The elegant things in Zanghai - Talking about "Nanhong"

With the substantial increase in the income of ordinary people, people are no longer satisfied with material civilization and have turned to spiritual civilization. Especially in recent years, the "literary and entertainment craze" has become higher and higher. More and more people People like to collect cultural toys, and among the literary and antique collections, the "Nanhong" collection has also become popular.

The author has a collection history of 24 years, and based on my humble collection knowledge, I will also talk about "Nanhong".

The so-called "Nanhong" is the abbreviation of "Southern Red Agate". It is produced in China and is a kind of jade unique to the Chinese. There are three main areas of southern red agate produced in our country: ① Baoshan, Yunnan; ② Liangshan, Sichuan; ③ red agate produced in Longnan and Aba, Sichuan. The agate produced in these two places is generally referred to as "Gannan southern red"; There are two main production areas of Nanhong in Baoshan, Yunnan, namely "Yangliu Township" and "Dongshan"; Liangshan, Sichuan has four main production areas: "Jiukou", "Wupo", "Waxi" and "Lianhe". Among them, the Nanhong produced in "Wupo" is also called "Qingheng Township", and the Nanhong produced in "Lianhe" is also called "Lomoida Township".

In addition to the above-mentioned "Southern Red Agate", ordinary people in our country are particularly fond of calling red agate "Western Red", "Eastern Red" and "Warring States Red". ".

The so-called "Western Red Agate" refers to pure natural color red agate. This color of agate is naturally formed (appears) red in color without any artificial color enhancement. Its color ranges from dark red to bright red. The agates unearthed in ancient times in our country are all western red agates. Most of these agates come from the West, so they are named like this.

The so-called "Eastern Red Agate" mainly refers to "Burned Red Agate". From a sensory point of view, it is very obviously different from "Southern Red Agate". Generally speaking, "Burned Red" is far less natural than "Southern Red Agate". Its red color is darker and not enough. Bright and "red" has a feeling of floating on the surface. In terms of texture, since "burnt red agate" is processed from some light-colored agate, agate like this will not have the unique gummy feeling of "southern red agate", which is what everyone calls "grease". feel". Under normal circumstances, "East Red Agate" has relatively high transparency and a strong glassy feel, which is essentially different from the warm and moist Nanhong.

The so-called "Warring States Red Agate" has only become popular in recent years. It is a proprietary name for specific agate, mainly produced at the junction of Fuxin and Chaoyang, Liaoning Province. A band of agate with red and yellow stripes. The beauty of "Warring States Red" agate lies mainly in its relatively rich and pure color, its lustrous and restrained texture, and its warm and delicate shape. The colors include red, yellow, and white, with "red onyx" being the most common. Good Warring States red agate, its red color is pure and thick, similar to soapstone; its yellow color is dignified and warm, similar to field yellow; its white color is as elegant as a belt. If "red onyx" and "yellow onyx" are combined into one stone, or all of them are "yellow onyx", they are more precious. "White onyx" is rarely seen. Only some Warring States red agate will be white. of crystals.

The colors of "Southern Red Agate" are also colorful, including "Jinhong", "Persimmon Red", "Lychee Jelly", "Cherry Red", "Ice Piao", and "Flame Pattern" , "black red material", "ony red material", "pure white material"... If someone wants to ask, which color of southern red agate has the most collection value and potential for appreciation, the colors are brocade red, persimmon red, Rose red, cherry red, etc...

If we compare "Southern Red Agate from Baoshan, Yunnan" and "Southern Red Agate from Liangshan, Sichuan", there are some differences between the two. The obvious difference is that "agate from Baoshan" is better than "agate from Liangshan", because the red color of Baoshan's southern red agate looks more uniform and clear, just like translucent jelly. Look It tastes particularly fine and waxy, and its surface is extremely warm, just like a piece of fine jade; the red agate produced in Liangshan, Sichuan, is translucent in red, but it looks a bit dull, like a fledgling agate. Just like the lengtouqing young man, its surface luster is like the glass (thief) light that is very dazzling to the eyes, not as oily and restrained as "Yunnan Baoshan South Red Agate".

