What does it mean that jade has good water head?

In the process of our contact with jade, we often hear words about the water head of jade, such as "Although this piece of jade is light in color, it has good water head", "This piece of jade is full green but has no water head". It can be seen that the water head of jade is a crucial factor in determining the quality of a piece of jade, which exceeds the influence of color on the value of jade.

Jadeite with poor water head and no light transmittance has color but average value

So what is water head? In layman's terms, the water head of jade actually refers to the transparency of jade. The difference in transparency has a direct impact on the appearance of jade and is a key factor affecting the quality of jade. Jade with high transparency appears very crystal clear and has a “watery” feeling. It is also vividly referred to as “full water head” and “long water head” in the jargon. It can make the color of jade more lively and beautiful. However, if most of the light cannot penetrate the surface of the jade, the color of the jade will be rigid and lack flexibility, which is called "short water head" or "poor water head" in jargon.

The water head is medium to high, the light transmittance is good, and colorless also has a certain value

In addition to using "long water head" or "short water head" to describe the "water" of jadeite, a more specific description of the water head is generally described as "a few points of water", which refers to observing the degree of penetration of light in jadeite and the range of the light under a strong flashlight. This is a more quantitative measurement method for jadeite water head. If the light can penetrate about 9 mm, it is called "three points of water", 3 mm is called "one point of water", and so on. This description method is often used to describe the "water head" of jadeite rough materials.

Excellent water head, fluorescent jade ring face

There are also many experts who do not use a few millimeters to illustrate the water content in such detail, but instead observe the depth of water penetration into the rough material. For example, in a piece of jade rough material, if the naked eye can only see water on the surface, and it has not penetrated deep into the jade, it is called "one point water". If the "water" can penetrate deep into the jade, it is inferred according to the degree of depth as "two points water", "three points water" and so on to "ten points water". "Ten Waters" is the best water head among jadeite, also called full water. Only the old pit glass type can achieve this water head. The jadeite that can achieve this water head is the best among jadeite.

Top-quality old pit glass jade, the best water head jade

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