Bead-form and unidentified trade terms
Names that describe only bead form, colour, pattern or market name, from which no specific material, natural origin or treatment can be inferred.
What this family is
A strand labelled Czech bead has told you a market name and nothing about the material: not glass, not crystal glass, not a brand. Such a name records bead shape, colour, pattern or market usage and no more, so neither the substance nor whether it is natural nor any treatment follows from it.
Seed beads, rice-shaped pearls and seed pearls are not interchangeable terms; Nanhong does not appear in the GB/T and CIBJO texts consulted, and Yanyuan agate does not appear in the authoritative texts consulted.
Scope of this family
Names that describe only bead form, colour, pattern or market name, from which no specific material, natural origin or treatment can be inferred.
Representative members (1)
The standard materials in this family: mineral species, varieties, rocks and other materials whose name identifies what they are. Trade names are listed separately below.
Common confusions
Names in this family that do not by themselves say what the material is, and man-made or assembled products recorded against its materials. Each line says what the item actually is.
Trade names in this family
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| Name | Type of name | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|
| Czech-made Bead | Trade name: material identity unverified | A trade name for beads made in the Czech Republic. The actual material may be glass, wood, imitation pearl or others, and must be labelled separately based on the item itself. |
| Jinsha Stone | Trade name: material identity unverified | “Jinsha stone” is a Chinese market name that may mean goldstone (aventurine glass) or some other product; the material must be confirmed by documentation or testing. |
| Liuli | Trade name: material identity unverified | 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. |
| Nanhong Agate | Trade name: material identity unverified | A Chinese commercial name in the agate family. GB/T 34098-2017 Table A.1 lists "Nanhong" and "Nanhong Agate" as quartzose jade trade names without saying which basic name they match; material, origin and treatment all need testing. |
| Quartz or glass showing a rainbow effect | Trade name: material identity unverified | An ambiguous market name: the rainbow effect may come from natural fractures, an artificial coating, glass or other causes, and must be explained piece by piece. |
| Red Wood-Grain Stone | Trade name: material identity unverified | A non-standard trade name based on appearance, for beads with a red to pink wood-grain pattern; the mineral species cannot be determined from this name. |
| Shuimo Yu | Trade name: material identity unverified | A Chinese market name not directly defined in the GB/T and CIBJO texts consulted. Without testing, it must not be equated with Albite Jade or Fei Cui (Jadeite Jade). |
| Yanyuan Agate | Trade name: material identity unverified | A Chinese origin-based trade name for agate, not directly listed in the authoritative texts consulted; both the material and the Yanyuan origin still need evidence. |
| Yellow tower-form quartz crystal | Trade name: material identity unverified | A non-standard Chinese market name that only describes a yellow, tower-shaped appearance; it must not be classed as citrine or calcite without checking. |
| Zhusha Bead | Trade name: material identity unverified | Used as a Chinese bead-market name, zhusha does not by itself confirm cinnabar or HgS. It may contain mercury, so its composition and safety need professional review. |
Member entries (11)
Market names not to be used as a product name
Recorded on member entries of this family. Each name links to the entry whose page explains the ruling and its source.
All misleading and prohibited trade names across the site: Misleading and prohibited trade names
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| Market name | Recorded on | Status |
|---|---|---|
| south red agate | Nanhong Agate | Annotation only, never as the product name |
Treatments recorded on member entries
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| Treatment | Member entries | Disclosure requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Heated / Heat-treated | Nanhong Agate, Yanyuan Agate | Heating is a common treatment, and acceptance varies by material. Whether heated ruby or sapphire must be declared separately depends on which code is followed (see the comparison on this page); unstable colour or foreign residues must be disclosed. |
| Filled / Fracture-filled | Nanhong Agate, Yanyuan Agate | Name the filler (resin, oil, polymer, glass or lead glass) and bear in mind that fillings can be unstable and may deteriorate or change colour over time. LMHC Information Sheet #3 treats corundum with glass in two ways: glass in fissures or cavities is still reported on natural corundum as a filling, and only a badly fractured single piece infused throughout, or small fragments bound together with glass, is reported as a manufactured product. |
| Dyed | Nanhong Agate, Yanyuan Agate | Must be disclosed. Dye may fade, bleed or dissolve in solvents (alcohol, acetone), and dyed material must not be labelled "natural colour"; dyed jadeite counts as B/C jade and must be conspicuously labelled; dyed agate and chalcedony are extremely common. |
Care codes on member entries
Member entries cite these CIBJO special-care codes: special-care code j, special-care code k. General gem care gives the full wording of every code.
Where members are recorded
Some member entries record the localities where their materials are found; Recorded localities shows them on a sketch map and lists them by continent.
Names
- 简体中文
- 珠型与待鉴定市场名称
- 繁體中文
- 珠型與待鑑定市場名稱
- English
- Bead-form and unidentified trade terms
- 日本語
- ビーズ形状・材質未同定の市場名
Authority source
- Authority source
- Review status
- Reviewed against CIBJO, GB/T and IMA boundaries.
Distribution across the other axes
All 11 members share these values:
- Origin class
- Material identity unspecified
- Material domain
- Unspecified-material term
- Mineral chemical class
- Mixed / composition-dependent
- Construction or treatment status
- Actual material to be verified