Color discrimination:
Distinguish the quality of a piece of jade depends on its color, and the color should look good. At present, the most pleasing color is bright green (green tender). Although the top grade color is dark green, it is too dark and makes people feel too dull, so the top grade dark green is not as high as bright green in price. The uniformity of color is also proportional to the numerical value. The price difference between the whole piece of green jade and only some green jade is several figures; The distribution position of color also has a great relationship. A little green in the conspicuous place is naturally more pleasing to the eye than the green distributed on the edge.
Sensory touch:
Emerald is dense, and different densities will have different feelings. For example, Hetian jade: Hetian jade is denser than ordinary jade and will be heavier. It feels cold and greasy. Like hetian jade in your hand, it feels a little oily. When you push it by hand, you will feel that the oil is pushed away and there is some resistance. Fake jade does not have these characteristics, so white people must pay more attention.
Observation of light:
Light observation, that is, observing the transparency, has a great influence on the value of jade. Transparent jade gives people a cool feeling, while opaque jade, no matter how green and tender the color, gives people a dull feeling and lacks vivid aesthetic feeling. Generally, transparent jade is called "glass seed", translucent jade is called "ice seed" or "Guanyin seed", and opaque jade is called "hibiscus seed" or "taro seed". If you observe jade in light and sunlight, you will find that the internal structure of jade is natural and orderly, and it looks very comfortable. The arrangement of artificial jade is not so beautiful, and there are obvious artificial traces, and some even have bubbles inside.
Shape comparison:
Unlike other precious stones, jadeite is valued by weight. The value of jade mainly lies in its shape, size and thickness. The bigger and thicker the jade, the more valuable it is. On the contrary, the price of small and thin jadeite will be worse. In addition, its shape is also very important, because most people in China buy jade with the psychology of seeking good fortune and avoiding evil. If the shape of jade has the shape of a badge, such as fish (more than one year), peach (longevity) and coin (wealth), it will attract buyers and sellers more than ordinary flowers and plants.
Look at the structure:
Observing the meat next to the seed material, the skin color of the true seed material will have a little transitional color next to the meat, which can only be seen by observing the cross section. True seed material has a very important feature. Pores and skin color will extend to the nearby meat like nails, and nail lines can be observed in the cross section. Different jade has its own unique structure. For example, Hetian jade is a cotton-wool structure, which can be observed with a strong flashlight or a magnifying glass. The structure of fake jade is usually very neat or invisible. ?
Listen to the voice:
Listening to the sound is a very simple way to identify jade. Hang the thread with jade and beat it with hard objects. Natural jade will make a metallic sound, crisp and pleasant, with a melodious aftertaste; The knock of fake jade is generally flat. But listening to the sound is limited to old players, and it is difficult for novices to distinguish the authenticity of jade by sound.
Specific gravity:
Generally, natural jade feels heavier because of its high density. It feels like falling when you hold it in your hand, which is a little stressful, such as jade and hetian jade, and many fake jadeites will be lighter. If it is a fine jade, it will feel cold and lubricated if you touch or rub your cheeks with your hands.
Classification of water grade of jadeite seeds;
The moisture content of jade seed is glass seed, ice seed, waxy seed, bean seed, jelly seed, waxy ice seed and hibiscus seed.
Glass type:
Glass is the highest quality jade, as transparent as glass. Glass jadeite has no impurities, high transparency, shiny appearance and is very beautiful. It is a rare variety of jadeite.
Types of ice:
Ice jadeite is second only to glass jadeite, and its transparency is also very high, but this kind of jadeite is prone to impurity cotton, which affects the overall aesthetic feeling to some extent. Kethleen, like ice, has a strong luster; It is also a first-class jade.
Waxy species:
The quality of waxy seeds is relatively general, and the transparency is weak and insufficient. The gloss of the appearance is much weaker, and the quality is far less than that of jadeite and ice jadeite in glass. However, as a jewelry pendant, this grade of jadeite has a very good impression, and there are also many sales in the market.
Bean seeds:
The quality of bean seeds is poor and the water transparency of seeds is weak. Its permeability is relatively poor, and it is difficult to display even in places with sufficient light; There are a lot of impurity cotton in its internal structure, which affects the overall appearance, so this quality is also the cheapest among jadeites.
