On the Collection of Hair Crystal

In ancient time, crystal was called “undine” and “water jade”, which were believed to be the ice dissolved from jade. Crystal has been considered as a treasure by the generations because it has the characters of being clear and exquisite, limpid as water and solid as jade, and also been apotheosized as the necessary decoration material in sea dragon palace and the heaven, as well as the apple of Gods’ eye. “Crystal fork has been left from the clear sky” depicts that the beautiful month sister left a keepsake to earthly lovers.

In Chinese ancient poetry, crystal products are often likened to ice, water, dew or even moonlight. Crystal Pillow by Li Pin dscribes crystal as “Seeing the crystal like firn and ice of 10,000 years, I don’t have any strength to take the candlestick. I wonder where the old acquaintance got it, in which chiliness had been congealed.” Wang Jian applied the lines “Dumped in the lotus leaves, it looks sometimes like dew.” to describe crystal. Li Bai was thrilled by the charm of crystal through and through and left the excellent lines “it can be seen in red sleeves, but it is invisible in a white jade basin.”

Precious stones are valued by its immaculacy, so is crystal. However, the real unique and suprior crystal is “defective”. Its value lies on the flaw is rare and natural. Because crystal contains the minerals of neele-like and fibriform rutile, actinolite, tourmaline, epidote and so on, it is known as Hair Crystal. Golden yellow, brown-red and green hair are ebedded in the clear crystal or embracing into clusters or weaving or staggered. Through meticulously conceived and carved by craftsmen, the intragranular hair and the ingenious shape blend in each other naturally and harmoniously, which becomes a rare art collection. On the Trivial Gold and Jade by Xie Zhong in Ming Dynasty said: “I got a snuff bottle of Hair Crystal, which is pale; a hair in the crystal is through the mouth to the bottom and through the bottom to the mouth, surrounding the whole crystal. The hair is as straight as a line without any deflection.” It is praised as the peerless one. As a special crystal, Hair Crystal has a very high aesthetic value and collection value. Its value depends on the material itself primarily. The quality and quantity of the hair in Hair Crystal and arranged shape are the precondition of the inner beauty. In general, it is superior one that the hair is slight and delicate with a ordered arrangement and without any variegated wrapping things. The common colors of Hair Crystal contain golden yellow, brown, brown-red, soil-red, soil-green, black and so on. The aesthetic feeling of hair colors varies up to different people, but it is good to be odd and precious to be rare. I have a collection of a two-color Hair Crystal works with soil-red and soil-green. One green side and one red side echo each other against the background color and the middle color brown blends the two colors together. It shows an unspeakable simplicity in the tenderness. It is really rare. Second, it depends on the creativity and cut craftwork. A Hair Crystal works must have a good conception and creativity, so that the inherent charmof Hair Crystal can be fully exploited. I have a collection of a golden Hair Crystal works. The hair part was designed and crafted to a golden monkey, non-hair part to a crystal peach and peach branches. The monkey jumped on the peach, sweet and lively. Everyone never wants to put it down once holding it. A longevous monkey picking the peach means auspicious, but also originally unique. The requirements of cut craftwork is the same with that of other jewelry. Generally speaking, for transparent crystal, the cut craftwork is the better in pursuit of simplicity and being round.

From the point of view of investment and collection, Hair Crystal as a natural gem has a greater appreciation space of the investment. On the one hand, because of the impact of the whole jewelry market, the current price of Hair Crystal is not too much; on the other hand, the mineral source of crystal increases lack day by day. Although China has a wider distribution of crystal, the production of superior crystal is limited and rare.