How much does agarwood cost per gram now, and how can you tell the real from the fake?
Agarwood is a very precious traditional Chinese medicinal material. There has long been a saying among the people that “an inch of agarwood is worth an inch of gold,” which shows just how high its value is. But now the agarwood market is full of cases of passing off inferior goods as superior ones and passing fakes off as genuine. Some people pay a high price only to buy fakes, which keeps many people who like agarwood away. So, how much does agarwood currently cost per gram? Faced with a mixed and chaotic agarwood market, how should people tell the real from the fake?
The price of agarwood mainly depends on the place of origin, grade, size of the raw material, and state (powder, raw wood, whether it has carving work). At present, northern China is much more expensive than the south because fewer people collect it and prices are not transparent. Raw agarwood prices range from 0.2 yuan to 3000 yuan per gram.
Special-grade agarwood is now speculated up to 5000 yuan/gram, while the prices of other agarwoods vary according to quality, but overall none of them are cheap.
Agarwood is mostly produced by the white wood agarwood tree of the Thymelaeaceae family. During growth, when the tree is accidentally injured, such as by insect bites, it continuously secretes substances to repair the wound. This process is the agarwood-forming process and is the beginning of agarwood formation. Next, the substances applied to the tree's wound will, under special environmental conditions, breed microorganisms that absorb the breath of nature, and after several years, true agarwood is formed.
Because agarwood has a scarce yield and a price comparable to gold, some merchants, driven by profit, will add pigments, coatings, gums and other substances to fake it, or use pressing and other means to artificially increase agarwood's specific gravity and change its structure. Some merchants even add chemical fragrances and essences to fake agarwood, and this poses potential harm to human health.
So, how should agarwood lovers tell the real from the fake? As for the scent of agarwood, first, the stronger the scent is not necessarily the better. Among the many types of agarwood, top-quality agarwood does indeed have a stronger scent, but its fragrance is appropriately strong and light, clear and aromatic, rich yet not heavy, and is a natural scent. Second, the scent of agarwood is not unchanging. The higher the quality of the agarwood, the more its scent will transform with changes in time and differences in environment, and the patterns of scent change also differ among different types of agarwood.
Other methods for identifying agarwood:
1. Look. Ordinary agarwood is blackish-brown or dark greenish-yellow, not naturally pure black, and the longer it is worn by people, the blacker and brighter the color it shows.
2. Touch. Ordinary agarwood looks as if it is wrapped in a layer of oil all over, but when touched it does not feel greasy, and even less does it dirty the hands.
3. Sinking in water. Real agarwood will sink when placed in water, but it is worth noting that because there are cases on the market now of artificial treatment making fake agarwood sink, sinking in water alone cannot prove that it is real agarwood. If you want to buy real agarwood, it is best to buy it from a legitimate store.