Oh COME ON, boiling is a perfectly reasonable test for legitimate vintage items! Some of us actually know what we're doing and have successfully stripped decades of grime off REAL jade using that method. The issue isn't the boiling, it's that you bought something from a booth that had "Made in China" stamped on the bottom in Sharpie and expected it to be authentic. I've boiled actual antique glass beads that came out looking brand new and increased their value by like 40 bucks. You just need to know your materials first instead of blaming the technique for your own bad luck.

It's wild how many of those old school rules are actually just practical advice wrapped in a superstition. Same thing with not sitting in a draft or putting cold water on a hot engine. People back then just didn't have the science words to explain why.

Haven't we all thrown money at the shiny stuff without stopping to ask if we actually needed it? That "tool discipline" thing is what separates the folks who fix their own bike from the ones who fill up a whole toolbox with junk. I learned the hard way after buying three different chain breakers that all bent and snapped within a month. Started borrowing a friend's old Shimano one and finally realized I didn't need more tools, I just needed to stop buying garbage. How many of us have that one drawer full of broken tools we swore we'd return?