High ice species:
The bottom is slightly cotton, and the cleanliness of the bottom is not as good as that of glass, but it will also have obvious glass luster and fluorescence after polishing.
Jelly seeds:
Looks like jelly, the most obvious feature is full of glue, which is called gluing in the industry. You can't see cotton in the jelly with naked eyes, but it's best not to fluoresce.
Types of waxy ice:
The transparency is close to the ice seed, and the jade bottom is a little cloudy. It is translucent, its internal structure is hazy, and cotton wool has melted in it.
Hibiscus species:
The color of hibiscus jade is mostly light green, which makes people shine.
Jade is divided into narrow sense jade and broad sense jade.
In a narrow sense. It is divided into nephrite and jadeite, nephrite is the most representative, and its main component is calcium magnesium silicate. Jadeite is the most representative jadeite, and its main component is sodium aluminosilicate.
Broadly speaking. Refers to beautiful stones, including jadeite, hetian jade, dushan jade, turquoise, diamonds, agate and other natural minerals.
Nursing methods of jade:
1. Jade should avoid sun exposure, because strong sunlight will increase the molecular volume of jade, thus affecting the texture and color of jade.
2. Avoid collision with hard objects. Although jade has high hardness, it is easy to crack after being hit. Sometimes, although cracks can't be seen by naked eyes, the molecular structure of jade surface has been destroyed and dark cracks appear, which greatly damages its perfection and economic value.
3. Avoid chemicals With the progress and development of social life, more and more chemicals are used in daily life, which will bring certain damage to jade, such as various detergents, soaps, pesticides, cosmetics, perfumes and hairdressing agents. If you accidentally touch it, wipe it clean in time to avoid damaging the jade.
4. Avoid dust and oil pollution as much as possible. If there is dust or dirt in daily jade articles, it is advisable to clean them with a soft brush (toothbrush); If dirt or oil stains are attached to the jade surface, it should be washed with light soapy water first, and then washed with clear water. Do not use chemical degreasers.
5. It is best to wipe the pendant with a clean and soft white cloth, and it is not advisable to use dyed cloth or fibrous hard cloth. This helps to keep and maintain the original materials.
6. Newly bought jade articles should also be soaked in clear water for several hours, cleaned with a soft brush (toothbrush), and then dried with a clean cotton cloth before wearing.
7. Yu Pei and other ornaments, pay attention to whether the tether is firm. Check the tether frequently and replace it every 1-2 years to prevent the beloved baby from being lost or damaged.
8. Wash jade articles regularly. It is usually cleaned once in a while. After cleaning according to the above method, wipe it with dry cloth until it is shiny.
History of jade development:
Prehistoric period.
(1) Xinglongwa Culture before 6000 BC.
Xinglongwa Culture was named after its first discovery in Xinglongwa Village, Baoguotu Township, Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. About 8000 years ago, jade articles such as Yu Jun, Yu Fu and Yu Chan were unearthed.
(2) Chahai culture before 5500 BC
Chahai Site is located about 2.5 kilometers southwest of Fuxin City, Liaoning Province, with an existing area of 1 1,000 square meters. Yufu and other cultural relics were excavated.
(3) Hemudu culture in the Yangtze River valley of China before 5000 BC.
Hemudu culture is an ancient and colorful Neolithic culture in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley in China. 1973, first discovered in Hemudu, Yuyao, Zhejiang, hence the name. Mainly distributed in Ningshaoping Plain and Zhoushan Island on the south bank of Hangzhou Bay. According to scientific methods, it dates from 5000 BC to 3300 BC. Jade articles unearthed in this period include yellow, jun, tube, pearl, cake, pill, pendant and so on. Most of them are trinkets. At that time, due to people's lack of experience in making jade articles, jade cutting tools were incomplete, artistic appreciation was low, and the production was not standardized. Generally, only polishing is used, and the shape of the device is relatively simple, and most of the device bodies are not decorated.
(4) Majiabin culture in 4000 BC.
