Because of the variety of jade, there are different classifications in mineralogy, history and archaeology, and China's understanding of "the beauty of stone", the classification of jade is not only complicated and vague except mineralogy, but also numerous.
In order to solve this confusion, various specific classification methods have been put forward in the society, such as defining "jade" as a mineralogical explanation, and classifying "jade" here as other minerals that are traditionally regarded as jade, such as serpentine, xiuyan jade and lantian jade. Or divide nephrite into broad sense and narrow sense. The narrow sense nephrite is still a mineral dominated by tremolite, actinolite and other substances, while the broad sense nephrite is a collection of all minerals considered as jade in cultural tradition. Some also define nephrite as Hetian jade in Xinjiang, others are "traditional jade materials", and so on.
However, the accurate and representative classification does not have a clear understanding except mineralogy. The definition in Encyclopedia of China is "jade" as the abbreviation of "jade", and the classification of "jade" is subject to the mineralogical definition.
therefore, jade in the broadest sense includes:
jadeite (jadeite)
nephrite (actinolite, tremolite)
nephrite (cultural classification)
xiuyan jade
lantian jade
Qinghai jade
Russia.
dushan jade (Nanyang Jade)
Jiuquan Jade
White marble (marble)
Lingbi Jade
Opal
Turquoise
Lapis lazuli
Coral
Agate
Other gems < The main composition is sodium aluminum silicate (NaAlSi2O6, the gem mineral is regarded as jadeite only when it contains more than 5% sodium aluminum silicate), which is produced in metamorphic rocks generated at high temperature and low pressure. Often associated with glaucophane, muscovite, andalusite (anorthite dihydrate), aragonite and Shi Ying. Mohs hardness is between 6.5 and 7, and specific gravity is between 3.25 and 3.35. The color of jadeite is white or green because of the different content of chromium. Generally, white and green species are the most common, and emerald is the most expensive. Therefore, after jadeite was introduced into China, it was named "Jade" (Fei is a red feather and Cui is a green feather). The popular history of jadeite is not as long as nephrite, and its producing areas are mainly concentrated in Myanmar (currently the largest jadeite producer in the world), Niigata Prefecture of Japan and the coastal areas of Hokuriku. Guatemala, the United States and Russia also produce a small amount.
the value of jadeite is judged by color (so-called "positive, positive, rich and harmonious"), transparency ("water head"), texture and weight. The price of jadeite products is generally not affected by age, which is different from nephrite.
raw materials of jadeite can be divided into "old pit" and "new pit" according to the mode of production. Among them, people call the original jadeite stone that has been soaked in natural snow water for a long time "old pit jadeite", which is generally green in appearance and is said to have the luster of bright spots. Therefore, it is welcomed by people. Now people can fill some colors by soaking in strong acid or laser etching, so that the jadeite with poor varieties becomes similar to the high-grade jadeite in appearance. Now jadeite is usually marked with letters A, B and C to distinguish the texture of jadeite products in the market. Among them, A jadeite means natural jadeite with natural color and fruit without chemical treatment. Other types of jadeite are more or less artificially added.
Nephrite
amphibole and actinolite nephrite are also called nephrite in English. Soviet chemists once named nephrite "Chinese jade". Most nephrite (cultural classification) is not regarded as jade in international common standards, but other minerals. But in a few countries (such as China), they are still traded as a kind of jade. As the international standard of nephrite tremolite and actinolite, the jade with high purity and texture is produced in Hotan, Xinjiang. In addition, the so-called "four famous jades in China" (Hotan jade, turquoise, xiuyan jade and dushan jade) are also popular in society, among which only Hotan jade and tremolite xiuyan jade are truly mineralogically nephrite.
the chemical composition of nephrite is calcium magnesium silicate (Ca2Mg5(OH)2(Si4O11)2), which is monoclinic. The color is determined by the composition of tremolite and actinolite. Tremolite is mainly white and gray, while actinolite fluctuates in the range of dark green-red brown-black according to its iron content and oxidation degree of iron elements. According to the color of soft jade, there are also several subspecies: pure white sheep fat jade with oily luster; White white jade, blue white jade, sapphire, jasper, topaz and black jade, and relatively rare sugar jade.
Hetian jade produced in Xinjiang is a kind of nephrite with high purity. Generally, it has a glass-grease luster, and the specific gravity of minerals is between 2.8 and 3.1. The Mohs hardness is between 6 and 6.5, and the color is pure white-foggy black due to different mineral components, so there is no fixed cleavage state. Hetian jade has the most stubborn toughness among jade and is not easy to be damaged.
dushan jade
"dushan jade" is a mineral mainly produced in Beidushan, Nanyang County, Henan Province, China, and belongs to zoisite plagioclase, in which plagioclase and zoisite are the main mineral components. The Soviet geologist e.я kievlinko once classified dushan jade as a jade deposit of jadeite. But now according to the definition of nephrite, its composition does not belong to jade. However, traditional crafts in China still regard it as one of the jade carving materials.
lantian jade
is produced in Lantian County, Shaanxi Province, China.
