Purple sand mud is a unique treasure of Yixing, which is mainly divided into three categories: purple mud, red mud and section mud, which is subdivided into a variety of mud, such as bottom groove green, Zhaozhuang Zhu mud, ** section, etc. These distinctive muds are actually members of the big family of purple sand mud. Among these precious muds are some extremely rare varieties, which are not numerous in number, but whose performance is particularly remarkable.
First, let's talk about azure mud. It is the best of the purple mud, and since ancient times, the purple mud has been honored with azure. Azure mud is like a treasure hidden deep in the Lishu Dashuitan mining area, its appearance is delicate, purple brown and slightly translucent, giving people a feeling of being both fragile and slightly hard. The color of its firing is the distinctive blue-gray color, which is also the characteristic of azure mud. However, please note that the real azure mud will never be blue when burned, and most of the so-called blue azure mud on the market is blended mud, not raw ore.
Next is the bottom groove clearing. This mud is famous today because it is located at the lowest level of purple mud. The bottom tank cleaned mud from Well 4 was particularly high-quality, but the mine stopped mining around 1997, so the bottom tank cleaned mud from Well 4 became more and more valuable. The color of its ore is purple and blue, and there are faint black traces after firing, and golden-yellow sand grains can be seen. In addition, the bottom groove of the No. 4 well is more breathable, and the handle of the pot will feel the heat through the wall.
Dragon's blood sand is another rare type of mud. It has only appeared in the past ten years, and it was dug up near Huanglong Mountain, as if it was sandwiched between two huge stones, and the thickest part is not more than 15cm, and the number is extremely rare. Its mineral material has an extremely high iron content, hence its name. Although most of the dragon's blood sand creations available on the market are made from blends, its beauty and rarity cannot be overlooked.
Finally, there is black mud. The black mud ore is sometimes named after its jet-black color, which originates from the No. 4 and No. 5 wells in Huanglong Mountain. At.
After the No. 4 and No. 5 wells were stopped and the mines were closed, the black mud of the No. 4 and No. 5 wells is becoming more and more scarce today. The kiln temperature of black mud firing from low to high is red-brown to purple-gray and then gray-yellow, and it is purple-gray at more than 1300 degrees. Please note, however, that the performance of the black clay firing is not black.
These rare muds are attracting attention because of their scarcity in stock, and there are many imitations on the market. However, as long as you understand their firing performance characteristics, you can distinguish the real from the fake.