Hetian jade is so expensive, first, because it is not as easy to get as imagined. Not everyone wants to pick it up, but it is even more difficult to find a flawless, complete and pure color Hetian jade. Second, because Hetian jade is pure in color and firm in texture, it has reached a completely different treasure phase; Third, it is because the processing of Hetian jade products needs to be carefully crafted. Because jade is hard, it is very difficult to process. It takes months or even longer to add a finished product, which greatly increases the cost of jade. The so-called "jade is not cut, not cut" is the truth.
Hetian jade is distributed in Kunlun Mountain in the south of Tarim Basin. It starts from Andari Tage and Alazi Mountain in the east of Tashkurgan County in Kashi region in the west, passes through Sangzhu Tage, Tiekeliketage and Liushitage in the south of Hotan region, and reaches Suramuningtag in the north wing of South Altun Mountain in Qiemo County in the east. Yulong Kashi River, the famous Baiyu River in ancient times. This river originates from Kunlun Mountain. After flowing into Tarim basin, it joins Karakash River to form Hotan River. The river is 325 kilometers long with many tributaries, with a drainage area of 1.45 million kilometers? This river is rich in white jade, sapphire and jet, and has been the main river producing jade in Hotan since ancient times. Yulong Kashi River and Karakash River produce the most jade, and the jade produced is the top grade and the best in Hetian jade. Most of the jade produced by Caracas River is sapphire, blue white jade, blue-and-white jade and jet, and a small amount of jasper and white jade is rare, and the quality and price of jade are far less than those produced by Yulong Kashi River.
Hetian jade seed material with good seed material can only be called a fine product if its appearance, whiteness, skin color and moisture are good.
Seed material is formed in the bed of Yulong Kashi River after thousands of years of continuous polishing and scouring. It is really hard to get a seed material with excellent appearance and few defects, and the price in the market is also very high. As the saying goes, it is not appropriate to use it on seed jade with beautiful material shape. If it exists, it can be carved into various exquisite devices, and the same thing can be done a lot. But for the beautiful seed material given by Yulong River, any one is just a piece, and it is reluctant to punch a hole. It is suggested that the original shape of seed materials should be preserved in the form of gold or silver. Natural without carving, it is a beautiful pendant. This well-shaped material is better than the masterpiece of any master.
Skin composition of seed material: Because skin-colored seed material has been formed for a long time, some valuable varieties, such as jujube skin red, black skin, autumn pear yellow, yellow wax skin, sprinkle gold, tiger skin, etc., are all from skin-colored seed material.
The skin components of seed jade can be divided into two types. One is trachoma pockmark primary skin: refers to the tiny trachoma whose epidermis is covered with skin pores, like uneven pockmark, which is divided into fine and thick. One is the original skin of Seqin: because some seed jade is infiltrated by other minerals in the river, not only the skin is smooth, but also many colors appear. Therefore, it is called "Seqin skin".
Hetian jade in Xinjiang has the following characteristics:
First of all, it is very delicate and feels like it.
There are two kinds of amphibole jade in the world: tremolite and actinolite. Hetian jade belongs to tremolite, and its mineral composition is tremolite. Main features: First, the tremolite content is extremely high, generally above 95%, of which white jade is 99%, aquamarine is 98%, and sapphire is 97%(95%-99%). There is a high content of tremolite in similar tremolite jade and hetian jade at home and abroad. Second, there are very few impurity minerals. Generally, it is 1%-3%, mostly around 1%. Third, the mineral particle size is extremely fine,
It is microcrystalline and aphanitic. Tremolite minerals are fibrous, needle-like and leaf-like under polarized light microscope, and long columnar and short columnar fibers under transmission electron microscope. According to the determination of some samples, the particle size under electron microscope is: short column 0.0046 mm× 0.00 13 mm, 0.0063 ram * 0.0036 ram, and the length-width ratio is 2: 1 or 3:1; The long columns are 0.0 1m× 0.0028 RAM, 0.004ram×0.0008mm, 0.012 ram, and the aspect ratio is 3: 1 or 5: L,10. The fiber is 0.0004 mm× 0.000021mm * 0.0021itlnl× 0.00007 ram, and the aspect ratio is 20: 1 or 30: 1. The fineness of particle size is also rare in similar tremolite jade at home and abroad. 4. Felt-like structure is typical, with uniform particle size and interwoven into carpet shape, which is an important reason for fine and dense texture. This structure is rare in other kinds of jade.
Second, the texture is delicate and moist.
Moistening like jade, moistening or oiling is one of the most important characteristics of Hetian jade. Texture is a comprehensive expression of jade, including shape, moisture, cracks, impurities and so on. Hetian jade has excellent texture because of its mineral composition and structural characteristics. It is manifested in the following aspects: First, because of its extremely fine particles and delicate texture, which is what the ancients called "fine chestnut color", it is beyond the reach of other jade. Second, it is moist, that is, it has the luster of oil (fat), giving people a moist and soft feeling. It is what the ancients called "moisturizing and nourishing". Sheep fat jade is famous all over the world for its moisturizing like sheep fat jade. Third, the transparency is moderate, that is, "good water head", slightly transparent, and the jade pieces cut out look watery and lively. Fourth, there are few impurities, some are flawless and consistent inside and outside. It is what the ancients said, "Defects don't cover up yoga, yoga doesn't cover up defects", or "You can know the truth from the appearance."
Third, the hardness is relatively high
Hardness is one of the important standards of jade quality. If the hardness is high, the grindability and brightness of jade will be good and it can be preserved for a long time. Therefore, hardness is an important index to distinguish low-grade and high-grade jade in the past. Generally speaking, high-grade jade has higher hardness, while low-grade jade has lower hardness. The hardness of Hetian jade is 6.5-6.9, which is similar to jadeite, but higher than serpentine jade (hardness is 2-6, generally about 4) and pyrophyllite (hardness is generally low, generally 2.5-4). Dushan jade and Hetian jade have similar hardness, but poor texture.
