Industry Observation
【JadeAI News】On June 18, 2024, during the Shenzhen International Jewelry Fair, a seminar on the innovation of jade authentication technology captured the attention of the global jade industry. Hosted by the Gemological Association of China (GAC) and organized by the National Jewelry Testing Center of Shenzhen (NJTC), the conference focused on the latest applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and high-precision spectroscopic technology in jade authentication, signaling a shift from empiricism to scientific quantification in verifying jade authenticity.
Traditional jade authentication heavily relies on the appraiser's experience, keen eyesight, and comprehensive judgment of characteristics such as luster, structure, and color. However, with the increasing prevalence of high-imitation and treated jade in the market, as well as the continuous emergence of new jade varieties, traditional methods face unprecedented challenges. According to GAC's latest '2023 Annual China Jade Market Report,' consumer disputes arising from authentication issues increased by 15% year-on-year, with disputes over high-imitation jadeite and Hetian jade accounting for nearly 60% of the total. This data undoubtedly highlights the urgent need for more precise and objective authentication technologies.
Against this backdrop, the integration of AI and spectroscopic technology is considered crucial for solving this problem. Professor Wang Chunli, Chief Scientist at the National Gemstone Testing Center (NGTC) and Professor at the Gemological Institute, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), pointed out at the seminar: "We are collaborating with several high-tech companies to develop a deep learning-based jade recognition system. By collecting vast amounts of authentic jade sample data, including Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) data, we train AI models to identify microscopic structures and chemical composition differences that are imperceptible to the naked eye."
Professor Wang further revealed that the "Jade Intelligent Eye" project, a collaboration between NGTC and Huawei Cloud, has made significant progress. This system integrates high-resolution microscopic imaging, micro-Raman spectrometers, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometers (FTIR), combined with AI image recognition algorithms, to perform multi-dimensional data collection and analysis on submitted jade. Preliminary test results show that the system's accuracy in distinguishing natural jadeite from B-grade/C-grade jadeite (resin-filled/dyed) has reached over 98.5%, significantly exceeding the average level of traditional visual authentication (approximately 85%). Furthermore, in the origin tracing of Hetian jade, by comparing the trace element spectral fingerprints of Hetian jade from different origins, the AI model can achieve a recognition accuracy of up to 92%, which is a milestone in combating counterfeit origins and maintaining market order.
Li Ming, Director of the Shenzhen Jewelry Testing Center, stated in an interview: "The combination of AI and spectroscopic technology not only improves the accuracy and efficiency of authentication but, more importantly, provides quantifiable scientific evidence for jade authentication, reducing interference from human factors. In the future, we plan to promote this system to more local testing agencies and gradually develop authentication modules for other jade varieties, such as Nanhong agate and turquoise."
However, challenges remain. High equipment costs, the difficulty of obtaining massive amounts of high-quality training data, and how to counter increasingly sophisticated counterfeiting techniques are all challenges facing researchers. Shi Hongyue, Vice President and Secretary-General of the Gemological Association of China, emphasized in his concluding remarks: "Technological innovation is the eternal driving force for industry development. We encourage deep integration of industry, academia, and research to jointly promote the continuous progress of jade authentication technology, providing consumers with a more transparent and fair trading environment."
It is foreseeable that with the continuous maturation and popularization of AI and spectroscopic technologies, jade authentication will no longer be the 'exclusive skill' of a few experts but will become a more standardized, scientific, and intelligent process. This will not only significantly boost consumer confidence but also inject new vitality into the healthy development of the jade market.