Jewelry and jade are the general names of precious stones and jade. Common jades include nephrite, jadeite, serpentine jade, plagioclase jade, turquoise jade and seasonal jade. The so-called nephrite and jadeite are distinguished according to Mohs hardness, and their Mohs hardness is 6-6.5 and 6.5-7 respectively, both of which are substances with higher hardness in nature, because the Mohs hardness of iron is only 4-5.
Nephrite and jadeite are represented by Hetian jade and jadeite. China is rich in Hetian jade, which has a long history and can be traced back to the origin of Chinese civilization 5,000 years ago or even earlier. Emerald is mainly produced in Myanmar, and it rose much later in China, starting from the late18th century.
The geological processes of jade formation in nature mainly include magmatism, sedimentation and metamorphism. These include:
The main jade varieties produced in magmatic rocks are agate and chalcedony.
The jade varieties produced in sedimentary rocks mainly include opal and turquoise.
Jade varieties produced in metamorphic rocks mainly include Hetian jade, jadeite, Xiuyu jade, dushan jade, malachite and Hu Qingshi.
The quality of Hetian jade is the best in the world among nephrite. In ancient times, it has always been one of the jade varieties sought after by elites and collectors. Its moist and delicate jade is impressive and unforgettable.
Because of its variety, long use time and wide influence, jade participated in many aspects of politics and life in the development of ancient China, and was endowed with profound cultural connotations.
Jade is an important part of China traditional culture. Jade culture, with jade as the central carrier, deeply influenced the ideas of the ancients and became an indispensable part of China culture.
Jade culture contains patriotic national integrity, unity and friendship, selfless dedication, honesty and integrity.
According to the types of jewelry and jade, different jewelry and jade are used as the representatives of December birthstone in the international gem circle, giving them different meanings. Constellation stone originated from western fairy tales, and the twelve constellations correspond to the precious stones or jade represented respectively.
The phrase "start with the face value and be loyal to the quality" is very suitable for jade. Jade is gorgeous in color, unique in optical effect, formed under harsh geological conditions, delicate in texture and mysterious in charm. Produced on snow-capped mountains, it has been regarded as the embodiment of the essence of heaven and earth since ancient times.
The luster of jade is one of the factors of the beauty of jade, and it is the first intuitive feeling that jade works present to people. Among them, the glass luster of jadeite and chalcedony, the silk luster of tiger's eye and malachite, the oily luster of Hetian jade and the waxy luster of turquoise are all extremely aesthetic artistic elements.
In order to find these beautiful and mysterious jade, the ancients climbed mountains and mountains, avoiding the heavy and avoiding the light. According to the ancient book "Shan Hai Jing", there are nearly 100 jade producing areas found in the pre-Qin period.
After time, the four famous jade in China are xiuyan jade in Liaoning, Nanyang jade in Henan, lantian jade in Shaanxi and Hetian jade in Xinjiang.
Jade, widely admired by Chinese people, has become a beautiful symbol with infinite reverie. Li Shangyin, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem:
Mermaids shed pearl-like tears on the moon-green sea, and the blue fields breathed their jade to the sun.
End of the full text. Gong Z will share Appreciation of Hetian Meiyu in the next issue.