Hetian jade is a precious treasure of ancient Chinese culture! It is revered as the "national jade" and has a history of thousands of years in the land of China. But it is not just an ordinary piece of jade, it carries a cultural significance that has been passed down to this day.
It represents the wisdom and diligence of the Chinese people, and also conveys the pursuit of a better life. Whether as a work of art or a precious ornament, it contains a unique historical value and cultural connotation.
Hetian jade is one of the four famous jades in China (the four famous jades are: Liaoning Xiuyu, Henan Dulong jade, and Shaanxi Lantian jade). Generally speaking, Hetian jade in a broad sense refers to real jade, and Hetian jade in a narrow sense refers to jade produced in Hotan, Xinjiang. At present, Hetian jade on the market is generally known in a broad sense.
It can be said that the history of jade is like an ancient legend, starting from the Neolithic period and continuing to this day. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Hetian jade shined with its unique charm and attracted people's attention. During the Qin Dynasty, Xinjiang's Hetian jade was highly respected because it came from Kunlun Mountain, and was named the "Jade of Kunshan". Later, the name of this beautiful gem was changed to "Khotanese Jade".
The mineral composition of Hetian jade is mainly tremolite, accounting for about 90% of the total composition. In addition to this, it also contains small amounts of actinolite (about 5%), hornblende (about 5%) and pyroxene (about 2%). These minerals make up the valuable ore Hetian jade.
The chemical composition of Hetian jade is a watery calcium-magnesium silicate, which looks like a microfibrous or dense mineral aggregate. It has a hardness of 6 to 5 and a density of 9 to 19. These indicators make Hetian jade a valuable material that is both hard and has a certain sense of weight.
There are many origins of Hetian jade in the world, such as Russia, Brazil, Canada, South Korea, etc. However, the Hetian jade produced by these deposits is all serpentine-type tremolite, and only the Hetian jade in Xinjiang is more special, which is non-serpentine-type tremolite jade.
Hetian jade is commonly found in white, cyan, yellow, etc.
White jade is a type of nephrite with a pure color, which gives a warm and pure feeling. In the jewelry world, different degrees of white nephrite have different names, such as mutton fat white, pear blossom white, snowflake white, chicken bone white, etc. The mutton fat white jade is considered to be the most precious, and its cream-like texture makes it a unique feature of Hetian jade. However, due to the rarity of mutton fat white jade, its value has also increased significantly. Most of the white jade in Hetian is ordinary white jade, but in order to become a high-quality jade, the white must be both pure and warm, if there is only white and lack of moisture, it is called dead white, and it cannot reach the superior state.
Green jade is a common nephrite that varies in color from pale green to dark blue flash green. Green jade is the hardest of nephrite, but its color is not as beautiful compared to white jade, so its value is lower than white jade.
Jasper is a type of nephrite that is green to dark green, sometimes with black spots. Its green color can show a variety of variations such as parrot green, pine green, and ginkgo green. High-quality jasper has good light transmission and full color, and the spinach-like green is considered to be the top grade, while the green with gray is considered to be the lower grade. The fine jasper is bright in color, like jadeite, and was often used as a headdress among women in ancient times.
Topaz, like mutton fat white jade, is a precious variety of nephrite. Topaz comes in a variety of colors, from pale yellow to sweet yellow to yellow and shiny green, each with a unique charm. Although topaz is usually light in color, those rare intense yellows are impressive. Whether it is mutton fat white jade or topaz, they are the jewels of treasures, and they are worth savoring the beauty and value of them.
Black jade, like green jade, is a precious variety of nephrite. The color of black jade varies from black to pale black, and sometimes it also takes on a special appearance"Blue and black"Hue. The luster of black jade is relatively dull, which makes it distinct from other jades. In the whole piece of jade, the black color of the black jade will be divided into shades. Even on jade that is predominantly black, there may be some mixed cyan or white color. The black color in these black jades is caused by tiny scales of graphite.
In addition, Hetian jade also has sugar jade and flower jade. Sugar jade refers to red, maroon, brown sugar-colored jade, and flower jade, as the name suggests, refers to jade with many colors.
What kind of Hetian jade do you prefer?