What is old agate, and how to distinguish jewelry processed from old agate?

Generally speaking, the processing of old agate utensils is done by hand, while modern distressed agate is drilled using instruments, so the holes are relatively rounded, while the processing of old agate will leave some handwork. imprint.

The most common material used to imitate old agate is colored glaze. If you look carefully, there will be a small amount of bubbles in the colored glaze products.

Old agate is brighter in color and has a better surface gloss, while real old agate will have a dull color due to the oxidation of the air, similar to a matte effect.

The texture of counterfeit fake agate is soft, and jade can scratch the fake agate, but real agate will not.

Real agate is warm in winter and cool in summer, while synthetic agate changes with the outside temperature. It becomes hotter when it is hot and cool when it is cool.

You can see the band-like or filament-like "clouds" in real agate, and its transparency is worse than that of synthetic agate, while fake agate is more transparent, like a glass ball.

In ancient documents before the Han Dynasty, agate was called "red jade". The name "red jade" explains at least two issues: 1. The ancient Chinese believed that agate is similar to jade and is a very rare treasure; 2. The agate used in ancient China was mostly red, and the concept that agate red is the best has existed since ancient times. In short, it has lasted for thousands of years and is not the specialty of modern Chinese people.

People who have a little contact with agate have generally heard of "Nanhong". Nanhong is the abbreviation of Nanhong agate, which is a conventional term. Generally speaking, Nanhong in the literary and entertainment market refers to the red agate produced in Baoshan, Yunnan and Liangshan, Sichuan. But in the category of old agate, there is actually a kind of red agate produced in Longnan and Aba areas of Sichuan, which is also classified into the Nanhong family and is collectively called Gannan Nanhong. Southern red agate was very popular in the Qing Dynasty. As we all know, in the Qing Dynasty, all prominent figures had to wear Chao beads. The most important thing about Chao beads were the beads and the clouds on the back. So, what kind of partition beads and back clouds should go with the Qing Dynasty court beads? Judging from the existing Qing Dynasty court beads, the most commonly used one is southern red agate. Research shows that the Nanhong used in Nanhong pearls in the Qing Dynasty was originally Gannan Nanhong. After the mid-Qing Dynasty, because the raw materials of Gannan Nanhong were almost extinct, it was gradually changed to Baoshan Nanhong.

The term Nanhong is a bit general, so in order to make a difference, players will add a supplementary explanation in front of Nanhong to accurately describe the difference, such as Liangshan Nanhong, Baoshan Nanhong, Gannannan Hong et al. In the red agate family, in addition to south red, there are three other common red agates, which are called west red, east red and warring states red.

Chinese cultural toys pay attention to details, and details determine the value and price of the collection. East red, south red, west red, and Warring States red are all red agate, but there are differences in details, which directly leads to huge differences in their prices. So when playing agate, you must first understand the red and the red. Otherwise, buy the red from the East when compared to the red from the South, and the red from the Warring States period from Hebei to the red from the North. Even if your wallet is bigger, after repeated tossing and turning, you will end up with only the remaining Two layers of cowhide.

Nanhong is very popular now. Let’s focus on Nanhong first. If you go to the antique market, you will find that there are very few traces of Huanglong Jade, which was a flash in the pan in the past few years. Stores that have kept pace with the times have quietly removed it from the counter and replaced it with Southern Red Agate. The impatient person looked at the bright red area inside the counter, which was full of southern red beads, and asked about the price. The store quoted a price of 300 yuan for this item and 200 yuan for that item. So you choose 2 of each kind, take out 1,000 yuan and want to pay the bill and leave, but you find that the store owner has a little contempt in his eyes. Youyou explains: This is Liangshan United Material Nanhong, 300 yuan a piece; that is Baoshan Nanhong, 200 yuan per gram. Only then did you suddenly feel embarrassed and sweating profusely, knowing that Baoshan Nanhong beads were originally sold by the gram, not by the piece.

So, why is there such a big price gap between Baoshan Nanhong and Liangshan United Material Nanhong? There are two reasons. The first is the difference in perception. Generally speaking, the red color of Baoshan Nanhong appears more uniform and clear, with a translucent jelly feel. It looks very thin and waxy, and the surface is as warm and moist as jade. Although Liangshan Lianhe Nanhong is also translucent, it looks very dull. The surface gloss is the kind of glassy light that dazzles the eyes. It is not as oily and restrained as Baoshan Nanhong.

The Jinhong grade southern red agate has the same color, no cracks or impurities, and is bright red and smooth all over. Judging from the extant Lao Nanhong agate objects, whether it is the rich color or the oily texture, there has never been a Nanhong product in history similar to the Jiukou Jinhong material. Therefore, Jiukou Jinhong material can definitely be regarded as a breakthrough, and it should become the representative of Liangshan Nanhong.

The particularly rich color of southern red agate is brocade red, while the lighter color is what players call persimmon red. Persimmon red is a vivid metaphor. The persimmon here refers to the tomato that we are most familiar with. Persimmon red means that its color is very close to the red color of tomatoes, that is, red with a hint of pinkish white. If the persimmon red color is lighter, the color will turn yellow. This red-yellow color also has a conventional name, persimmon yellow. But the persimmon here refers to the persimmon fruit we eat, not tomatoes.

Rose purple is a rare color unique to Liangshan Nanhong. It is a dark red that looks very much like the dark red of a rose. The basis of this kind of purple is red. When we see it, we will think of an idiom, the so-called "red as purple", which is about this state. Rose purple is the accompanying color in Liangshan southern red agate. It generally does not appear alone. It is usually mixed with persimmon red and persimmon yellow. Often the outside is persimmon red or yellow, but the inside is rose purple. Therefore, the raw material of rose purple is often used to make beautiful carvings.

In addition to the oily and delicate texture mentioned earlier, another distinctive feature of Jiukou material Nanhong is that it is basically opaque. If you use a strong flashlight to illuminate, the depth of light that can be absorbed is not very large. Among the nine materials, rose purple has the highest light transmittance, followed by brocade red and persimmon red, while persimmon yellow is completely opaque even under a strong flashlight. There is a saying that playing with southern red agate is "full of color and full of flesh". Full color is easier to understand, that is to say, a piece of southern red agate jewelry, whether it is a carving or a bead, the color of the whole thing should look full and consistent. Full flesh refers to the fact that there should be no debris on the red agate utensils, and no other accompanying substances such as crystals should be mixed in it. A piece of southern red agate, if it is full of color and flesh, is of course the best. Reference: http://www.cmsacc.org/yishujiangtang/19041.html