White jade is the most representative of Hetian jade, and it is generally believed that the whiter the better.
However, judging from the classification of Hetian jade, in addition to white jade, there are also green jade, jasper, black jade and topaz. These classifications are named according to the color composition, and if whiteness is used to define good and bad, then how can other colors of jade be judged?In fact, the value of these jade varieties is also very high. Therefore, whiteness alone cannot be the decisive criterion.
For white jade, truly high-quality white jade also needs to consider the texture. The delicate and rich jade quality is the basic factor for evaluating the quality of white jade. In addition, jade with high whiteness does not necessarily mean a good texture. If it has a high level of whiteness, but it looks dull, dry, and lacks a greasy and oily feeling, it cannot be counted as a high-quality Hetian jade. Therefore, the whiteness of Hetian jade is not the whiter the better, this is only a one-sided factor.
There are many other factors that affect the quality of Hetian jade, such as texture, fineness, hardness, luster, warmth and clarity. These are all factors to consider, and color is just one of them. There are many types of white jade on the market, such as the whiter Russian jade and Qinghai jade, which, although very white in color, are much less valuable than Xinjiang Hetian jade.
Therefore, when appreciating or buying jade, we should not hold the old notion that "the whiter the better". If you only prefer white jade, other jade stones are not eye-catching at all, and other factors should also be taken into account. Whiteness is only one factor in high-quality white jade, but it is not decisive.
Not all white jade is white jade. In our country, white jade is a specific jade variety, which is the specific name for white nephrite. Nephrite is mainly composed of tremolite and actinolite, the ratio of which varies greatly, and contains small amounts of other minerals. When the tremolite content in nephrite reaches more than 95%, it appears white due to its low iron content, and this white nephrite is white jade. White jade is one of the high-grade jade, and the texture is as delicate as mutton fat is called "mutton fat jade", which is a very precious variety.
So, can I simply call white jade white jade?Of course, there is no problem in everyday verbal salutation, but if it involves buying and selling white jade (such as calcite, quartz, etc.) to buyers as white jade, it is suspected of deception. If the merchant really does not understand, it constitutes unintentional deception, and vice versa, it is intentional deception, which is not allowed in market transactions.