Use of jade
The Mohs hardness of nephrite is not high, so in the Neolithic Age, people used jade as a tool. China identified xiuyan jade as the earliest jade article in the world, which was found in the archaeological discovery of Xinglongwa Culture (about 8 years ago) in Liaodong Peninsula. Indigenous people in New Zealand have also found many relics among their cultural relics, and archaeology has confirmed that jade has been popular in New Zealand for centuries. In Japan, jade is also used as one of the sacrificial vessel materials, especially Gouyu. Jade also appeared among the three great artifacts in Japanese history.
Most jades unearthed in the Neolithic Age are not nephrite like actinolite, which is recognized internationally at present, but serpentine, that is, jade in cultural concept. Therefore, there are many kinds of jade materials unearthed in this period, and xiuyan jade and dushan jade are the main jade materials in this period.
with the progress of society, the carving technology of jade is improving day by day. Before 16th century, China Shang Dynasty began to regard jade as a symbol of wealth of slave owners and nobles. And jade also began to share the function of political utensils. When emperors enfeoffed nobles and granted wealth to ministers, there was often no lack of jade. In Yinxu, Henan Province, 755 jade articles were unearthed from the tomb of Fu Hao (the wife of Wu Ding, the Shang emperor) in 1976, including jade dragons, jade osmanthus, jade bi, jade cong, jade plates and other decorations, accessories and ritual vessels made of xiuyan jade and Hetian jade (which shows that the Central Plains of China had economic and trade ties with Xinjiang at that time); In the archaeology of Shang Dynasty, accessories such as "kneeling people" were also found, which reflected the social atmosphere. It shows that jade articles formed a wide range of systems in Shang Dynasty, and their styles also developed from Neolithic pieces to simple accessories and carvings, which shows that the processing of bronzes, the main tools at that time, has made great progress.
With the deepening influence of Confucianism on China and East Asia, the political understanding of jade in Confucianism has also become a kind of social knowledge. The jade system was also perfected in this period, forming a different system of functional division of "Six Ruins" and "Six Wares". The "Six Wares" comes from "The Six Wares of Zhou Li Chun Guan Da Bo", "Jade as the Six Wares, Riting the Four Sides of Heaven and Earth with Cang Bi, Riting the Land with Huang Yu, Riting the East with Qing Gui, Riting the South with Chi Zhang, Riting the West with Bai Hu and Riting the North with Xuan Huang", as a ritual instrument for the Emperor to worship the four poles of heaven and earth and pray for national stability and social peace. The "Six Ruins" also came from Zhou Li's "Jade as the Six Ruins, to wait for the state: Wang holds Zhengui, the public holds Huangui, Hou holds Xingui, Bo holds Gonggui, the son holds Gubi, and the man holds Pubi". With two kinds of jade articles, Guibi and Bibi were gradually divided into six devices through the level of official system, indicating that centralization at that time had basically taken shape. However, some scholars pointed out that Zhou Li was written in the Warring States period, and its works will inevitably be mixed with Confucian ideology and culture.
When the Emperor worships heaven and earth, he should use jade books to engrave inscriptions. Baiguan knighthood uses jade as the seal; Convey that the monarch uses jade symbols and the gentleman takes jade as the standard of moral conduct; Jade is often used as a representative symbol of beautiful things in folk poems. For example, there is a poem mentioned in The Book of Songs, National Style and Nan Zhou:
"Give me papaya, and I will be rewarded with Joan. It's always good to repay bandits.
give me a peach and return it to Qiong Yao. It's always good to repay bandits.
give me a plum, and return it to Qiong Jiu. It's always good to repay bandits.
Among them, Qiong Gui, Qiong Yao and Qiong Jiu were all laudatory names of jade at that time, and besides, the immaculate Bai Gui can still be polished. You can't do what you say. "("The Book of Songs is elegant and restrained ")" Qi water is on the right and the spring is on the left. A clever smile is like a jade. In addition, many idioms are also related to jade, such as "Jade Pot Bing Xin" and "Jade and Stone Burn". There is no distinction between praise and criticism in these idioms, and the meaning of "jade" is generally a word of praise.
With the continuous development of Confucian culture in China during the Warring States Period, people gradually accepted the ideas of various factions and the role of jade in culture. Therefore, the cultural significance of jade is also rising, and jade exists in poems, palaces and altars. Among them, the allusions about "He Shibi" appeared in this period, and they continued to extend through historical books such as Historical Records and Warring States Policy, becoming a symbol of great cultural significance. The cultural rhyme of jade is still gradually taking shape.
After the Han Dynasty, there were continuous innovations in the production technology of jade articles, and the classes that can use jade articles ranged from emperors and generals to white clothes in the streets. Jade also began to develop in two directions: carrying decoration and placing carvings. After the Six Dynasties, jade articles began to develop in a realistic way, and most of their works were based on people and allusions. After the Song Dynasty, jade became a secular decoration.
