The common types of jade in modern times mainly include ornaments for jewelry, handicrafts for display, health care products, some practical utensils for preventing and treating diseases, and ritual vessels with no strong class color. In addition to inheriting some traditions, decorative patterns have contemporary characteristics and are more concise and lively as a whole. Except for flowers and handicrafts, most of them are plain jade without lines.
1, ornaments
Modern jade jewelry decorations mainly include jade bracelets, Yu Pei, necklaces, earrings and bracelets.
Jade bracelets: most of them are round plain bracelets, but some are complex bracelets, oval bracelets (jade bracelets with noble women's eggs), soft-faced jade bracelets and a few arm bracelets with large inner diameters. Modern jade bracelets are well polished, and most of them have no decorative patterns, thus showing the natural color and beauty of jade. Jade bracelet is the most important kind of modern jewelry and jade, and it is also the most common jade in jewelry and jade shops. Jade is mainly jadeite, jadeite, dushan jade, agate, quartzite jade, nephrite and plum blossom jade. Especially in Xiuyu.
Necklace: Necklaces made of jadeite are mainly round beads, and the shapes of the beads vary greatly. The connection and collocation methods are diverse and the materials are extensive. Most of them are casual long chains that young people like now. Necklaces made of high-grade jadeite, such as good jadeite, are mainly round beads.
Necklaces are usually classified according to different lengths, that is, 36cm and 42cm are called short necklaces; 42cm is called princess necklace, also called "standard necklace"; 54cm is called morning necklace, 7lcm is called dress necklace, 107cm and 142cm are called long necklaces.
Accessories: modern Yu Pei accessories, including accessories hanging on the chest and jade accessories worn on the belt.
At present, men's more popular waist ornaments are belt buckles on their belts, which are often made into ferocious animal heads, commonly known as "ghost heads". One is decoration, and the other reflects the consciousness of avoiding evil in ancient jade culture.
There are many kinds of accessories hanging on your chest. There are Jade Goddess of Mercy, Jade Buddha, Chinese Zodiac, Longevity Lock, Jade Heart, Jade Scar, Jade Buckle and Jade Brand (also called Flower Piece), all of which have different shapes and are engraved with various traditional auspicious patterns. Jade buckle has the widest adaptability. Jade buckle, also known as jade money, is very similar to ancient jade except that both sides of the side gradually taper, the middle is curved and convex, and the light is flat. Jade buckle is suitable for anyone to wear, including men, women and children, but there are some differences in size.
Earrings or earrings: Jade earrings are usually cut into the shape of water drops, ovals, jade buttons, etc., and made of gold, silver or other metals. Emerald is more common, as well as agate, Australian jade, turquoise, malachite and other jadeites.
Ring: There are two kinds of jade rings. One is the whole circle of jade, plain color circle, plain color circle with saddle surface. The most common ones are pockmarked and Xiuyu jade, and some of them are jade. The other, which is also the main one, is to make the jade ring face into oval, olive, square, round, saddle and other shapes, and put it on a metal (mostly gold) ring holder to make the ring. At present, the latter jade ring is more common in gold shops, and jade is the most common. You can also see a ring with white stone (opal), amethyst, turquoise, malachite, lapis lazuli and so on.
Bracelet: Jade bracelets are made of agate, Hu Qingshi and other jade beads, mostly in the form of "eighteen sons". In addition to decoration, it also takes its ancient meaning of avoiding evil and eliminating disasters. In addition, similar to rings, jade bracelets can also be made of a variety of jade materials into a small "ring face", and many lines are set on the gold chain bracket to make a gold-inlaid jade bracelet, which is more beautiful.
2. Show handicrafts
This jade is divided into two parts. Some of them are antique traditional jade articles, which are innovative in imitation, such as fuming furnace, flower arrangement, tripod, screen, flowers, birds, insects, fish, animals, ladies, Buddha statues and so on.
The other part is innovative works, which are rich in materials, creative themes, modeling and carving techniques, reflecting the characteristics of the times. There are large round carved mountains, exquisite agate products and various lifelike jade carvings. It is the mainstream of contemporary jade carving technology to express a more appropriate theme with the quality and color of different jade species.
3, health jade
Modern health jade articles usually include jade pillows, jade fitness balls and jade massagers.
Jade pillow: There are generally two kinds of jade pillows. One is to make a jade pillow by weaving jade beads into a neat and densely arranged net, and then sewing them on a flannel the size of a pillow towel. The other is to cut the jade into many flat cylinders with a diameter of 2-3 cm, then carve a circle of grooves in the middle of the cylinders parallel to the upper and lower surfaces, cut out neatly arranged holes on a piece of flannel with a big pillow towel, and embed the jade pieces into the holes of the flannel one by one to make the jade pillow. When the jade pillow is placed on the common sleeping pillow, it can directly erode the head and produce medical and health care effects. The jade materials used are serpentine jade, aquamarine jade and nephrite.
Jade Fitness Ball: The simplest shape is two polished jade balls of the same size. Hold it in your hand and keep exercising, which is good for your health. There are also a pair of jade fitness balls or a pair of three small balls. The jade materials used in the jade fitness ball include serpentine jade, crane jade, wood grain jade and marble.
Jade Massager: In recent years, there have been many jade massagers on the market, which are similar in appearance to the ink roller used for mimeograph, but the handle and rolling part are all made of jade, and of course they are much smaller. When in use, just hold the handle and roll it up and down or left and right on the face, temples and neck, which can play the role of massage, health care and beauty.
4. Practical utensils
Practical jade articles mainly include wine vessels, tea sets, coffee vessels and smoking utensils such as pipes and cigarette holders, as well as seals and Wen Zhen. Its surface is bright and simple, and its shapes are varied. Wine sets are mostly made into four sets of wine glasses with different shapes and a wine bottle with a stopper or a hip flask with a lid. The tea set is also composed of four sets of teacups and a teapot with a lid. There are usually two forms of teacups, one is a single cup in various forms, and the other is to cover the bowl with tea, that is, the cover bowl consists of three pieces, a bowl and a chassis, and four pairs are a set. This kind of practical jade is mostly made of middle and low-grade large jade because of its many materials, large size and many accessories. Such as serpentine jade, beeswax topaz, jasper, quartzite, dushan jade and marble.
As can be seen from the above, the shape of modern jade is much simpler than that of ancient jade, and its use is mainly concentrated on decoration and health care; Sculpture and ornamentation pay more attention to simplicity and generosity, highlighting the true colors and beauty of jade.