Majiabang culture named after Majiabang site in Jiaxing County, Zhejiang Province is completely different from Hemudu culture not far away. The ancestors made jade, which was round and had gaps around it, and was put in the ears as a decoration for women. Later, jade yellow appeared. Jade sulfur is semi-annular, with small holes drilled at both ends, which can be tied to the chest as an ornament. It can be speculated that our ancestors had a hazy sense of love for beauty at that time.
⑤ Dawenkou culture in 4000 BC.
Dawenkou culture is a Neolithic culture. It was named after Dawenkou Site in Tai 'an City, Shandong Province. At this time, all kinds of jade articles were found in the tombs, mostly production tools and decorations.
(6) Songze culture before 3800 BC
Songze culture is about 5800-4900 years ago, which belongs to the transitional stage from matriarchal society to paternal society in Neolithic age. It was named after its first discovery in Songze Village, Qingpu District, Shanghai. Jade wares in the early period of Songze culture basically continued the style of jade wares in the late period of Majiabang culture, and the shapes seen were still monotonous, mainly Jun and Huang, but new shapes such as Yuyue, which broke through the decorative category, were occasionally seen.
(7) Liangzhu culture from 3300 BC to 2000 BC.
The Liangzhu site discovered by 1936 is a Neolithic cultural type distributed in the Taihu Lake Basin in southeastern China, with the most densely distributed sites in the northeast, east and southeast of the Taihu Lake Basin. The biggest feature of this cultural site is the unearthed jade. The jades unearthed from tombs include jade, jade, jade, jade, jade, jade bracelet, jade tube, jade bead, jade pendant, cylindrical jade, conical jade, jade belt, jade ring and so on. The jade articles of Liangzhu culture reached the peak of prehistoric culture in China, with a large number, rich varieties and exquisite carving, ranking first among the tribes with jade traditions in China and even the Pacific Rim at the same time. And its profound historical and cultural connotation has brought infinite reverie to the world.
(8) Hongshan Culture before 3000 BC.
Hongshan Culture remains were first discovered in 192 1. 1935 excavation of Hongshan Hou site in Chifeng, Jehol, 1956 proposed the name of Hongshan Culture. A large number of jade articles, mostly animal models, have been unearthed in Hongshan Culture. The most representative jade in Hongshan Culture is the "C"-shaped jade dragon unearthed from the Hongshan Culture site of "Sanxingtala" in Wengniute Banner, Inner Mongolia, which is known as "the second righteous dragon in China".
(9) Xipo site before 3000 BC (late Yangshao culture)
Xipo site is located in the settlement site group of Lingbao Huangdi Zhudingyuan, which is the earliest batch of jade unearthed in the middle reaches of the Yellow River.
(10) Shijiahe Culture in 2600 BC
Shijiahe culture is about 4600-4000 years ago. It was named after its discovery in shihe town, Tianmen City, Hubei Province. Shijiahe culture has attracted much attention because of its exquisite jade unearthed. Jade head, jade eagle, jade tiger head and jade cicada belong to the essence of Shijiahe culture jade. These jades are small in size, light in weight, simple in decoration and fine in workmanship.
(1 1) Qijia culture in 2200 BC
Qijia culture is a late Neolithic culture centered on Gansu, China, which was discovered by archaeologist An Tesheng in 1924.
Pre-Qin era.
(1) Xia Dynasty
Many ancient documents reflect that Xia Dynasty was a country that advocated jade civilization. Erlitou, Yanshi, Henan Province was the capital of the late Xia Dynasty. The previously known Erlitou culture jade is the representative form of Xia Dynasty jade. The main types of jade articles are production tools, such as Yufu, Jade Shovel and Yucheng. Ornaments include tubes, beads, tin-shaped vessels, turquoise ornaments and steel plaques inlaid with turquoise animal faces; The ritual vessels include Ge, Uranium, Gui, Dao, Tooth Bay and handle ornaments.
(2) Shang Dynasty
Jade in Shang dynasty, Shang dynasty was a unified multi-ethnic centralized country. Its patriarchal clan system is very complete, and jade has become a treasure monopolized by emperors. There are many kinds of jade, besides religious objects, there are tools, daily necessities, ornaments, furnishings and so on. Among these varieties, ritual vessels and round carved figures are the most precious, such as Yu Zhang, Yu Cong and Yu Bi. And character carving is the most important. Round carved animals and containers, second only to jade carved figures, also have great collection value. Because the carving of figures and animals is difficult and has realistic artistic characteristics, it can reflect some social features at that time.