With the substantial increase in people's income, more and more people are interested in collecting cultural toys. The number of enthusiasts who are interested in and collect southern red agate is also increasing year by year. However, the reserves of Baoshan South Red Agate are much smaller than those of Sichuan Liangshan South Red Agate. In addition, the mining volume in Baoshan is much greater than that in Liangshan, so "Baoshan South Red Agate" appears to be rarer, and its market price Naturally, it is much higher than the Nanhong Agate from Liangshan, Sichuan...

The transaction of "Nanhong Agate" is priced in "grams". How much does a high-quality "Nanhong Agate" cost? One hundred yuan per gram, ordinary "Southern Red Agate" ranges from a few tens of yuan to more than one hundred yuan per gram.

Our country’s last feudal dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, had very strict regulations on hierarchy. As long as they were serving officials at all levels, regardless of the size of their positions, whether they were going to court to meet the emperor, or dealing with various daily matters, For official affairs, 108 beads are worn. One of the beads is "Southern Red Agate". This is true even for emperors, concubines and princes in the palace, and the quality of agate is also related to official rank (status). Together, the higher the grade, the agate used must be good. If the grade is low, the agate used must be poor. Landlords and ordinary families have no right to enjoy it. Once there is any arrogance, They will definitely be punished severely.

In the past, the southern red agate was "the swallow in front of the Wang Xietang in the old days", but now it has flown into the homes of ordinary people. It is precisely because of the people who like to collect southern red agate that they are becoming more and more popular. There are more and more frauds. Under normal circumstances, the most easily counterfeited southern red agate is mainly bracelets. There are five common counterfeiting techniques as follows.

One is: "Fake dyeing method". It is a method of dyeing red agate in a high-temperature environment by adding certain chemicals to make the agate look more beautiful. However, its stability is relatively poor. If we wear chemically dyed southern red agate, once the chemical substances are lost and penetrate into the skin, it is very likely to cause cancer and even cause harm to our own health. So, how do we identify dyed southern red agate? True and false comparison method, fake and dyed southern red agate, the red color is more dazzling, its "red" is extremely unnatural, and there will be a gray feeling in the bones, real southern red agate will not have this feeling.

The second is: "Vacuum glue injection counterfeiting method". It refers to taking the "cracks" and "cracks" in the southern red agate, extracting the air inside through high pressure, and then injecting some transparent colloid. So, how do we identify rubber-injected southern red agate? The quickest and easiest way is to put it under a fluorescent flashlight, it will show a fluorescent reaction, and the sealing wax will fall off when boiled in boiling water.

The third one is: "Baked color counterfeiting method".

It refers to the use of African red agate or other lighter-colored agate, and after a certain high-temperature processing, its color becomes red. So, how do we identify roasted southern red agate? Compared with natural southern red agate, roasted southern red agate appears particularly transparent and the color is extremely unnatural. Not only is the color unusually uniform, but it is also slightly darker. Not only the south red agate has the "roasted color fake method", but other types of jade also have such fake methods, such as: "roasted color Hetian jade", "roasted color beeswax", etc.

The fourth is: "High-pressure casting counterfeiting method." It refers to first mixing and grinding the scraps of southern red agate, or extremely inferior southern red agate, into powder, and then using a high-pressure impact machine to squeeze and beat it into shape at one time. Its hydration and hardness , you can freely control it, you can have as much as you want, and its degree of simulation is quite high. This kind of high imitation southern red agate can be so fake that it can even pass the texture test.

The fifth is: "Cement Counterfeiting Law". It means adding cement to the southern red agate, mixing the cement and gravel and then wrapping it on some fragments of the southern red agate. It is usually placed (pasted) on the surface. Its main purpose is to pretend to be extremely popular nowadays. There is a popular saying that if there is more paste coating, the color of the agate will be redder, the material will be more delicate, and the flesh color will be closer. Therefore, many southern red agate enthusiasts will use it as wrapping material. The slurry is top quality.

Why are Chinese people particularly fond of “Southern Red Agate”? The author thinks so, and it has something to do with our countrymen’s joy in “big red”. For example: the spring couplets posted during the Spring Festival have a bright red background; the window grilles of various shapes posted on the glass windows are also bright red... "Big red" represents prosperity, good fortune and good luck. ……