What kinds of jade are there?

Archaeologists in China believe that there was a jade age between the Neolithic Age and the Bronze and Iron Age. The earliest basic difference between eastern and western cultures was whether there was a developed jade culture in the Neolithic Age. The wisdom of oriental civilization shines brilliantly on jade, which is one of the most attractive traditional handicrafts in China and is worth cherishing.

Jade is universally respected and cherished by China people. From the beginning of civilization to today, no matter how great the Chinese culture has experienced, the national feelings of worshipping and loving jade are still deeply rooted, and the art of jade carving is endless. Archaeological data show that seven or eight thousand years ago, our ancestors knew about beautiful and solid nephrite, which was ground into military symbols and carved into ornaments. Some beautiful stones, such as jade, were also adopted by our ancestors.

Seven or eight thousand years ago, in the middle and late Neolithic Age, the earliest real jade articles in China were unearthed at Xinglongwa Site in Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia, Chahai Site in Fuxin, Liaoning, Xinle Site in Shenyang and Hemudu Site in Zhejiang. The cultural, religious and political attributes of jade have been gradually improved in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

In the late Neolithic period, about 7,000 to 4,000 years ago, people who had the power to sacrifice made "ritual vessels" out of precious jade, which were only used to sacrifice ancestors. They believe that the sky is round, so they chisel round walls and squares to worship God and the earth. They believe that the life of clan ancestors originated from God through sacred objects, so they carved the imaginary ancestors of God on jade articles and even carved symbols with profound meanings to worship them. It is hoped that the unique texture, shape, pattern and symbol of jade will produce the power of induction, communicate with the ancestors of God, learn from their wisdom and be blessed.

In ancient society, the status of an individual depends on the close relationship between man and God. The "ritual" of serving God establishes the communication channel between people and God, and also maintains the harmonious relationship between people. "Ruiqi" is a jade symbolizing status. Both "ritual vessels" and "Rui vessels" originated in the late Neolithic period and continued to develop in the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties to adapt to different political systems and social structures. It is always called a "ritual vessel" because it plays a metaphysical role in maintaining the ritual system in the ancestral temple festival and the Korean Union.

With the rise of humanism in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Confucianism enlightened and applied some cultural elements inherited from primitive religions, and advocated the concept that "a gentleman is better than jade". Therefore, Dai Yuzhi's wind is strong and the carving is fine, which is difficult for future generations to reach.

Han Chongyu, the living wears jade and eats jade; The deceased was wrapped in jade and filled with jade. Even silk paintings and tomb bricks are decorated with jade statues. The concept that the round wall helps the soul reach the sky is the best at this time.

From the Six Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, the jade carving art in China declined. Although Li Tang was in its heyday, he still adhered to orthodoxy and held a retreat ceremony. However, it was difficult to use real jade in The Book of Rites, and it was replaced by inferior jade. Jade handed down from ancient times, only combs, pins, accessories, etc. Some of them were also made by craftsmen in the western regions.

Since the Song and Ming Dynasties, jade carving art has flourished again. In addition to using jade in imperial etiquette, scholars' textual research on the etiquette system of Shang and Zhou Dynasties led to the upsurge of folk research and imitation of ancient jade. At this time, the literati class, which integrates knowledge, attaches importance to the taste of life. The display of jade study is not only for appreciation and fun, but also for practical functions. Natural flowers and birds, figures, landscapes, etc. , has also become a decorative theme, showing a soft and elegant literati interest. Because the jade materials used are mostly Yu Zi in the river, jade workers often apply their skills according to their materials. When the finished product is cut, it is often that the picture must be intentional and the meaning must be peaceful.

Confucius said that jade has eleven virtues of benevolence, wisdom, righteousness and propriety, and The Book of Rites said that "a gentleman never leaves his body for no reason", both of which emphasized that people with social status and status should learn from jade and warned them not to leave his body without special reasons. China people's feelings of jade worship, respect and love were even worse in Ming and Qing Dynasties than in Han and Tang Dynasties. The elegance and sacredness of jade have conquered China people from generation to generation. Respecting jade, loving jade, wearing jade, appreciating jade, playing with jade and hiding jade are the true portrayal of jade lovers in the society at present.

