There are many ways to test the quality of cinnabar, and here are a few of the most common ones:
Observe its appearance characteristics: the surface of real high-quality cinnabar shimmers with a diamond-like brilliance, showing a unique deep red or dark red color performance, and the color distribution is not very even; However, those imitation or low-quality cinnabar often show too bright or eclipsed color, and its gloss can not be compared with **.
Experience the sense of weight: real cinnabar material is relatively heavy, and holding it in your hand creates a noticeable heaviness; On the contrary, some imitations may be on the light side or even heavy, which constitutes their difference in feel.
Friction test method: If you touch the surface of cinnabar with your fingers or paper, the real high-quality cinnabar will leave significant red marks, and this trace will not fade over time; Conversely, those imitations or poor quality cinnabar may not leave red marks, or even if they do, they may easily disappear without a trace.
Combustion test method: take a match or lighter to burn the cinnabar, the real high-quality cinnabar will show a dazzling red fire, the flame will show a warm orange-red and smokeless; Imitation or poor quality cinnabar may show sparks or smoke in other colors.
Dissolution test method: Cinnabar is put into water for impregnation, and the real high-quality cinnabar will not be dissolved by water, or only slightly melted to a very small extent without polluting the water quality; However, imitation or poor quality cinnabar may dissolve in water or contaminate the water body.
Chemical analysis: Further testing with the help of chemical agents allows us to more accurately identify the authenticity of cinnabar. In practice, we often conduct experiments with chemical reagents such as hydrochloric acid or nitric acid to carefully observe the reaction between these substances and cinnabar. Only real high-quality cinnabar will produce a deep red solution reaction under chemical action, and some imitations or poor quality cinnabar may lack obvious reaction or have abnormal color after reaction.
In addition to the above methods, we can also use the characteristics of cinnabar such as particle size, hardness and cutting surface as auxiliary identification methods. In general, the accurate identification of cinnabar quality requires a comprehensive consideration of many factors, and it is not easy to conclude based on just one or two factors. If possible, we recommend that you seek a professional appraisal agency to obtain a more authoritative conclusion.
In addition, when you decide to buy cinnabar, it is important to pay attention to choosing reputable sales channels and well-known brands, and try to avoid buying counterfeit or poor quality products. At the same time, please pay special attention to the quality grade and purity of cinnabar, as well as the precautions related to it and how to use it.
In summary, accurate identification of cinnabar quality does require a certain amount of subject knowledge and practical experience, so we strongly recommend that you seek professional assistance. In the process of sourcing and using cinnabar, we also expect you to pay attention to the selection of quality assured products and strictly adhere to the appropriate use methods.