The night pearl in China's ancient folk is also known as "luminous wall, luminous stone, glow stone", according to legend, it is said that it is the world's extremely rare stone that can emit light at night. Some experts pointed out that the "night pearl" is actually a glowing fluorite. The main materials of the Pearl of the Night are fluorite, calcite and some diamonds, of which fluorite is the most common. "Glowstone" is an ordinary ore, a not uncommon industrial raw material, the main component is calcium difluoride, is a chemical raw material for the production of hydrofluoric acid.
Origin of the title
The "Night Pearl" is a jewel that can be seen by the human eye in the dark, natural, and can shine on its own. In ancient times, "Night Pearl" was also known as "Luminous Bi", "Bright Moon Pearl" and so on. The famous "Night Pearl" includes "Sui Zhu", "Hanging Dawn", "Heavy Thorn Bi", "Jade of Stone Phosphorus" and so on.
The "night pearl" circulated in China's folklore has a strange luminous performance, which can emit a variety of colors in a lightless environment. The "Night Pearl" is the most mysterious, rare and precious treasure in the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization, and is privately owned by the imperial power. "Night Pearl" has a deep historical background and cultural connotation.
The luminous principle of the luminous pearl
In physics, the luminous principle of the night pearl is that the stone with a phosphorescent substance absorbs the external energy after being exposed to the sun, and then releases these energy in the dark to form a silver-white glow. This is closely related to trace impurities in mineral crystals.
The Pearl of the Night is not a gemstone at all, and its value cannot be compared with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, emeralds, etc. of a single crystal. The reason why people have a sense of mystery about it is because there are many legendary records of the night pearl in ancient books, and the other is that it "will shine".
"Will emit light" is not magical, manganese-containing cleavage, rare earth-containing ore, barium nickel ore and so on will emit light. After absorbing foreign light, the "glowstone" night pearl emits fluorescence or phosphorescence. With the development of science and technology now, it is as easy to "artificial night pearl" as artificial marble, artificial diamond, and artificial crystal, and add some luminous substances to ordinary ore, that is, it will glow, "just like the previous clock luminous light."
Element composition
In the world, there are thousands of mineral species in nature, of which there are more than twenty kinds of minerals, which can emit visible light under the stimulation of foreign energy, which is the luminescence of minerals. For example: fluorite, diamond, spodumene, emerald and other rare minerals. These luminous minerals have a long and short luminous time, and there is a difference between strong and weak. The most representative is a type of fluorite with the phenomenon of phosphorescence. It contains a variety of rare elements and is purple-red, pink-green, emerald green, dark green and spotted cloud white. In the crystallization process of fluorite minerals, there is a unique rare earth element that forms its own light source "luminous center" when it enters the lattice. It has a Hardness of 4 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale. Its stone appearance is colorful and colorful. After processing, it is processed into a small bead shape and a large ball shape. In the thick night, the beads are like stars twinkling, and the balls are like the moon spitting silver. And some high-quality fluorite phosphorescent beads, strong light, constant light does not fade, this is the world's legend of the "night pearl".
The type of night pearl
variety
From the modern known varieties of night pearls, there are mainly fluorite night pearls, crystal night pearls, diamond night pearls, ruby night pearls, emerald night pearls, (garnet) night pearls, spodumene night pearls, zircon night pearls, stone (golden emerald) night pearls, calcite night pearls, cryolite night pearls, turquoise night pearls, opal (gem opal) night pearls and thunder gongmo night pearls.
Main classifications
"Night Pearl" can be divided into two categories according to the different materials of the base.
1． Flora and fauna "Night Pearl": There are luminous people in the animal kingdom such as the famous fireflies, which are well known to everyone. Tang Dynasty Su Jaw's "Duyang Miscellaneous Compilation" records that in the first year of the Tang Dynasty Zongbao calendar, Nanchang State dedicated "Night Ming Rhinoceros". There are many luminous people in the plant kingdom, such as the "Compendium of Materia Medica" records that the "Muwei Xizhi", "Ginseng Zhi", and "Qiming Jiuguang Zhi" in the Ganoderma lucidum are fluorescent.
2． Mineral gemstone night pearl: From the perspective of solid state physics, the matrix material of the mineral "night pearl" is the activated crystalline phosphor in the inorganic salt crystal.
The so-called activated crystal phosphor refers to the crystal that obtains the "luminous" ability due to the crystal lattice lattice distortion, and this distortion is mostly caused by the matrix containing certain heavy metal impurities (activators). For example, a small amount of Cu in ZnS can emit yellow-green phosphorescence, which is called the matrix, and Cu is called an activator.
Due to the difference in activating the activators in the crystalline phosphor, the activated crystal phosphor, that is, the "night pearl", can be divided into two categories:
(1) Permanently glowing luminous pearl: does not need to be excited by any external energy, but relies on its own activators, such as 14C. 3Ｈ． 147Ｐｍ． 226Ｒａ． 232Ｔｈ． Isogenic isotopes that emit light by spontaneous excitation.