Jade in the eyes of China people is unique, which has gone beyond the category of pure taxonomy and become the spiritual sustenance of the Chinese nation.

In the eyes of ordinary people, jade is a stone. According to mineralogical classification, jade can be divided into two types. One is amphibole family in cemented silicate, including tremolite and actinolite, also known as nephrite. There is also a single-chain silicate alkaline clinopyroxene, also known as jadeite (such as jadeite). Traditional ancient jade in China is mostly nephrite, including Xinjiang jade and xiuyan jade. It was only in the early Qing Dynasty that Wu Sangui pursued Emperor Li Yong of Nanming, entered and controlled the mining areas rich in jadeite in Yunnan and northern Myanmar, and jadeite officially entered China and became popular.

As early as nearly ten thousand years ago in the late Paleolithic period, the ancestors of China people discovered and began to use jade. It is generally believed that ancient people discovered jade when they made and used stone tools. It is harder than ordinary stone, so people use it to process other stone products. It has a distinctive color, crystal clear and lovely, so people slowly regard it as an ornament. Moreover, because the number of jade articles is small and it is difficult to process, only the leading figures in a few ethnic groups, such as heads of families and priests, are qualified to wear and use them, which makes them gradually evolve into ritual vessels, sacrificial vessels or totems. It is in this long and slow evolution process that jade has changed from a stone with special properties to a symbol representing power, status, wealth and theocracy.

Most of the ancient jade we saw in the early prehistoric period were jade knives, yufu, jade needles and other jade articles. Then there appeared jade ritual vessels (ritual vessels), such as jade cong and trident in Liangzhu culture, and some pictographic jade articles, such as Yulong and Jade Pig in Hongshan Culture, which should be made as national totems. Jade in this period is not entirely jade in the modern sense, but can be jade, or just a little more beautiful stone, such as tremolite ore coexisting with metamorphic marble ore. From the late Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age, it was difficult to see jade tools in the mainstream cultural areas of China, and instead, a large number of jade wares and accessories appeared, such as Yulong, Yufeng and Yu He unearthed from Nuwa's tomb in Shang Dynasty. At this time, nephrite has been widely used to make utensils.

From Qin and Han Dynasties to the third generation of Sui and Tang Dynasties, jade has always been the exclusive ornament of emperors and nobles. In the Song Dynasty, the economy was developed and the business was prosperous. Due to the technical progress of handicraft industry, jade processing has become more convenient and fast, and the wind of playing with jade and enjoying jade is prevalent. At this time, a large number of beautifully made, exquisitely processed and wonderfully conceived jade articles and Yu Pei appeared.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the production and appreciation of jade reached its peak, and the varieties were more colorful, from jade head pins and buttons to the whole jade screen, jade mountain and jade boat. Princes and nobles often use jade to make daily utensils, such as jade bowls, cups and pots. Generally speaking, white jade (especially sheep fat white jade produced in Xinjiang) is the best, followed by topaz, sapphire and miscellaneous jade (such as Nanyu jade and Henan jade).

Jade was introduced into the Central Plains in the early Qing Dynasty, and its breathtaking green immediately won the hearts of Chinese people. Jade ornaments made of jadeite are very popular and have become the fashion that people are chasing. But in the eyes of traditional China people, jade ornaments made of jadeite are far less than those made of ancient jade. Today, if we pick up a piece of jade, we will only evaluate its color, texture and production. But when we see an ancient jade and appreciate its shape, dark color and material, we will feel a strong sense of national pride in our hearts. The reason is that ancient jade contains the precipitation of China's 5,000-year civilization and the national spirit of China people.

classify

Because of the variety of jade, mineralogy, history and archaeology have different classifications, and China's understanding of "the beauty of stone", the classification of jade is not only complicated and vague, but also numerous.

In order to solve this puzzle, the Society put forward various specific classification methods, such as defining "jade" as a mineralogical explanation and classifying "jade" here as other minerals traditionally regarded as jade, such as serpentine, xiuyan jade and lantian jade. Or divide nephrite into broad sense and narrow sense. In a narrow sense, nephrite is still a mineral dominated by tremolite, actinolite and other substances, while in a broad sense, nephrite is a collection of all minerals considered as jade in cultural tradition. Some also define nephrite as Hetian jade in Xinjiang, while others are "traditional jade materials", and so on.

