Cotton can be divided into dead cotton and live cotton! Here is the method to distinguish

In the jade industry, there is a saying that "no cotton, no jade" .

Any naturally formed jade can hardly avoid the invasion of "cotton". Even high-quality jadeite worth tens of millions will inevitably have some "cotton", but it is not obvious.

Therefore, it can be said that "cotton" is the most common and unavoidable defect !

The formation mechanism of "cotton" itself is relatively complicated. It may be due to the difference in the order of crystal arrangement inside the jade , which leads to cracks or healed cracks between the mineral structures, and appears as lumpy or foggy flocs under natural light.

Or it may be due to foreign invading impurities . These impurities vary in size, some are scattered everywhere, and some gather together to form dots or balls of cotton.

This shows that the distribution pattern of cotton is indeed a bit unpredictable!

Seeing this, some friends may think that since "cotton" is unavoidable, it is better to completely "give up" and ignore it directly? !

Little did people know that "cotton" can be divided into dead cotton and live cotton!

The price difference between the two is as huge as heaven and earth. If jade lovers are not careful to distinguish them, they may fall into the trap!

Live cotton

The live cotton has a bit of a "cloud-like and fog-like" visual effect, which shows that it is well integrated with the jade base. There is no obvious boundary visible to the naked eye, and it will not have much impact on the transparency of the jade.

If you observe it under natural light, you will find that the live cotton shows signs of "weakening".

Generally speaking, jadeite with live cotton will have better quality and a tighter crystal structure, so its final market value will generally not be too low.

Snowflake cotton is a typical example of live cotton. The evenly distributed cotton spots appear staggered and form a magnificent snow scene.

At this time, the "cotton" is obviously no longer a flaw, but instead adds a sense of aesthetic conception to the jade, making people intoxicated by it.

Dead cotton

In comparison, dead cotton is quite “rubbish”.

It usually appears in the shape of tofu residue or bagasse, and to the naked eye it looks like large clumps of cotton! It does not blend in with the jade base at all, but you can see a very clear outline and a strong presence!

Even when exposed to strong light, these cotton balls will still not show any signs of "weakening".

The circled part in the picture above is typical dead cotton.

It has a great impact on the transparency and beauty of jade and is a very serious flaw!

Once similar dead cotton appears inside the jade, its value will be greatly reduced!

Jadeite with this kind of dead cotton generally has a loose structure and ordinary quality.

Therefore, when choosing jade, jade lovers must be careful to avoid jade with dead cotton!