What is the night pearl? How can it shine? According to the expert appraisal of China Gemstone Association, Shenzhen Night Pearl is a fluorite mineral. The reason of its luminescence is related to the rare earth elements contained in it and the related electron movement in minerals.
When the electrons in minerals are stimulated by external energy, they change from low-energy state to high-energy state, and when the external energy stimulation stops, the electrons change from high-energy state to low-energy state, and this process will emit light. Rare earth elements enter the fluorite lattice and can emit light for dozens of hours after being irradiated by fluorescent lamps. It glows during the day, but it is invisible during the day and visible at night. Those who carve fluorite into pearls are called night pearls, and those who carve jade plates into pearls are called night pearls. Therefore, the luminous night pearl is not a pearl produced by pearl mussels.
The vast universe is full of miracles, and the mystery of the night pearl is also an eternal mystery. Since ancient times, people in all dynasties have always talked about the night pearl with admiration, surprise and confusion. Some ancient literary works and folklore often paint the night pearl with layers of mystery, making up one gripping fairy tale after another. For example, there is a myth that the night pearl can make "the dragon officer shine like day ..."
The luminous pearl was also called "luminous wall", "luminous stone" and "luminous stone" in ancient China. It is said to be a rare treasure in the world that can emit strong light at night. Joseph Needham, a famous British scholar, recorded in his magnum opus "History of Science and Technology in China" that ancient China people loved the Syrian-made luminous pearl, nicknamed "Peacock Warm Jade". It is said that some people in India call the Night Pearl "Snake Eye Stone". According to the gemological records compiled by Japanese gemologists Ling Mumin 19 16, the Japanese night pearl is a special red crystal, which is known as the "sacred gem".
The night pearl was originally collected from ore, but its distribution on the earth is extremely rare and it is very difficult to mine, so it is particularly precious. Some ancient descriptions show that it has the color of "looking sideways"; The color of the front view is white. It is said that in ancient Greece and Rome, some emperors inlaid it in palaces or wore it in crowns, and some queens and princesses decorated it in jewelry or put it in their bedrooms to promote and praise it as a national treasure.
What kind of treasure is the night pearl? Ancient and modern Chinese and foreign statements are quite inconsistent. According to some experts' research, the night pearl is not as mysterious as some people boast, but several special minerals or rocks, which have been processed by people before they become round beads. The light of the night pearl did not make the Dragon Palace as bright as day as the myth said. In the dark, people can see the printed matter clearly at a place half a foot away from the luminous night pearl.
It is reported that engineers Huo Yongqiang and Xiao discovered fluorite that glows at night in a tungsten deposit in Guangdong 1982. These fluorites are colorful: light green, deep purple, light blue, light brown and all kinds of mottled fluorites that can't be named. Among them, only light brown fluorite glows in the dark, and it is still clear 2 or 3 meters away.
Later, it was found that the luminous Yellowstone turned into light green fluorescence under ultraviolet irradiation, while the unexposed fluorite emitted light blue, light purple to deep purple. The luminous fluorite particles collected by Huo Yonglie and Kobayashi Akira this time are very small, only 5 to 6 mm, and the particles are not ideal. We should continue to look for minerals that can be made into big beads in the future. Although the fluorite discovered this time is not the luminous pearl in ancient legends, it provides important clues for finding extremely rare and priceless luminous pearls in the future.
Why does the night pearl give off strong and beautiful light at night? There are different opinions about this. Some gemologists believe that hydrocarbons are mixed in diamonds because arsenic sulfide is mixed in the fluorite composition of the night pearl. During the day, these two substances can "intensify", and then release energy at night, turning into beautiful night light, which can last for a certain period of time or even forever. The above are only the opinions of some experts, which are not necessarily comprehensive and accurate. There are still many mysteries about the night pearl, which experts don't understand so far. It is said that there is a crystal luminous pearl that can emit "flame"-like luminous, but what is the luminous substance inside? It's not clear yet. In short, the night pearl is still an eternal mystery that has not been completely uncovered.
What is the night pearl?
"Night Pearl" is a kind of natural gem, which can be seen clearly by human eyes in the dark and can glow by itself. In ancient times, the "night pearl" was also called "night pearl" and "bright moon pearl". The famous "Night Pearl" includes Picking Pearls, Hanging Plums, Stone with Heavy Pricks, Jade with Phosphorus and so on.