But accurate and representative classification, except mineralogy, has no clear understanding of * *. The definition of "jade" in Encyclopedia of China is the abbreviation of "jade", and the classification of "jade" is subject to the mineralogical definition.

Therefore, the broad sense of "jade" includes:

jade

Nephrite (actinolite, tremolite)

Nephrite (cultural classification)

Xiuyan jade

lantian jade

Qinghai jade

Russian jadeite

Xinjiang Jasper (Tianshan Jasper)

Hetian jade

Blue and white jade

According to the color, there are also classification methods of white jade, sapphire, jasper, topaz and black jade.

Dushan jade (Nanyangyu)

Jiuquan jade

White marble (marble)

Lingbi jade

opal

turquoise

lazurite/lapis lazuli

coral

agate

Other gems

jadeite

Jadeite, also known as jadeite, belongs to pyroxene, monoclinic system, perfect cleavage. The main component is sodium aluminum silicate (NaAlSi2O6, gemstone mineral is regarded as jadeite only if it contains more than 50% sodium aluminum silicate), which occurs in metamorphic rocks generated at high temperature and low pressure. It often coexists with glaucophane, muscovite, andalusite (anorthite dihydrate), aragonite and Yingshi. Mohs hardness is between 6.5 and 7, and specific gravity is between 3.25 and 3.35. Due to the different content of chromium, the color of jadeite is white or green. Generally white and green varieties are the most common, and emeralds are the most expensive. Therefore, when jadeite was introduced to China, it was named "Jade" (Philippine is red feather and Cui is green feather). The popular history of jadeite is not as long as nephrite, and its producing areas are mainly concentrated in Myanmar (the largest jadeite producing area in the world at present), Niigata Prefecture of Japan and the coastal areas of Hokuriku. Guatemala, the United States and Russia also produce small amounts.

The value of jadeite is judged by color (so-called "positive, positive, rich and harmonious"), transparency ("water head"), texture and weight. The price of jadeite products is generally not affected by the age, which is different from nephrite.

The raw materials of jadeite can be divided into "old pit" and "new pit" according to the mode of production. Among them, people call the original jadeite stone soaked in natural snow water for a long time "Laokeng jadeite". Such jadeite is generally green in appearance and is said to have a bright luster. Therefore, it is welcomed by people. Now people can fill some colors by soaking in strong acid or laser etching, so that the jadeite with poor varieties becomes similar to the high-grade jadeite in appearance. Nowadays, jadeite is usually identified by letters A, B and C to distinguish the texture of jadeite products in the market. Among them, A jadeite refers to the natural jadeite with natural color and fruit without chemical treatment. Other types of jadeite are more or less artificially added.

nephrite

Hornblende and actinolite nephrite are also called nephrite in English. Soviet chemists once named nephrite "Chinese jade". Most nephrite (cultural classification) is not regarded as jade in international common standards, but as other minerals. But in a few countries (such as China), they are still traded as a kind of jade. As the international standard of nephrite tremolite and actinolite, jade with high purity and good texture is produced in Hotan, Xinjiang. In addition, the so-called "four famous jades in China" (Hetian jade, turquoise, xiuyan jade and dushan jade) are popular in the society, among which only Hetian jade and tremolite xiuyan jade are the real mineralogical nephrite.

The chemical composition of nephrite is calcium magnesium silicate (Ca2mg5 (OH) 2 (Si4o11) 2) with monoclinic system. The color is determined by the composition of tremolite and actinolite. Tremolite is mainly white and gray, and actinolite fluctuates in the range of dark green-red, brown and black according to its iron content and oxidation degree of iron element. According to the color of nephrite, there are also several subspecies: pure white suet jade with oily luster; White jade, blue white jade, sapphire, jasper, topaz and jet, as well as relatively rare sugar jade.

