Water is an important substance for sustaining life.
In addition to being a rigid need for survival, the relationship between water and "beauty" is also inseparable: if the skin has sufficient moisture, the skin will be moisturized, plump and elastic. If the skin does not contain enough moisture, the cells that support the skin will "dry up" and the skin will lose its luster and become dull.
Not only for people, but also for gems and minerals, the presence of "water" is also crucial!
Some gem minerals become ugly when they lose water: Mineral minerals that contain water will become dull in color, have lost transparency, and have lost special optical effects, in short, minerals that contain water will become ugly after losing water.
Some gem minerals become less hard when they lose water: From a "durability" point of view, some gem minerals become less hard when they lose water.
So how does this invisible and untouchable water exist in gems and minerals?
Which gem minerals are "water" unstable? Many jade stones appear to "run water" during wearing, what is the situation?
Don't worry, don't worry, there are answers in today's article!
The form of water present in gem minerals
In mineralogy, water can be divided into two broad categories according to the form of water present in minerals and their role in the crystal structure:
One is that it does not participate in the lattice and has nothing to do with the crystal structure of the mineral, which is collectively referred to as "adsorbed water".
One type is the water that participates in the crystal structure of the mineral, which includes: "crystalline water", "structural water", "zeolite water", and "interlayer water".
However, because "zeolite water" and "interlayer water" are relatively rare, in "Systematic Gemology", water is mainly divided into three types according to structure: adsorption water, crystalline water, and structural water.
So, what is the difference between the "water" contained in the same gemstone?
The most stable "water": structural water
"Structured water" is the strongest form of water in gemstones, also known as "Huahe water", and it is also the kind of "water" that has the greatest impact on gemstones.
"Structured water" exists in the crystal structure in the form of ions, the position and content are fixed, very stable, and it is very difficult to dehydrate (600-1000 degrees), once the structural water escapes, the jade structure is completely destroyed and changed.
It's like drinking water in your stomach that has been absorbed by your body, becoming part of your body fluids, and you won't spit it out if you do it normally.
Many stable gem minerals contain "structured water", such as tourmaline, topaz, prehnite, Hetian jade, etc.
crystallization water
"Crystalline water" is present in minerals as neutral water molecules, which function as structural units and are part of the chemical composition of minerals.
"Crystal water" is generally in the large void of the crystal structure, the content is fixed, and it is not easy to dehydrate (200-500 degrees), and the structure will change after dehydration.
The analogy is that if you drink undigested water in your stomach, if you are punched in the stomach, you will vomit it.
Among gem minerals, the most typical example of containing "crystalline water" is gypsum.
The most unstable water: adsorbed water
As the name suggests, "adsorbed water" is water that is found on the surface of minerals, in crevices. This water is not part of the chemical composition of the mineral and is not written into the chemical formula.
The content of "adsorbed water" in minerals is unstable and varies with temperature and humidity (it will escape from minerals at 100~110°C). And it can be gaseous, liquid, or solid.
The analogy is that you carry a bucket of water in your hand, and it is easy to throw it away (dehydration).
All gem minerals contain adsorbed water, because adsorbed water is a foreign substance, so the loss of adsorbed water will not have any effect on the physical and chemical properties of the gem mineral itself.
But for the appearance of some gemstones, the loss of water adsorption can make a big visual difference.
Opal after water loss, source network
The most typical opal, for example, will be dehydrated at 100-125 degrees, and the colorful color change effect will be weakened or disappear.
Small Class:
The "water" in opal belongs to a special type of "adsorbed water" - "colloidal water".
Colloidal water, which is contained in hydrocolloidal gels (cryptocrystalline or amorphous substances), is an intrinsic characteristic of colloidal minerals and is included in the chemical composition of the mineral, but its content is highly variable and not fixed. Its content can greatly affect the appearance of the "opal".
When jade contains many different forms of "water"
Many varieties of jade do not contain only a single form of "water", what happens when jade contains different forms of "water"? Let's look at a few typical examples:
- turquoise
Among all gem minerals, turquoise is a mineral that can contain three types of water: "structural water", "crystal water", and "adsorption water" at the same time.
Related article read: "White spots appear after playing on the turquoise plate! The reason turned out to be it? 》
The presence of "crystal water" is the norm for most common turquoise.
For high-quality turquoise, the presence of a certain amount of stable "structured water" is a necessary condition for its "high porcelain".
However, some turquoise with low density has a large number of pores on the surface, and adsorbed water can exist between the pores of the grains. It is in a better state after absorbing water, but after the adsorbed water evaporates, it will return to the original state of light color, light weight and dull surface, which is containing adsorbed water.
It should be noted that in some stalls in the cultural market, some merchants will soak the low-porcelain, low-density "noodle pine" in water for sale.
When you buy such turquoise, a large part of the weight of the gram weight weighed on the spot will be the water adsorbed by the turquoise. Secondly, after a few days of returning home, when the water in the crevices of the surface layer of turquoise evaporates, you can see its true porcelain and color, and the green pine at this time is often much uglier than when you bought it (the color becomes lighter, and the grease luster after water absorption disappears).
- 岫玉
Many veteran players have heard that some Xiuyu will run out of water after wearing it for a while.
In fact, Xiuyu contains two types of water.
One is the structural water in the crystal structure.
Xiuyu is a layered hydrous magnesium silicate mineral with the chemical formula (Mg, Fe, Ni)3SiO5(OH)4, and the hydroxide element exists in the crystal structure in the form of ions.
As long as you don't heat it to more than 600 degrees, people are very stable.
The second is the kind of coarse texture in Xiuyu, the grain arrangement of leaf serpentine is not tight, there are a large number of pores between the stone grains, and there can be adsorption water between the pores of the grains. This adsorbed water will be removed at about 150 degrees.
This is why not all Xiuyu will "run water", only poor quality Xiuyu will "run water".
The water head of Xiuyu with a tight texture is due to the translucent visual effect produced by the high content of leaf serpentine, orderly arrangement, and dense structure, and the structure will not change easily.
The loose texture of Xiuyu will easily change because it is easy to absorb and remove the adsorbed water between the crystal particles.
In addition, if the jade with cracks is filled with wax, after a long time or the temperature is high, the wax will seep out, and the surface will become dry, and the surface of the jade will seem to be discolored due to the aging of the wax.
As for the "running water" of the ancient Xiuyu, it is actually the reaction between the jade and the substances in the environment, resulting in the weathering of secondary minerals.
Qing Xiu Yujue | Source: The Palace Museum
Mr. J said:
The "water" in gem minerals, like the water in human skin, cannot be seen or touched, but has a great impact on appearance.
The existence of structured water is like the natural skin of a 20-year-old girl for gemstones, the essence of which is moist and full, and the core is stable.
The presence of crystal water is like the skin of a woman who has undergone a large-scale medical aesthetic project, although it is firm, there is a risk of returning to its original shape if it is not properly maintained in the later stage.
The adsorption of water to gemstones is like a temporary moisturized skin care product, which temporarily beautifies people's skin condition.
After reading today's article, do you know more about the jewelry and jade in your hands? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area to discuss~
More exciting articles, we'll see you next time~
(Note: Part of the source of this article comes from the Internet, invaded and deleted or contacted the source of the note)