Are you still confused about the differences among old jadeite, old type jadeite and old pit jadeite?

The more you understand jade, the more you realize how rich the knowledge about jade is. For example, many people cannot tell the difference between old jade, old type jade, and old pit jade . Today, I will explain it to you all.

1. Old Jade

Old jade refers to jade that is relatively old compared to modern jade. The most typical ones are jade from the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China . But unlike other antiques, the year has little impact on the value of jade.

△Left: Jadeite from the late Qing Dynasty, right: Modern Jadeite

The first reason is that jade has a relatively short history in China; the second reason is that due to the limitations of mining technology and aesthetics at the time, the texture of old jade is mostly poor from today's perspective.

The value of old jade mainly lies in two aspects: one is the old craftsmanship.

Jadeite that was mined and processed from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China is called Laogong jadeite. Compared with new jadeite, this old craft has more flavor and ancient charm, so many collectors are keen to collect it.

New jadeite refers to jadeite produced after the Republic of China. Most of them use more advanced technology to mine and carve jadeite, and the control over water quality and color is more stringent.

Generally speaking, the price of old jadeite on the market is only 10% to 50% higher than that of new jadeite of the same grade.

Second, the number is limited, and most of them are royal collections. As a symbol of status for dignitaries at that time, old jade is not only rare in number, but also has profound cultural connotations in its shape and meaning .

However, apart from some royal collections that can be verified, and a few studios that actually deal in old jade (the prices are not too high), most of those on the market who use the gimmick of old jade are actually scammers.

These old jades, which are marketed as "Ming and Qing Dynasty jades" , are basically B-grade and C-grade jades that have been bleached, filled, and dyed. Their value can naturally be imagined.

For example, the "Nine Dragon Jade Bi of the Ming Dynasty" that once caused a sensation across the country was claimed to be worth 900 million yuan, but was later identified as a B-grade product by a professional organization.

Therefore, for jadeite, the most important factors affecting its value are its type, water content, color, and workmanship.

2. Old jadeite

There is a saying in the industry that "laymen look at the color, experts look at the type". In addition to the most common glass type, ice type, and glutinous type, there are also new types and old types.

The structure of old jade is meticulous and delicate, the crystal grains are small, the color is pure and uniform, the water content is full, and the luster is strong. For example, glass jade and ice jade, the older the type, the higher the price.

The new type of jade is different from the old type. Its mineral particles are coarser, its structure is looser, its density is smaller, its water head is shorter, its wear resistance is weaker, and its durability is poor. Some look like winter melon pulp or bran radish, with the base colors mostly milky white, grayish white, and light green.

△New species on the left and old species on the right

Young jade is of very poor quality and is often used to make glue-injected B-grade or dyed C-grade jade jewelry. The surface of the finished product will have many pits and spots. Its luster is like wax when new, but will gradually lose its luster after use, which is a mutation.

△ New jadeite on the left and old jadeite on the right

Compared with the two, the old jade is not only transparent, but also more gelatinous. It exudes a luminous glow from the inside out, appearing soft and bright, extremely spiritual, and more pleasing to the eye than the new jade.

△ The soft fluorescence of new jadeite on the left and old jadeite on the right

It should be noted that although transparency is an important criterion for judging whether it is an "old type", jade transparency does not necessarily mean it is an "old type", such as tender ice, and "old type" things will definitely be transparent (good water head).

3. Old pit jade

A pit refers to the site where jade is mined. The world-famous high-quality jade deposits are located in the Wulou River (a tributary of the Chindwin River) in northern Myanmar and were not discovered until the 18th century.

The jade produced here is of relatively good quality. Before its discovery, some of the ore was exposed for a long time. During the transportation process, it was soaked in rain and river water, and the texture became finer. After processing, it showed very good transparency, so it was called "old pit" material by insiders, also known as water stone or water-turned sand stone.

The so-called "new pit" refers to those jadeite veins that were mined later and are far away from the pit mouth of the above-mentioned vein. Since they have not been transported through rivers, most of them are coarse and loose in texture and have a short water head . Some people also include mountain jade ore, but in fact most of the "new pit" jade ore is dug out from pits several dozen meters deep.

The most representative one is the jadeite vein known as the "83 Pit" by insiders. Because it was discovered relatively late (1983) and its output is quite huge, many of the raw materials currently used to make jade jewelry come from that mining area. However, the real old mine deposits have been exhausted due to mining by generations.

Since old mines often produce high-quality jadeite, and the texture of the native ore from new mines is relatively average, over time, the market has become accustomed to calling high-quality jadeite old mine jadeite, and the price is generally higher, while jadeite of relatively ordinary quality is called new mine jadeite.

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