(3) Zhou Dynasty
While inheriting the double-line sketch technique of Yin and Shang jade articles, the Western Zhou jade articles created the carving technique of carving jade with thick slope lines or thin yinxian lines, which shone brightly on bird-shaped jade knives and animal-faced jade ornaments. On the whole, however, the jade articles of the Western Zhou Dynasty are not as lively and diverse as those of the Shang Dynasty, but a little rigid and too formal. This is also related to the strict patriarchal clan system and etiquette system in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, political princes competed for hegemony, academic schools contended, culture and art blossomed, and jade carving art was colorful, comparable to the Greek and Roman stone carving art in the Mediterranean basin at that time.
During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the royal family and various princes regarded jade as the embodiment of themselves (gentlemen) for their own interests. They wear jade ornaments and flaunt themselves as benevolent gentlemen with "virtue". "If a gentleman has no reason, jade will not go." Every scholar-bureaucrat has a series of jade ornaments from head to toe, especially the Yu Pei series at the waist is more complicated. Therefore, Yu Pei was particularly developed at that time. A large number of Yu Pei with dragons, phoenixes and tigers can embody the spirit of the times, showing S-shape, full of dynamic beauty, with strong Chinese style and national characteristics. There are hidden valley lines in the pattern, hollowing out techniques, and applying single-yinxian hook lines or double-yinxian leaf lines on the ground, which is saturated and harmonious. The jade ornaments on the head of the snake and the arched head of the parrot reflect the level of jade carving and Yu Pei in the Spring and Autumn Period.
Yu Pei unearthed from the tomb of Zeng Houyi in Hubei Province and Dahuangpei unearthed from Guwei Village in Huixian County, Henan Province, all made a complete Yu Pei with several pieces of jade, which was the most difficult craft in Yu Pei during the Warring States Period. Jade belt hook and jade sword ornament (jade sword) are new jade articles at this time.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Hetian jade was imported into the Central Plains in large quantities, and royal princes competed to choose Hetian jade. The hanging jade lamps collected in the Forbidden City are standard Hetian jade. At this time, Confucian scholars combined the study of etiquette with Hetian jade, and used Hetian jade to embody etiquette thought.
In order to adapt to the rulers' love for Hetian jade, the traditional Confucian concepts of benevolence, wisdom, righteousness, propriety, joy, loyalty, faithfulness, heaven, earth and virtue are compared with the physical and chemical properties of Hetian jade, and then the theory that "a gentleman is better than jade" is produced. Jade has five virtues, nine virtues and eleven virtues. "Extract the attributes of jade, endow it with philosophical thoughts and conduct moral education; Arrange the shape of jade, endow it with yin and yang thoughts, and make it religious; Compared with the scale of jade, give it a rank and politicize it. " (Guo Baojun's New Interpretation of Ancient Jade) is a highly theoretical summary of the study of etiquette and jade at that time. This is the theoretical basis for the enduring jade carving art in China, and it is the spiritual pillar of China people's 7,000-year-old jade-loving fashion.
Qin jade unearthed in the Qin Dynasty is rare. Qin Yu's artistic outlook also depends on the new discoveries of underground archaeology. Han dynasty.
Jade in Han dynasty inherited the essence of jade carving in Warring States and continued to develop, laying the basic pattern of Chinese jade culture. Jade articles in Han Dynasty can be divided into four categories: ritual jade, burial jade, decorative jade and display jade. Buried jade and displayed jade can best reflect the characteristics and carving technology level of jade in Han Dynasty. There were many funerals of jade articles in Han Dynasty, but the craft level was not high. It is the display jade that reflects the craft level of jade in Han Dynasty. These realistic furnishings include jade galloping horse, jade bear, jade eagle, jade exorcism and so on. Most of them are round carvings or high relief works, which embodies the bold artistic style of the Han Dynasty. The decorative jade of the royal family in Han dynasty tends to decline, so be careful with the shape, jade and jade. Wait a minute. In recent years, a large number of decorative jade articles have been unearthed in Nanyue State of Han Dynasty living in Lingnan. Dragon and tiger jade belt hooks and hollowed-out dragon and phoenix jade collars are the most exquisite, which can be called rare treasures. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the revival of yinxian printmaking prevailed, and the interest in painting was strengthened.
