mineralogical species name, and the material identity is undetermined. Standard and listing namesThe suggested listing name is Liuli (once confirmed, name it by the actual material, such as glass or resin). The original GB/T 16552—2017 does not list the name, and the basic name must be determined by identification; once glass is confirmed, the trade name or synonym is decorative glass bead (liuli). Trade and mineralogical namesThe mineralogical name is paraphrased as a Chinese historical, craft and trade term; the name alone cannot establish the actual material. The market name decorative glass bead is matched only once the condition is confirmed; related high-risk names include seed beads, Czech beads and liuli. Institution usageGIA and Gem-A wording is not yet verified by this site, and the FTC and CIBJO texts on file have no wording for this name (checked); bodies without a recorded wording show the entry's own English name, which does not represent their position; the qualifier after the English name Liuli is paraphrased as Chinese trade/craft term, material unverified, and comes from the entry itself. Japanese namesThe entry's own Japanese name and the Japanese name are the same, a Chinese craft and market name (material unidentified), and Japan's GSJ wording for this name is not yet verified by this site. Names in four languagesThe Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese names are the same, and the English name is Liuli.
Name register
Every name recorded for this entry, with how it is classified, whether it may be matched to this entry automatically, whether it may be used as a product name, and the clause it rests on.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Name | Type | Matching | Use as a name | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no restriction recorded (1) | ||||
| 装饰玻璃珠Simplified Chinese | market name | matched only once the condition is confirmed | no restriction recorded | editorial ruling (no clause cited); Note: Related high-risk name “Seed beads, Czech beads, Liuli”. |
How each authority words this name: see Names › Authority wording.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- 「琉璃」中国工芸・市場名（材質未同定） (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- GB/T naming counterpart (this name is not in the standard)
- basic name to be determined by testing (GB/T 16552—2017 §5.1.1 c))
- Mineralogical name
- Chinese historical, craft and trade term whose actual material is not established by the name alone
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 琉璃
- 繁體中文
- 琉璃
- English
- Liuli (Chinese trade/craft term; material unverified)
- 日本語
- 「琉璃」中国工芸・市場名（材質未同定）
Qualifiers stripped from the headline name
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Material identity unspecified
- Material domain
- Unspecified-material term
- Browsing family
- Bead-form and unidentified trade terms
- Identity tier
- Trade name: material identity unverified
- Mineral chemical class
- Mixed / composition-dependent
- Construction or treatment status
- Actual material to be verified
What it is and how it's identified
Among the material facts for Liuli, the durability item registers a Mohs hardness of 5–6, given for man-made glass (the whole class). The site note explains that a Mohs hardness of 5–6 is the typical value given by the cited clause for man-made glass as a whole class; it is the range for the entire man-made glass class, not measured data for Liuli. The source is GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing. The whole-class features of chemical composition, luminescence, UV-visible spectrum, infrared spectrum and magnification are given by the cited clause for man-made glass as a whole class; see the material facts on the Glass entry.
Registered material facts
Each row carries its own source and check date and can be cited on its own; “—” means the cited source gives no value, not “none”.
Chemical composition, luminescence, UV-visible spectrum, infrared spectrum, magnification: these whole-class features are given in the cited clause for manufactured glass (whole class), so they are not repeated on the Liuli page; see the material facts on the Glass entry.
Durability
Liuli — Mohs hardness: 5–6
GB/T 16553—2017
Reference points on this site: Talc 1–3, Fluorite 4, Apatite 5–5.5, Orthoclase 6–6.5, Topaz 8, Diamond 10 (Source: GB/T 16553—2017); Gypsum 1.5–2, Calcite 3, Quartz 7 (Source: Handbook of Mineralogy); Corundum 9 (Source: GIA Gem Encyclopedia (care guide))
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- manufactured glass (whole class)
- Qualification
This is the range for the whole class, not a measured value for this variety. The clause covers all manufactured glass, and states the value as a usual range.
Source & check 2026-09-20
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.4.20 (locator checked 2026-09-20)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-20
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Evidence and sources
Authority basis and clause sources
Sources
- CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation. Gemmological Laboratories Book (Blue Book), Gemmological Commission 2024-1.
- CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation. The Gemstone Book (Blue Book), 2022.
- SAMR / SAC (China). GB/T 16552—2017 Gems — Nomenclature.
- eCFR (United States). 16 CFR Part 23 — Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries.
Further reading
Related entries and topic cluster
Parent entry and related pages on this site. Rows marked “Planned” are suggested new content and have no link yet.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Bead-form and unidentified trade terms | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The material facts in the Liuli entry are maintained by the LumaLark wiki and matched one by one to the standard clauses or institutional sources they cite: every fact carries its source (with a clause or page locator) and a check date, so it can be traced back to the original. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.