The "Night Pearl" circulated among the people in our country has peculiar luminous performance, which can emit various colors of glittering and translucent brilliance in a dim environment. The "Night Pearl" is the most mysterious, rare and precious treasure in China's 5,000-year history of civilization, which is privately owned by the imperial power. The Night Pearl has a profound historical background and cultural connotation.
The luminous pearl in allusions of past dynasties
According to historical records, as early as the prehistoric period of the great power of Yan Di, there was a luminous pearl. For example, the king of stone balls in Shennong is known as the "night mine". During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the "hanging plums" and "hanging spines" are priceless, comparable to jade articles. At that time, only two big officials, Tao Laigong (Fan He) and Jia Dun (a big businessman in the Warring States period), could afford it. The state of Jin used to "hang a thorn wall" as bait and "make a false head and worry about changing". Doctors in Chu, Qin, Wei and other countries all use the night pearl to suggest philosophy and discuss state affairs. Qin Shihuang sacrificed the night pearl, and in the mausoleum "changed the ointment candle". Guo Kuang, the younger brother of Emperor Guangwu of Han Dynasty, "hangs a bead and falls four times, looking like a star by day and the moon by night", showing off his wealth. Wu Zetian gave the jade dragon in the night pearl to Xuanzong, and Xuanzong returned to his son (Sejong) with the pearl darkroom. When Tang had a car, a night pearl named "Shuizhu" sold for hundreds of millions. During the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the royal family was particularly fond of the Night Pearl. Among them, Genghis Khan's Night Pearl was stolen in Taiwan Province Province and was later solved and returned to its original owner. Yuan Ming sent officials to Sri Lanka. ) Buy ruby luminous pearls and garnet luminous pearls. In the Ming dynasty, there were several emerald luminous pearls in the cupboard, which were as bright as candles.
Some people regard it as a treasure, while others abandon it. In ancient times, some people didn't know about the treasure and abandoned the night-hanging bay in Lebanon. An old farmer of Guo Wei got a pearl with a diameter of one foot. When he saw the darkness, he threw it into a distant field. Some people regard the night pearl as a "disaster" and "hitting the sand". Although some of them are just legends, the night pearl has become a culture of its own in the history of our country by virtue of its beauty, nobility and mystery.
The essence of the night pearl
In the world, there are thousands of minerals in nature, among which more than 20 minerals can emit visible light under the excitation of external energy, which is the luminescence of minerals. For example: fluorite, diamond, spodumene, emerald and other rare minerals. The luminescent time of these luminescent minerals is long or short, and there are strong or weak differences. The most representative is fluorite with phosphorescence. It contains all kinds of rare elements, which are purplish red, pink green, green, dark green and mottled cloud white. During the crystallization of fluorite minerals, a unique rare earth element enters the crystal lattice and forms its own light source "luminous center". Its Mohs hardness is 4 ~ 4.5. Its stone appearance is colorful and colorful. After processing, the small ones are beaded and the large ones are spherical. In the thick night, the beads are like starlight, and the ball is like a bright moon spitting silver. Moreover, some high-quality fluorite phosphorescence pearls are bright and lasting, which is the legendary "night pearl".
The biggest pearl at night
Shaanxi is known as the "Museum of Natural History". During the National Day, a night pearl was exhibited in Xi 'an. This luminous pearl has a diameter of 1.6 meters and weighs 6.2 tons. It is green, smooth and delicate, as lovely as a big emerald. I can't see its light during the day, but at night, it naturally glows from green to white in the dark, just like a bright moon. This luminous pearl was rated as the best in Shanghai Guinness World Records. It is reported that this luminous pearl was discovered by a miner in Yunnan. At that time, the shape was irregular and the volume was more than 7 tons. Later, it was polished and rounded.
Classification of night pearl
"Night Pearl" can be divided into two categories according to the different matrix materials.
1. Plant and animal "Night Pearl": It is well known that there are people in the animal kingdom who can shine, such as the famous firefly. Su Jaw's Duyang Miscellany in the Tang Dynasty records that in the first year, Nanchang offered a "night-bright rhinoceros". There are many luminous plants, such as "Mu Wei Xi Zhi", "Shen Cheng Zhi" and "Qi Ming Jiu Guang Zhi" in Ganoderma lucidum recorded in Compendium of Materia Medica all emit fluorescence.
