The technique of "adjusting water" in jadeite stone carving can make the work more glittering and precious.

In the jade industry, people are accustomed to measuring the quality of jade by its type, color, water content, and workmanship. Regardless of the internal color or the external appearance, in terms of visual sensitivity, good light transmittance is required, which involves a technical issue of "water adjustment". What is Emerald Water? How to judge whether jade has water or not? These issues not only involve the principle of light refraction and the physical characteristics of jade, but also chemical phenomena.

In the jade industry, the water people often refer to is water head, which is a comprehensive state formed after light is repeatedly cross-reflected and refracted by crystal grains inside jade. Jade is an aggregate of polycrystals. The particles that make up jade vary in coarseness and fineness, and the shapes and bonding methods of the crystals are different, so their ability to let light pass through is also different. Depending on the distance light can pass through the inside of the jade, we usually say that the water head is sufficient or poor. To understand the water in jade, you must first understand a concept: light transmittance. Transmittance is a physical concept, which refers to the degree to which light can pass through the interior of jade. When light is projected onto the surface of jade, part of the light will be reflected on the surface and part of the light source will pass through the interior of the jade. In the industry, the term "rich water head" is usually used to describe jadeite with good light transmittance. People use spotlights to measure the length of jade water head based on the depth of light entering. It is divided into "one point water", which means that minerals can be seen at a depth of about 3mm; "two points water", which means that minerals can be seen at a depth of about 6mm; and "three points water", which means that minerals can be seen at a depth of about 9mm. It can be seen from this that the more light the jadeite transmits, the better its light transmittance is, and the more crystal clear it will appear. Jadeite with dark tones and uneven color distribution will often "release" its colors due to its good light transmittance, thereby improving its quality. On the contrary, if jade has poor light transmittance, it will be evaluated as poor water head or poor "quality". Even if the color of this kind of jade is good, it will be said by people to be "tender quality" or "dry quality".

As for the mineral elements of jade itself, we cannot change their crystal aggregation form and cannot change its chemical properties. However, we can use other physical methods to increase the light transmittance without changing the composition and quality of jade, which involves a technical issue of "adjusting water". The three commonly used methods of "water adjustment" are grinding and polishing, carving, and inlaying. I have been engaged in jade carving for more than 20 years. Through the exploration of jade "water adjustment" techniques, I personally believe that the main method of water adjustment must also be solved from the aspect of carving skills. Only in this way can the sculptures that have been adjusted with water be lively and full of soul. In actual operation, the main techniques used can generally be divided into thinning, peeling, and cornering.

First, make it thin. It is common that when carving works on the themes of Guanyin and Buddha, the head of Guanyin, the belly of Buddha, and the back of the head are deliberately concave, forming a concave negative surface (arc surface). The light-receiving area is expanded several times than that of the glossy work, resulting in high transparency. The contrast of light and shadow is highly flexible, just like flowing water.

Second, peeling. This technique is generally used on colored materials. Some materials have color but not full color. When designing, you have to consider showing the color more perfectly. For materials with dark colors, not only should the colored and colorless parts be separated, but the separated parts should also be thick and thin to give the work a sense of layering. In this way, when the light source passes through, the light transmittance of the work will be enhanced due to the different angles of focusing and refraction, and the originally slightly dull base material will appear crystal clear.

Third, edges and corners. “Great ideas or graphic advertisements are always unexpectedly simple and touch people’s hearts without any traces of chiseling.” When carving jade, we often mention contour lines and golden sections, which refers to the use of visual elements to convey ideas and plans. The water of jade is a state, the more light enters, the deeper the depth of the jade. The more light, type and base combine and alternate, the more transparent the jade becomes, making it easier to create a watery appearance visually.

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