Red agate, not a scientific concept, but an agreement in the sense of antiques, is usually referred to as red agate, and the ribbon is called “onyx”, called “red agate”. The red silk is visually overlapped, like oil paint applied countless times. The first time you see it, you will feel that its color is so similar to the red color of blood, low-key but very eye-catching.
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The red onyx of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods all belong to the ancient red agate, which is different from the current Liaoning and Xuanhua agate. The modern “Warring States Red Agate” is a name for a specific agate that has only been heard in recent years, specifically referring to a type of agate with red and yellow stripes produced at the junction of Fuxin and Chaoyang in Liaoning Province, and Xuanhua in Hebei also produces similar agate. This name is based on the ancient red onyx of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
Agate is divided into many species according to its banded form, of which red agate is the most precious. Red onyx is similar to agate, but its interlayers are straight and not concentric bands. Red onyx is a mixture of carnelian and onyx. linear white interlayer with onyx and brown-red interlayer with carnelian; There are also yellow lines, but they are extremely rare and very precious, commonly known as: “chanterelle yellow”.
Starting from the Western Zhou Dynasty, we can find some red beads in sporadic combinations, but the proportion of the number is very small, more like an unintentional act. The tomb of King Jing of Zhongshan is the place where the most red beads have been excavated in China and even in the world, with more than 200 grains unearthed, which shows that this is the birthplace of real red silk.
In the more than 500 years from Spring and Autumn to the late Warring States period, red silk seems to have become one of the important carriers of high-end aesthetic pursuit of the entire society, and many red pearls and red rings have emerged throughout northern China, and the unearthed tombs are of high grade.
From the late Warring States period to the Qin and Han periods, it was more used in decorative and practical sword ornaments, and was used alone. Since then, agate and Hetian jade have completely separated, truly standing as an independent variety in the forest of pan-jade in China.
In the Qin and Han dynasties, the selection of red silk products appeared more red and white raw materials, and the trend of crystallization and translucency also appeared in the white material, and the original agate color orientation was produced. A red sword ornament in the collection of Lianyungang Museum is a typical reflection of the aesthetics of the time.
Under the influence of Wei Jin’s simple burial wind, the red silk accompanied by the more famous gossamer hair carving, Han Eight Dao and other jade peaks, silently and completely left, disappeared.
In the Warring States Tomb in Xichatou Village, Lingshou County, Hebei, C1M8503 Warring States Tomb in Xigong District, Luoyang, Linzi District National Village Warring States Tomb in Zibo City, Shandong Province, and Sun Jia Xu Yao Warring States Tomb in Linzi District, Zibo City, Shandong Province, most of the flying saucer-shaped agate rings are seen. Including red agate, aquatic agate, white agate (white agate is also different from the figure below), shadow agate, etc. (there are indeed a small number of agates with more unique colors).
From the collection and exhibition, the agate ring should be a component of the group wear, which is worn with other components and worn on the chest or waist. Agate materials also include artifacts such as yang and juan, which will be worn into the group wear. The main components of the production group using agate materials were not seen in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and the so-called ritual collapse and happiness of Confucius in the “Spring and Autumn” may be due to the fact that the pearl and jade system was not so strict, and the materials of the production team wearing components were also released accordingly. So there were agates, juan, rings, and so on.
With the improvement of interests, the level of counterfeiters is also constantly rising. So now the agate ring is really to be vigilant. It can be said that there are no specimens, and it is becoming more and more difficult to see and learn in the market. Let’s divide the skin shell (phosgene), grinding marks, and Qin three identification points to talk about how to identify agate rings.
From the picture above, no matter what material and what shape of agate ring, there should be this phosgene, bright and not dazzling. This is due to the unique polishing process of the time, the hard texture of agate and the formation of more than 2,000 years.
The pores of the beads are mostly bright and dry to identify old and new. The brightness of the new pores is gel-like, unnatural, or bright hair thief, making a new porcelain. The old pores are shiny like water, and the cotton swab is gently wiped to reveal the treasure.
When it comes to sanding marks, an agate ring can be seen from all four places, namely the inner edge, the platform, the ramp and the outer edge.
The grinding marks of the slope are irregular short slashes, and the process at that time was like this, and there will be long lines, cracks, etc., which must be imitations. The picture above shows the grinding marks of the platform, which are also irregular short lines, but there are crossings.
Frosted sanding, continuous polishing marks are imitation ID cards; The old polishing is incoherent, does not connect the knife, like a cow’s hair pattern, is made of multiple short lines back and forth, pondered; The old polishing used animal skins, manual work was limited to short-line polishing, but today it is a large-area polishing and polishing, carefully observed, the polishing marks after each polishing surface are uneven, multi-refractive rays.
Old onyx oil, non-high-gloss bead ring disc, there will be anti-biotic phenomenon; The new material is dry, with stone skin and yellow silk. Old beads and rings with yellow silk on them are rare and precious, so when encountering yellow silk and stone skin, you should first be vigilant.
Then there is Qin, agate rings are mostly gray skin and earth Qin (earth bite). Of course, Qin is an auxiliary identification, not a necessary condition. But after more than two thousand years of agate ring, no matter how intact the appearance is, there will be some fine soil.
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