Sugar-colored Hetian jade is jade with brown sugar, with different shades of sugar. From light yellow, dark yellow, yellow brown, brown, reddish brown to brown sugar, it is formed on the periphery of Hetian jade, blue white jade and mountain materials.
In addition, sugar jade also has advantages and disadvantages. In the high-quality sugar-colored Hetian jade, the boundary between white and sugar-colored is clearly visible, white is pure and flawless, and no sugar is poured into it; The sugar color is delicate and deep, shiny and visible, without black impurities, white cotton spots and other impurities. The sugar color of first-class Hetian jade is still the best among Russian sugar jade.
Extended data
Features of Hetian jade:
1, texture
Texture is a comprehensive expression of jade, including shape, moisture, cracks, impurities and so on. The mineral composition of Hetian jade determines its excellent texture:
(1) Because of its extremely fine particles, its texture is very delicate, which is what the ancients called "fine chestnut", which is beyond the reach of other jade.
(2) warm and humid. It is oily luster, giving people a moist and soft feeling. The ancients called it "moist and shiny", and sheep fat jade is famous for moistening jade like sheep fat.
(3) Moderate transparency. That is, the "good head" is slightly transparent. The carved jade pieces look watery and lively.
(4) Very few impurities. Some of them are perfect and consistent inside and outside, which is what the ancients said, "flaws don't cover up Yu, yoga doesn't cover up flaws", or "cheeks can learn from others."
2. Difficulties
Hardness is one of the important signs to identify Hetian jade, which refers to the ability of minerals to resist the invasion of external mechanical forces (such as carving, pressing and grinding). ) Mohs hardness commonly used in gemology refers to engraving hardness. In the jewelry industry, hardness is generally regarded as an important symbol to distinguish gems from jade.
The hardness of gemstones is generally above 7 Mohs, and the hardness of jade is generally 4-7 Mohs. Hardness below 4 Mohs is usually called colored stone or carved stone. High hardness and good polishing performance can make jade shine and facilitate long-term storage. The Mohs hardness of Hetian jade is determined to be 6.5-6.9, and the hardness is relatively large, with slight differences among different varieties. Generally speaking, the hardness of sapphire is slightly greater than that of white jade.
3. Toughness
Toughness is usually the inherent bonding ability of jade, that is, the ability to resist external pressure or crushing force. Toughness is characterized by hard fracture and wear resistance. Nephrite has great toughness, which other jadeites do not have, and can be used as a fine workmanship.
The great toughness of Hetian jade is inseparable from its unique felt-like structure. Toughness is not easy to break, but also wear-resistant, which is of great benefit to the artistic modeling and fine carving of jade, and is an important factor for Hetian jade to be listed as a group of jade.
4. Transparency
Transparency is the degree to which jade allows visible light to pass, which is mainly related to the absorption of light by jade. Mineralogy is generally divided into three types: transparent, translucent and opaque. To identify the transparency, we should polish the jade and see through other objects under a certain thickness, which can be divided into four levels: transparent body, Translucence, Micro-transparent body and Non-transparent body. Hetian jade belongs to micro-transparent body. Under the general enterprising degree, you can penetrate the light, but you can't see the object clearly.
Generally speaking, high transparency is also called sufficient water head. Although the water head is enough to set off the texture and color of jade, not all jade with high transparency is good. Hetian jade belongs to translucent-slightly transparent body in general thickness. Although it can penetrate the light, it can't see the object clearly. This transparency enhances the moist feeling of Hetian jade luster, so Hetian jade ware should not be cut too thin when carving.
5. Notes
Gloss is the ability of jade to reflect light. Hetian jade luster belongs to oily luster, which is very soft, neither thick nor light, that is, there is no crystal inspiration of strong light, nor wax texture of weak light. The ancients called Hetian jade "moist", that is, its luster is oily and gives people a moist feeling, especially the suet jade in Hetian jade, which is famous for its moist luster like suet.
Gloss is an important basis for evaluating the texture of Hetian jade. Generally, people who are glossy and oily have higher value, while those who are dry and moist have lower value.
6. sound
The sound made by jade after being hit is an important attribute of ancient jade identification.
Jade chimes made of Hetian jade give off a crisp and long sound when struck, such as the sound of a golden bell, which never rises again, with a deep lingering sound and slowly fades away. This is what Yu Dezhong said: "The sound will be clearer and longer when you knock, and you will die in the end." This feature is beyond the reach of other non-tremolite jade.
References:
Baidu encyclopedia-Hotan jade