Jade was once one of the specialties of the western regions along the Silk Road. It was famous for producing white nephrite in Khotan (now Hotan County, Xinjiang, China), and it was unearthed in Iran, Afghanistan and India. Among Hetian jade, the jade with white color and fatty luster is called "sheep fat white jade" and is loved by people. In addition, the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang and Qinghai are also rich in jade.
after the Ming and Qing dynasties, the carving of jade is increasingly based on decoration, among which there are many famous large-scale jade carving "Dayu Water Control" in Qianlong period and other famous jade products after processing. During this period, jadeite jade also began to be welcomed by the society. A large number of jade carvings with excellent workmanship were found in the tomb of Empress Dowager Cixi, but they were later lost because of grave robbery.
Precious jadeite-Emerald
Jadeite belongs to pyroxene, and its main component is aluminum sodium silicate, commonly known as "Emerald" in China. Its hardness is 7 degrees, slightly higher than nephrite, and its specific gravity is 3.33, which is also slightly heavier than nephrite.
The main producing area of jadeite is Myanmar, where there is the largest jadeite jewelry market. Most of the ancient and modern jadeites in China were imported from there. In addition, the western part of Yunnan Province in China is adjacent to Myanmar, and it is also produced, but the output is very small. From the color point of view, jadeite is all white, with large crystal grains, and the high-quality jadeite is mostly unique emerald color, and the common flower green or red and lotus root pink color. Because jadeite is extremely rare and precious, evaluating its authenticity has become a highly applied knowledge.
The moist nephrite-Hetian jade in Xinjiang
Nephrite belongs to amphibole, and its main component is calcium manganese silicate. Its hardness is 6-6.5 degrees, which is slightly lower than jadeite, and its specific gravity is 2.96-3.17, which is also slightly lighter than jadeite.
hetian jade in Xinjiang-suet white jade is named because it looks like suet. Fine texture, "white as cut fat", especially rich and smooth, giving people a feeling of just seeing softness. This is the best variety of white jade. At present, only Hotan, Xinjiang has this variety in the world, and its output is very rare and extremely valuable.
distribution of hetian jade
hetian jade is called the first nephrite in the world. Hetian county in Xinjiang today is the center of Yutian country in ancient times. From Han Dynasty to Ming Dynasty, Hetian jade is usually called Yutian, which is a world-famous jade capital.
Characteristics of Khotan jade
From the geological science point of view, Khotan jade has a clear scientific meaning. It is a nephrite ore distributed in Kunlun Mountain, China, which is formed by magnesium marble contacting with intermediate-acid magma, including a variety of nephrite series represented by white jade. People can see the characteristics of hetian jade from this meaning
(1) it belongs to nephrite, and there are a series of varieties such as white jade, topaz, sapphire and black jade, especially white jade.
(2) nephrite deposit belongs to contact metasomatism genetic type.
(3) Kunlun Mountain is a typical example of regional distribution. These characteristics have similarities and differences with nephrite mines in the world. Its origin and variety occupy a unique position among nephrite in the world and have typical significance.
classification of hetian jade
(1) mountain material. Mountain material is also famous for its jade, or Baoyu, which refers to the primary mine produced on the mountain. The characteristics of mountain materials are that the block size is different, and it is angular, and the quality is often not as good as that of ziyu. There are different kinds of jade mountain materials, such as Bai Yushan stone and blue white jade mountain materials.
(2) mountains and rivers. The name of mountain stream is named after jade miners and jade artists, which refers to the jade whose primary ore is weathered and collapsed and transported to the middle and upper reaches of the river by the river. The characteristics of mountain stream are that it is close to the primary ore, with large block size, slightly rounded edges and corners and smooth surface.
(3) ziyu. Ziyu, also known as Ziyu, refers to the jade in which the primary ore is denuded and transported to the river by running water. It is distributed in the river bed and the land on both sides, and the jade is exposed on the surface or buried underground. Ziyu is characterized by its small size, oval shape and smooth surface. Because of long-term handling, washing and sorting, the quality of ziyu is generally good. Jade has various colors, white jade is called white jade, blue jade is called blue jade, and blue jade is called sapphire.
color classification
according to different colors, hetian jade can be divided into four categories: white jade, sapphire, black jade and topaz, and hetian jade with other colors also falls into these four categories.
(1) white jade. The color of white jade varies from white to bluish white, even though there are veins in Quan Yi, there are different names, such as seasonal white, paraffin white, fish-belly white, pear white and moonlight white.
white jade is a unique high-grade jade in hetian jade, and its block size is generally small. White jade is extremely rare in nephrite all over the world. White jade is the best material in white jade. The whiter the better. The pure white Yu Zi, which is as smooth as an egg, is called "Bai Zi", and its quality is particularly good. Some white jade seeds have a certain color on the oxidized surface, and the color of autumn pear is called "autumn pear". Tiger skin color is called "tiger skin" and thorn color is called "present skin", both of which are valuable varieties of Hetian jade.
(2) sheep fat jade. Sheep fat jade is named because it looks like sheep fat. Fine texture, "white as fat", especially moist and smooth, giving people the feeling of harmony. This is the best variety of white jade. At present, Xinjiang is the best in the world, and its output is very rare and extremely valuable.
(3) blue white jade. Blue and white jade in white