Hetian jade produced in Xinjiang is a kind of nephrite with high purity. Generally, it has the luster of glass grease, and the specific gravity of minerals is between 2.80-3. 10. The Mohs hardness is between 6 and 6.5, and the color is pure white-foggy black due to different mineral compositions, and there is no fixed cleavage state. Hetian jade is the most tenacious jade, and it is not easy to be damaged.

dushan jade

Dushan jade is a mineral mainly produced in Beidushan, Nanyang County, Henan Province, China, and belongs to zoisite plagioclase, in which plagioclase and zoisite are the main mineral components. The Soviet geologist e.я· Kivlinko once classified dushan jade as a jadeite deposit. But now according to the definition of nephrite, its composition does not belong to jade. However, it is still regarded as one of the jade carving materials in traditional Chinese crafts.

lantian jade

Produced in Lantian County, Shaanxi Province, China.

history

The Mohs hardness of nephrite is not high, so people have used jade as a tool in the Neolithic Age. Xiuyan jade is recognized as the earliest jade article in the world in China, which was discovered in the archaeological discovery in Xinglongwa Culture, Liaodong Peninsula (about 8000 years ago). Indigenous people in New Zealand have also found many relics in their cultural relics. Archaeology has confirmed that jade has been popular in New Zealand for centuries. In Japan, jade is also used as one of the materials of ritual vessels, especially gouyu. Jade also appears in the three great artifacts of Japanese history.

Most jades unearthed in Neolithic Age are not nephrite like actinolite, but serpentine, that is, jade in cultural concept. Therefore, there are many kinds of jade materials unearthed in this period, and xiuyan jade and dushan jade are the main jade materials in this period.

With the progress of society, the carving technology of jade is also improving day by day. /kloc-Before the 6th century, the Shang Dynasty in China began to regard jade as a symbol of the wealth of slave owners and nobles. Jade also began to share the function of political utensils. When emperors enfeoffment nobles and bestow wealth on ministers, there is often no shortage of jade articles. In Yinxu, Henan Province, 755 pieces of jade were unearthed from the tomb of Fu Hao, wife of Wu Ding, Emperor of Yin Shang Dynasty, 1976, including xiuyan jade and Hetian jade (indicating that China had economic and trade ties with Xinjiang at that time) and other materials, such as Yulong, Yugui, Yubi, Yucong and Yupan. Ornaments such as "kneeling man" were also found in the archaeology of Shang Dynasty, which reflected the social atmosphere at that time. It shows that jade has formed a wide system in Shang Dynasty, and its style has also developed from Neolithic pieces to simple accessories and carvings, which shows that the processing of bronze ware, the main tool at that time, has made great progress.

With the deepening influence of Confucianism on China and East Asia, the political understanding of jade in its theory has also become a kind of social knowledge. The jade system was also perfected during this period, forming a different functional division system of "Six Sites" and "Six Vessels". The "Six Instruments" came from "Six Instruments of Uncle Li Zhouguan". "Jade is the six instruments, writing the four corners of heaven and earth with pale jade, writing the earth with topaz, writing the east with Qinggui, writing the south with Zhang Chi, writing the west with white tiger, and writing the north with Huang Xuan", as a ritual instrument for the emperor to sacrifice the four poles of heaven and earth and pray for national stability and social peace. "Six ruins" also comes from "Jade is six ruins, waiting for the state: Wang holds, the public holds Huan Gui, and later holds the upstart, Bo holds the palace expensive, the son holds the ancient jade, and the person holds Pu Bi". With two kinds of jade articles, Guibi and Bibi were gradually divided into six vessels through the hierarchy of official system, indicating that centralization at that time had basically taken shape. However, some scholars have pointed out that Zhou Li was written in the Warring States Period, and Confucianism will inevitably be mixed in his works.

When the emperor offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, he should engrave inscriptions in jade books; The knight Guan Bai used jade as his seal; Convey that the monarch uses jade as a symbol, and the gentleman takes jade as the standard of moral behavior; Jade is often regarded as a representative symbol of beautiful things in folk poetry. For example, a poem mentioned in The Book of Songs, National Style and Nan Zhou:

"Give me papaya, give Joan. It is always good to repay bandits.

You want to send me a peach, and I want to give it back to Qiong Yao. It is always good to repay bandits.

You give me wood, and I'll take Joan Jiu in return. It is always good to repay bandits. 」

Among them, "Qiong Gui", "Qiong Yao" and "Qiong Jiu" were all laudatory names for "jade" at that time. Moreover, "Bai Gui's consistent correctness can still be polished; You can't just do it. " ("The Book of Songs is elegant and restrained") "Qi Shui is on the right and the spring is on the left. Smile like jade. In addition, many idioms are also related to jade, such as "the jade pot is bing Xin" and "everything burns". There is no distinction between praise and criticism in these idioms, and the meaning of "jade" is generally a compliment.

