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How to choose good antique Chinese furniture ?

How to choose good antique Chinese furniture ?

When looking for good antique Chinese furniture, a few tips and tricks to check the furniture can work in your best interest and save you from getting a dupe. To spot an actual antique piece is no short task and requires expertise. These few tips can be really helpful when trying to source an actual good piece of Chinese antique furniture. 

Antique or vintage Chinese furniture wasn’t made through machines. Therefore, it is important that you check for the carving and other details on whether the piece is handmade or is made by machines. Since in the older eras, hand tools were used to carve and craft furniture, you will find traces of it in the furniture which are very different from the electrical tools used in the modern day. Check for the details of the carvings. If they are exactly identical, there are chances that they could be created via machine as with intricate hand carvings, there are always some differences. 

Who thought fissures or cracks would be a good sign ? Antique or vintage furniture have used antique woods which can develop cracks or fissures over time. An older piece will always have some of these features even though they are well maintained because of the natural aging of the wood. In case of such signs or any restoration efforts being absent, it's likely that the piece you have your eyes on is not an antique or vintage piece but is rather recent or recently manufactured. However, beware that this technique can also be used to fool the customers. Age faking of the pieces can be a way to trick people into buying a piece of furniture with the label of being antique. When buying furniture, deeply inspect and ask your sourcing party questions that you have. 

Wood type is an important feature to look out for when buying Chinese antique or vintage furniture. For Chinese furniture, the type of wood that is used for the piece is directly indicative of the value of the item. Certain types of woods have a higher price range because of them being rare. The vintage or antique pieces will mostly have rare types of hardwood. The relatively newer pieces are either made with the native wood types or imported wood from Southeast Asian countries. The type of wood used in furniture is more important than how old a piece appears to be. 

A step ahead to keep in your checklist when looking for a good piece of furniture is the covering or coating on the wood. In order for you to know the quality of wood, it's important you know what it is covered with. in case the piece is covered with non transparent lacquer or paint, it's likely that the quality of wood used is not top notch. Antique Chinese furniture that was made up of fir or pine wood had a covering of mineral paint or non- transparent lacquer on the front side unlike the one made in Qing dynasty, which was often waxed. 

Los Angeles estate auction always ready give appraisal your asian furniture for free. 

 

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