The most common counterfeit Hetian jade in the Hetian jade market is quartzite jade. It has many variations and colors, and its structure is similar to Hetian jade. Not only Hetian jade is mixed with quartzite jade, but even jade and other jade are often mixed with it.
The first thing to say is that quartzite jade is a kind of jade mainly composed of quartz. The chemical formula of quartz is SiO2 (silica). Quartzite jade is a kind of jade with quartz as the main component and supplemented by other mineral components. Nowadays, quartzite jade resources are abundant all over the world.
A lot of quartz jade is used to impersonate high-end Hetian jade, and dyed quartz jade is also used to impersonate jade. It is actually very simple to identify quartzite jade. Its appearance and internal structure are different from Hetian jade. We can identify it from the following two points.
1. Identification from the color of jade
There are different types of white color of Hetian jade, including blue-white, pink-white, off-white, yellow-white, etc. The white color of Hetian jade is not pure white, but a color that is unified and integrated with other tones, and the color of Hetian jade will bring It gives people a very thick and thoughtful feeling.
Quartzite jade is rich in color and very transparent. There are also some differences in the materials of quartzite jade. Some materials give people a white feeling, like white snow, clean. Some materials are translucent white, with some gray tones in the white, and the materials have a certain sense of transparency.
2. Use transmitted light to see the structure of jade itself
Hotan jade has a fiber interwoven structure. Using the light of a flashlight from the side, you can see the uneven internal structure of Hotan jade. Some places are delicate and some are rough. It can also be seen that the jade particles show a fiber interwoven structure. Some Hetian jade materials can be seen through light transmission and there are some small white cotton balls inside, which are unevenly distributed.
Looking at the light transmission, the structure of quartzite jade is different from that of Hetian jade. It shows a uniform granular structure, and the overall particles are evenly distributed. There are no large pieces of cotton. The transparency is stronger than that of Hetian jade. When the jade material is irradiated with a flashlight, it can be found that there are dots of shiny substances (possibly quartz particles) inside.
What are the classifications of quartzite jade?
Crystalline quartzite jade is composed of aggregation of granular quartz particles. If it contains other small colored minerals, different colors will appear. In my country, common quartzite jade varieties include aventurine, dense jade, She Tai Cui, golden silk jade and other quartzite jade varieties. From different origins, quartzite jade shows different characteristics.
1. Aventurine
Aventurine is a kind of green quartzite jade. It is name because the quartzite jade contains dot-like and flaky green chromium mica, which gives it the feeling of shining stars.
2. Miyu
It is name after it is produce in Miyu County, Henan Province China. The quartz particles of dense jade are very small and usually difficult to identify with the naked eye. Dense jade is mainly green and orange-red, and most of them have low transparency, ranging from slightly transparent to translucent.
3. She Taicui
It is name after it is produce in Dashetai Town, Bayanzhuoer Wulateqian Banner, Inner Mongolia. She Tai Cui contains chromium mica, and its chromium mica is distribute in strips. Therefore, there is a phenomenon of white quartzite mix with green strip-like veins and green lumps of chromium mica.
4. Golden silk jade
Produced in Karamay, Tacheng and Altay, Xinjiang, it has rich colors, mainly yellow, orange-red-yellow, but also grey, black and purple. The color is sometimes dotted and plate-like. Transparency is sub-transparent to slightly transparent. There are a small amount of directional cracks in the golden silk jade, and red and yellow lines appear due to the arrangement of flocculent minerals and other reasons. In addition, some can also emit milky white fluorescence, which is what people call “jewel light”.
Part of the content and pictures of this article are from the Internet, which is use as a reference for learning and exchange.