During the Warring States Period in China, with the continuous development of Confucian culture, people gradually accepted the ideas of various factions and the role of jade in culture. Therefore, the cultural significance of jade is also rising. Jade exists in poems, palaces and altars. Among them, the allusion to "He Shibi" appeared in this period, and it has been continuously extended through historical books such as Historical Records and Warring States Policy, and has become a symbol with great cultural significance. The cultural rhyme of jade is still gradually taking shape.

After the Han dynasty, the production technology of jade articles has been constantly innovated, and the classes that can use jade articles range from emperors and generals to white clothes in streets and alleys. Jade also began to develop in two directions: decoration and carving. After the Six Dynasties, jade began to develop in the direction of realism, and most of its works were based on figures and allusions. After the Song Dynasty, jade became a secular ornament.

Jade was once one of the specialties of the western regions along the Silk Road. It is famous for its white nephrite produced in Khotan (now Hotan County, Xinjiang, China), which has been unearthed in Iran, Afghanistan and India. Among Hetian jade, the jade with white color and fatty luster is called "sheep fat white jade" and is deeply loved by people. In addition, the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang and Qinghai are also rich in jade.

After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, jade carving became more and more decorative, including the famous large-scale jade carving "Dayu Water Control" in Qianlong period and other processed famous jade articles. During this period, jadeite also began to be welcomed by the society. A large number of well-made jade carvings were found in the tomb of Empress Dowager Cixi, but they were later lost because of grave robbery.

First, the precious jade-jade

Emerald belongs to pyroxene, and its main components are sodium silicate and aluminum, commonly known as "jade" in China. Its hardness is 7 degrees, slightly higher than nephrite, and its specific gravity is 3.33, which is also slightly heavier than nephrite.

The main producing area of jadeite is Myanmar, where there is the largest jade jewelry market. Most ancient and modern jadeites in China were imported from there. In addition, the western part of Yunnan province in China is adjacent to Myanmar, and there is also production, but the output is very small. From the color point of view, jadeites are all white with large grains. Most of the high-quality jadeites are unique grandmother green, common flower green or red and lotus root pink. Because jadeite is extremely rare and precious, evaluating its authenticity has become a highly applied knowledge.

2. Warm nephrite-Hetian jade in Xinjiang

Nephrite belongs to amphibole, and its main component is calcium manganese silicate. Its hardness is 6-6.5 degrees, slightly lower than that of jadeite, and its specific gravity is 2.96-3. 17, which is also slightly lighter than that of jadeite.

Hetian jade in Xinjiang-sheep fat white jade is named after its color resembles sheep fat. The texture is delicate, "white as fat", especially rich and smooth, giving people a feeling of softness at first sight. This is the best variety of white jade. At present, only Hotan, Xinjiang has this variety in the world, and its output is very rare and its value is extremely high.

1 and the distribution of hetian jade

Hetian jade is known as the first nephrite in the world. Hotan County in Xinjiang today was the center of Yutian Kingdom in ancient times. From the Han Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, Hetian jade was usually called Yutian, and it was a world-famous jade capital.

From the viewpoint of geological science, Hetian jade has a clear scientific meaning. It is a nephrite ore distributed in Kunlun Mountain, China, which is formed by the contact between magnesium marble and intermediate-acid magma, including a variety of nephrite series represented by white jade. People can see the characteristics of Hetian jade from this meaning: (1) belongs to nephrite, and there are a series of varieties such as white jade, topaz, sapphire and jet, especially white jade. (2) Nephrite deposit belongs to contact metasomatism genetic type. (3) Kunlun Mountain is a typical representative of regional division. These characteristics are similar to those of nephrite mines in the world. Its origin and varieties occupy a unique position in the world nephrite, which has typical significance.

2. Classification of Hetian jade

(1) mountain material. Mountain material is also famous for jade, or Baoyu, which refers to the primary mine produced on the mountain. The characteristics of mountain materials are different in size and angular, and the quality is often not as good as that of Yu Zi. There are different kinds of Yushan materials, such as white jade stone and blue and white Yushan materials.