In the history of jade craft in China, the Three Kingdoms, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties was a low tide in the high development of jade in Han and Tang Dynasties, and few jade articles were unearthed, all of which had the charm of Han Dynasty. Only Yuhuan and Yuzhan have made innovations. The reason is that I didn't like cutting jade at that time, but it was popular to eat jade. Under the influence of immortal thought and Taoist alchemy, it is crazy to find and eat jade. The etiquette concept of early jade art value disappeared at this time.
The famous jade articles in Sui Dynasty include the golden buckle white jade lamp unearthed from Li's tomb, which is exquisite in production, warm in texture, soft in luster, rich and elegant with golden jade as a foil.
Although the number of jade articles in the Tang Dynasty is small, the jade articles you see are all treasures, and the polishing process is very sophisticated. Jade artisans in Tang Dynasty drew artistic nutrition from painting, sculpture and western region art; Carve jade articles in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. The eight-petal jade cup and the animal-headed agate cup are not only the true portrayal of the jade carving art in the Tang Dynasty, but also the physical witness of the cultural exchange between China and the West.
The 274-year period from 960 AD to 1234 AD was a period of confrontation and division among Song, Liao and Jin in the history of China. Although the Song Dynasty was not a powerful dynasty, it was an important period in the cultural history of China. Song, Liao and Jin attacked each other, traded with each other, had close economic and cultural exchanges, and jade art flourished. Song Huizong and Evonne's addiction to jade, the rise of epigraphy, the development of meticulous painting, the prosperity of urban economy and the tendency of realism and secularization all directly or indirectly promoted the unprecedented development of jade articles in Song, Liao and Jin Dynasties. The practical and decorative jades in Song, Liao and Jin dynasties occupy an important position, with the "ceremony" greatly reduced and the "play" flavor greatly increased, which makes the jades closer to real life. The Jade Lotus Cup in the Southern Song Dynasty, the flower-shaped carving of Yu Pei in the Northern Song Dynasty, the "Spring Water Jade" and "Autumn Mountain Jade" by Nuzhen and Qidan are all representative works representing the level of jade carving in this period.
Jade articles in Yuan Dynasty inherited the artistic style of Song and Jin Dynasties and adopted the technique of sudden appearance. Their typical artifacts are profaning mountains and seas, performing arts according to shapes, and sea animals roaming in stormy waves, which are quite heroic.
The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the heyday of jade in China, and the beauty of jade quality, exquisite craftsmanship, abundant shapes, numerous works and wide applications were unprecedented. In Ming and Qing dynasties, the royal family loved jade, and Emperor Qianlong spared no effort to advocate it, trying to find a basis for his love of jade in theory. The Ming dynasty jade seal unearthed in Dingling, the chrysanthemum petal-shaped jade plate in Qing dynasty and the jade carving of Tongyin ladies are all imperial jade. At that time, private jade shops were very prosperous, and Suzhou Zhuxiang was the center of jade carving in Ming Dynasty. Although Liang Yu gathered in the capital, he skillfully pushed Suzhou County. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, jade articles were varied, tea and wine prevailed, and antique jade articles emerged one after another. Jade articles in Ming and Qing Dynasties draw lessons from painting, carving and craft, and draw lessons from traditional jade carving techniques such as positive line, negative line, flat convex, hidden, convex, hollowing out, three-dimensional, pretty color and ancient burning, which make their works reach a perfect artistic realm.
After tens of thousands of years of continuous development, through the interpretation and beautification of countless craftsmen, rulers and connoisseurs, as well as etiquette scholars, Chinese jade has finally become a supernatural object, and jade has become an indispensable spiritual sustenance in life. In the treasure house of ancient art in China, jade has been enduring for thousands of years since the Neolithic Age. Jade is also closely related to people's lives. Jade has been deeply integrated into the traditional culture and customs of China, playing a special role, playing an irreplaceable role in other arts and crafts, being branded with politics, religion, morality and value, and being covered with a mysterious veil that is difficult to uncover.