Fourth, it has great toughness.
Toughness is very important to jade. If it is tough, it is not easy to break, and it is wear-resistant, which is of great benefit to the artistic modeling and meticulous carving of jade. Toughness is impact hardness, and some hardness is very high. For example, the Mohs hardness of black diamond is 10, and the Mohs hardness of crystal is 7, but the impact hardness is low, and it will be broken after a dozen hits. Although the Mohs hardness of Hetian jade is not as high as that of diamond and crystal, its impact hardness is very high. According to the measurement, the compressive strength of Hetian jade is as high as 6 542 kg/cm2, that is to say, if Hetian jade is crushed, a pressure of about 6.5 tons per cm2 must be applied; Crushing steel requires only 4-5 tons of pressure.
Toughness is grinding hardness. Hetian jade belongs to tremolite jade, and its toughness is its characteristic. According to the toughness data of gemstones in the world, black diamond is 10, tremolite jade is 9, emerald, ruby and sapphire are 8, crystal and aquamarine are 7-7.5, olivine is 6, emerald is 5.5, topaz and moonstone are 5, opal is 3 and fluorite is 2. For example, the toughness of tremolite jade is 65,438+0,000, and the relative toughness of other jade or minerals is: jadeite 500, serpentine (such as xiuyan jade) 250, quartzite 65,438+00-20, quartz 5, corundum 2-3 and mica 2. It can be seen that the toughness of tremolite jade is the biggest among jade, which is the most important feature of Hetian jade and incomparable to other jade.
Five, solid color
The color of suet jade is very important for process identification, including hue, purity and strength. Jade has many colors, and people's pursuit of jade color varies with the times. For example, cyan was popular in the "three generations" in ancient China, white was popular in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and emerald was popular in the late Qing Dynasty. Hetian jade is basically the first four colors because of its low iron content, namely, white jade, sapphire, topaz and jet, and the varieties can be further divided, such as suet jade, white jade and sapphire in white jade. The amphibole jade in ultramafic rocks contains actinolite with high iron content and is basically green, that is, jasper.
Compared with other jades, the color of Hetian jade has the following main characteristics:
The first is pure color. The ancients said, "Yellow is like steamed chestnut, white is like cut fat, and black is like pure paint, which is called jade symbol."
Furthermore, there is suet jade, which is the unique beauty of Hetian jade. People call it "naked, body like coagulated fat, firm, clean and delicate, thick and moist, can nourish the heart, ward off evil spirits and avoid epidemics, and is beneficial to people and beautiful."
Secondly, there are jadeite original stones. Since ancient times, people have attached great importance to the original jade stone. Song, a scientist in the Ming Dynasty, said: "The jade in the garden is flawless, and the ancient emperors used it as a seal. The so-called priceless treasure is hard to come by. Those who are five or six inches flawless are treated with a cup of heron and have become treasures. "
The skin of Hetian jade can be divided into three types according to its characteristics: color skin, sugar skin and stone skin.
Color skin is a thin yellow-brown or brown skin (about 1 mm thick) on the skin of jade, which is caused by oxidation. From the skin color, we can see the quality of jade, such as autumn pear, tiger skin and deerskin. And it is often the finest white jade.
Sugar jade has a thick skin, such as brown sugar color, and this kind of jade is often found in Qiemo jade mine, including white jade or sapphire. Stone skin is surrounded by stony surrounding rocks, and jade can only be obtained after removing the surrounding rocks. For example, Heshibi is "a treasure that can be obtained by managing its skin."
Six, beautiful voice
The sound made by jade after being hit is an important attribute of ancient jade identification. Jade chimes made of Hetian jade make a crisp and long sound when struck, such as the sound of golden bells, which never rises again, and the lingering sound is deep and long, and slowly ends. This is what Yu Dezhong said: "If you knock this sound, it will be clear and long, and you will die." This feature is beyond the reach of other non-amphibole jade.
Seven, the scope of efficacy
Ancient medical books say that "jade is the beauty of stone, sweet, flat and non-toxic", and it is considered that jade is the most abundant substance in human body. Jade is not only used as jewelry, ornaments and decorations, but also for keeping fit. Since ancient times, emperors and concubines of past dynasties did not need jade for health preservation, while Song Huizong loved jade, while Yang Guifei used jade to relieve summer heat, and jade was a brain pillow. Ancient emperors liked to use jade as pillows, and the long-lived emperors in ancient China also used jade pillows for a long time.
The ancient medical classics Huangdi Neijing, Tang Materia Medica, Shennong Materia Medica and Compendium of Materia Medica all claim that Hetian jade can "nourish yin and replenish qi, strengthen kidney yang, remove middle heat, relieve annoyance, moisten heart and lungs, help voice and throat, nourish hair, nourish five internal organs, soothe the nerves, dredge blood vessels and clear eyes and ears".
Jade can not only beautify people's lives and cultivate people's temperament, but also cure diseases and keep peace. Its products are directly used for fitness and health care: jade pillow, jade cushion, fitness ball, massager, walking stick and jade comb, with the effects of skin care, sedation and tranquilization. Long-term use will refresh you and prolong your life. Hetian jade is made of gas, which can be breathed and exhaled. If it is aimed at acupoints, it can stimulate meridians and dredge viscera. It can be spontaneous and quickly combined with human body temperature. It is located on the back of people's wrists and has an "old age point". Wearing jade bracelets often can get a long-term benign massage, which can not only get rid of the blurred vision of the elderly, but also store vitality and nourish the spirit.
Laobingyang
2065438+April 26, 2006