(2) Mountains and rivers. The name of the mountain stream, named after jade miners and jade artists, refers to the jade whose primary ore is weathered and collapsed and transported from the river to the middle and upper reaches of the river. The mountain stream is characterized by being close to the primary ore, large in size, slightly rounded in edges and corners and smooth in surface.

③ Yu Zi. Yu Zi, also known as Yu Zi, refers to the jade that is carried to the river by running water after the primary ore is denuded. Distributed in riverbed and land on both banks, jade is exposed on the surface or buried underground. Yu Zi is characterized by its small area, oval shape and smooth surface. Due to long-term handling, washing and sorting, the quality of Yu Zi is generally good. Jade has various colors, white jade is called white jade, aquamarine is called aquamarine, and aquamarine is called aquamarine.

3. Color classification

According to different colors, Hetian jade can be divided into four categories: white jade, sapphire, jet and topaz. Hetian jade with other colors also belongs to these four categories.

(1) white jade. The color of white jade varies from white to bluish white. Even if Quan Yi has veins, it has different names, such as seasonal white, paraffin white, fish-belly white, pear white and moonlight white.

White jade is a unique high-grade jade in Hetian jade, and its block size is generally small. White jade is extremely rare among nephrite in the world. White jade is the best among white jade. The whiter the better. Pure white Yu Zi, as smooth as an egg, is called "Bai Zi", and its quality is particularly good. Some white jade seeds have a certain color on the surface after oxidation, and the color of autumn pear is called "autumn pear". Tiger skin color is called "tiger skin" and prickly color is called "present skin", both of which are valuable varieties of Hetian jade.

(2) sheep fat jade. Sheep fat jade is named because it looks like sheep fat. Fine texture, "white as fat", especially moist and smooth, giving people a harmonious feeling. This is the best variety of white jade. At present, Xinjiang is the best in the world, with very scarce output and extremely high value.

(3) blue white jade. Blue and white jade is white as the background color, and green, blue and gray are faintly flashing in the white jade. Common in white, pink and gray, it belongs to the transitional variety of white jade and sapphire, and is more common in Hetian jade.

(4) topaz. Topaz varies from light yellow to dark yellow, and the colors are chestnut, okra yellow, yellow flower yellow, egg yolk, tiger skin yellow and so on. The ancients took "steamed pears in yellow clothes" as the best. Topaz is very rare. In thousands of years of jade mining history, only occasionally seen, the quality is not worse than sheep fat jade. Huang Yucheng's treasures are useful in ancient jade, such as the three sheep statues of topaz, topaz animal-shaped bottles, topaz bergamot, etc.

(5) sapphire. Sapphire varies in color from light blue to deep blue. Ancient books recorded Polygonum hydropiper, snot green, crab shell green, Julia and so on. In modern times, there are different shades of colors, including light blue, dark blue, navy blue, gray blue, dark gray blue and so on. Among Hetian jade, sapphires are the most common, and large ones are common. In recent years, we have seen an emerald with light green color and delicate texture, which is a better variety.

(6) Mo Yu. Emerald varies from ink color to light black, and its black color is mostly cloud-like strips and so on. There are many process names, such as light ink black clouds, golden mink bun, beautiful bun and so on. In the whole material, the degree of ink color is different and the depth distribution is uneven, which is more common in the transition with sapphire and white jade. Generally, it is full of ink, which means that the ink in sapphire or white jade is relatively thick and can be used as a pretty color. Dot ink is scattered into dots, which affects the use. The jet is mostly small, and its ink color is caused by containing more fine graphite scales.

(7) pu. Pu, the ancients referred to stones containing jade. According to the characteristics of composition and occurrence, the skin of jade can be divided into three categories: colored skin, sugar skin and stone skin.

Color skin: refers to a layer of brownish red or brownish yellow jade skin distributed on the outer surface of Hetian jade. As mentioned above, jade skin has various colors, and the jade industry is also named after various colors, such as black skin and deerskin, which are mostly good materials for fine white jade. Jade of the same quality, such as autumn pears, is more valuable. The thickness of jade skin is very thin, generally less than1mm. Colored skin has a variety of shapes, some are cloud-shaped, some are pulse-shaped, and some are scattered. The formation of color skin is caused by the transformation of ferrous oxide in Hetian jade into ferric oxide under oxidation conditions, so it is secondary.