2. Mineral gemstone luminous pearl: From the point of view of solid physics, the matrix materials of mineral luminous pearl are all active crystalline phosphors in inorganic salts.
The so-called active crystalline phosphor refers to the crystal that has the ability of "emitting light" due to the lattice distortion of the crystal lattice, and this distortion is mostly caused by some heavy metal impurities (activators) contained in the matrix. For example, a small amount of Cu in ZnS can emit yellow-green phosphorescence, which is called matrix and Cu is called activator.
Due to the different activators in active crystalline phosphors, active crystalline phosphors, namely "luminous pearls", can be divided into two categories:
(1) luminous luminous pearl: it does not need any external energy excitation, but can be excited by itself as long as it contains activator, such as radioactive isotope14c.3h.147pm.226ra.232nd. ..
② Long-lasting luminous night pearl: The activator in the phosphor is not radioactive, and it can only emit light after being excited by external sunlight, ultraviolet rays and other light sources.
At present, there are more than 100 kinds of commonly used phosphors, all of which are compounds of divalent metal (calcium, strontium, barium, cadmium, magnesium and zinc) sulfides, selenides, tellurides, silicates, aluminates, tungstates, phosphates and halophosphates, except alkali metal halides. "The Night Pearl", a rare treasure, has many magical and beautiful legends throughout the ages, especially in classical dramas, movies, novels and palaces, and there are many genres involving the Night Pearl. Since ancient times, emperors have acceded to the throne, and princes have returned to the DPRK. As a "treasure of the town house", the night pearl once accompanied the emperor and his children and grandchildren into the palace. Therefore, in ancient times, the night pearl became a symbol of a country's supreme, supreme, supreme and respected rights and wealth. In people's traditional consciousness, the night pearl covered with a thick mysterious veil personifies the authority of the emperor; It is also as sacred and deified as heaven, earth, sun, moon and stars.
The magical legend of night light
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Xu Shen proposed that "the beauty of jade has five virtues." In the early Spring and Autumn Period, Guan Zhong proposed that "jade has nine virtues." At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Kong Qiu proposed that "jade has eleven virtues". The theory of jade virtue of various philosophers has provided a strong spiritual pillar for our country to love, worship, give, appreciate, play, learn and hide jade for thousands of years. In view of this situation, the night pearl is the king of treasures in the gem world. In order to monopolize and monopolize this exclusive right, ordinary people dare not care about it, and even have no right to witness the elegance of the "night pearl". In order to please and cater to the favor of emperors and princes, many literati collected a lot of information about the night pearl, decorated it and packaged it, making it more fascinating and confusing. The scholar of Hong Men Hall said: "The universe has 36 days, and there are 72 demons under it, which is 108 heaven and earth. The pearl of the night gathers and breeds the bright light of the sun, moon and stars in the sky, the moisture of the wind, the rain and dew in space, the brilliance of the mountains and rivers on earth, and the brilliance of the essence, spirit, soul and god on earth. Moreover, in legend, the Night Pearl preaches that it is rare, rare, noble, gorgeous and mysterious, because it has 36 colors, 72 chardonnay, 108 light.
Besides, the latest night pearl, the most famous one, is probably the one that Cixi called "beautiful shoes". According to Sun Dianying, the grave robber of Cixi's tomb, this pearl is divided into two parts, and when it is closed, it is a sphere, which is transparent and dull. When you close it, it reveals a green cold light, and you can see your hair within a hundred steps at night. Another book records that it weighs 422 yuan and 7 cents (133.4375 grams). Cixi put it in her mouth to protect her body. I don't want to. It was the baby she put beside her that made her coffin open early. As for Song Meiling wearing it on shoes, I just heard about it, so I don't know whether it's for her beauty or to belittle the last Queen Mother of the West who ruined the country and people. Moreover, this woman, who is extremely regretful in reality and rumors, once took off the four night pearls on the phoenix crown with the intention of giving them to foreign invaders to try to make peace. Fortunately, the ladies-in-waiting around us have the heart to protect the country, making these four beads scattered among the people. 1964 was found and given to the country for free.