Sugar skin: refers to a layer of yellow-brown jade skin distributed on the surface of Hetian jade. Because the color is like brown sugar, sugar jade is called sugar jade. The interior of sugar jade is white jade or sapphire.

Stone skin: refers to the surrounding rock surrounded by the outer surface of Hetian jade mountain material.

Third, other traditional jade articles.

"Jade" in a broad sense includes not only jadeite jade and nephrite Xinjiang Hetian jade, but also other traditional jade, including: Nanyang jade, lantian jade, xiuyan jade, Jiuquan jade, agate, amber, crystal, coral, pine cone stone, malachite and lapis lazuli.

1, Nanyang Valley

Produced in Dushan, 8 kilometers north of Nanyang, Henan, also known as dushan jade. It is an altered gabbro, which mainly contains calcium silicate and aluminum silicate, and contains many mineral elements. Nanyang jadeite has a hardness of 6.0-6.5 and a specific gravity of 3.29, which is almost equal to that of jadeite, so some geologists abroad call it "Nanyang jadeite". The quality of Nanyang jade is mainly determined by color and transparency, and the best one is white, green and slightly transparent body. Fat as white as jade and green as jade, but few people are all green.

2. lantian jade

Produced in Anliantian, Xi 'an, it is metamorphic rock, in which the white and gray parts are marble, and the green belt is "vegetable jade", which is similar in nature to xiuyan jade, but the jade is not beautiful and of poor quality. Its hardness is about 4, and it is easy to process. Yukeng is located in Yuchuan Mountain behind Gongwangling, where the famous Lantian ape-man fossils were unearthed.

3. xiuyan jade

Referred to as "Xiuyu", it was named after it was produced in Xiuyan County, Liaoning Province. Its main mineral is serpentine with hardness of 2.5-5.5 and specific gravity of 2.5-2.8. It is fine and even in texture, with sufficient water head, but soft in essence. As far as materials are concerned, Hetian jade is the best, followed by Nanyang jade and xiuyan jade. Xiuyan jade now has the largest number of mines, with the same color as nephrite, and there are also differences in white, cyan, yellow, light yellow, pink, light green and emerald. In addition, jade is delicate in texture, translucent to opaque, waxy to greasy, so it is often sold as nephrite (Hetian jade) in the market.

4. Jiuquan Jade

Produced in the mountainous area near Jiuquan, Gansu Province, it is also called Qilian Mountain because of its name. Emerald is dark green with many black spots. Geological identification shows that the mineral is serpentine, which is the same as that of xiuyan jade, but the color of jade is easy to distinguish from that of xiuyan jade.

5.agate

It was called "Qiongyu" or "Chiyu" in ancient times. Its mineral is mainly cryptocrystalline chalcedony, with hardness of 6.5-7 and specific gravity of 2.65. Colors are white, gray, brown, red, blue, green and so on. Or mixed.

At this point, I think most people understand that among the "jade", of course, the sad emerald is the best, but the good goods are mainly distributed in Myanmar, rarely in China, and the quality is poor; Followed by Hetian jade, regardless of hardness, warmth and historical popularity, it ranks first, ranking first in nephrite. If hetian jade is selected as the national stone, it deserves it!

According to China's tradition, jade is human and can also support people, so it is called "psychic Baoyu". If a piece of jade is worn on a person for a long time, it will penetrate into people's blood, and the jade will become more and more moist. At the same time, jade can protect people from getting sick and even from sudden disasters.

If you wear gold and silver, it can only show that you are rich, but it will inevitably make people feel tacky (except for gold and silver ornaments that are of special significance to individuals, of course). If you wear a beautiful piece of jade, you have taste and human touch. In ancient times, "people of Yu Pei" was synonymous with noble people.

Moreover, a piece of jade is often unique, unique, especially the sub-material (landscape) of Hetian jade, which is unparalleled in the world. It is the result of natural ingenuity and thousands of years of wind blowing wipers. There can't be another piece of the same.

Therefore, today, when people are pursuing individuality, humanity, taste and cultural connotation, I advise you to abandon the stereotyped gold ornaments and expensive diamonds and wear a piece of white and moist Hetian jade.