(2) Long afterglow storage type night pearl: the activator in the phosphor is not radioactive, and it must rely on external sunlight, ultraviolet rays and other light sources to excite it to emit light.
At present, there are no less than 100 kinds of phosphors commonly used, and their chemical composition, in addition to alkali metal halides, are compounds of divalent metals (ca, sr, ba, cd, mg, zn) - sulfides, selenides, tellurides, silicates, aluminates, tungstates, phosphates and halogen phosphates. "Night Pearl" - this rare treasure, there have been many magical and beautiful legends throughout the ages, especially reflected in classical dramas, movies, novels and courts, involving many genres of Night Pearl. Since the emperors ascended the throne in ancient times and the crown prince returned to the dynasty, the night pearl has accompanied the emperor and the dragon son and grandson into the palace as the "treasure of the town and the country". Therefore, in ancient times, the night pearl became a symbol of the supremacy, supremacy, supremacy, supremacy, and supremacy of a country. Cloaked in a strong mysterious color, the night pearl is in people's traditional consciousness, which is both personified with the authority of the emperor and the holy and spiritual like the sun, moon, and stars of heaven and earth.
Historical allusions
According to historical records, as early as the prehistoric YanDi God's family, there were already overnight pearls, such as the king of the Shennong clan with stone balls known as "night mines". The Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, such as the "Hanging Dawn" and the "Wall of Weeping Thorns", are of great value, comparable to the clan bi. At that time, only the great official Tao Laigong (Fan He) and The Price Dun (great merchant in the Warring States period) could afford to buy it. The Jin Dynasty once used the "Wall of Weeping Thorns" as bait to "fake heads and Yu to make up". Doctors of Chu, Qin, Wei and other countries once used the pearl of the night to imply philosophy and discuss major national events. Qin Shi Huang buried the Night Pearl and "replaced the anointing candle" in the mausoleum. Empress Dowager Han's younger brother Guo Quan "hung pearls and hanging in all directions, seeing the stars during the day and the moon at night" to show off his wealth. Wu Zetian gave Xuanzong the jade dragon in the night pearl, and Xuanzong returned to his son (Sejong) a clear pearl, illuminating a room. When Tang had a car, a night pearl called "Water Drop" sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. During the Song Dynasty, the imperial family was particularly happy with the night pearl, of which the Night Pearl of Genghis Khan was stolen in Taiwan, and then the case was solved and returned to the original owner. Yuan Ming sent officials to Sri Lanka to buy ruby night pearls and garnet night pearls. The Cabinet of the Ming Dynasty once had several emerald night pearls, and the night was as bright as a candle.
Some people regard it as a treasure, and some people abandon it as a treasure. In ancient times, some people did not know treasure, and once abandoned the bay of the hanging dawn at night. An old farmer in Wei Guo got a pearl with a diameter of a foot, and when he saw the night light, he threw it into the far field. Some people also regard the night pearl as a "curse of water" and "hit the sand and gravel". Although some are just legends, the Pearl of the Night has become a culture of its own in the history of our country with its beauty, nobility and mystery.
Historical records
There is a record of luminous stone as follows: "White with silver wire, light body can float to the surface." There is light at night, light blue, bright as a hydeste. If the light is faint, soak it with water, and the light is as good as ever. It is said that there is Changbai Mountain.
Stones are generally non-luminous, except for gemstones. But in Changbai Mountain, there are stones that glow at night, which is amazing.
When Liu Jianfeng inspected Changbai Mountain, he had a record of luminous stones:
White with silver wire, light body can float to the surface. There is light at night, light blue, bright as a hydeste. If the light is faint, soak it with water, and the light is as good as ever. Is this luminous stone naturally formed, or is it formed by the cooling of magma after a volcanic eruption? Probably the latter, but not conclusive.
There is also a kind of stone that can glow at night, can not float on the water, known as the "Star Stone" Liu Jianfeng recorded when examining the Tianchi of Changbai Mountain:
Star Stone, in the sheltered heathnan. The stone is round and large, and there is a strange light at night, and people call it a star stone. Although it can also glow at night, it is different from luminous stone, - a stone shaped round, a body can float to the surface, - a night has a different light, a light light blue.
Are they the same for the same reasons they glow? Will these two stones have a special purpose?
In addition to the glowing stones, Changbai Mountain also has glowing wood.
"Pine root cloak blown down, the reason for the years unchanged, the wood color is yellowish, every rainy night and the light is like burning sulfur, the day is gone." (Liu Jianfeng examined the long white out of the time). Even now, the Changbai Mountain forest area can see glowing wood at night. These pieces of wood are generally decaying wood, which the local people call "rotten wood incense." Rotten wood incense will glow, for the Changbai Mountain people, it is not unusual, but the reason for the glow, but few people can say clearly.
Changbai Mountain has in addition to glowing stones and wood. A mushroom can also glow. Observing this mushroom during the day is not much different from ordinary mushrooms, but at night, it emits a distinct fluorescence, which can also be seen from a hundred meters away. If you enter the mountain forest dense with glowing mushrooms at night, there is a starlight everywhere under your feet, as if you are in the sky, floating like a fairy. Several people in Fusong County who picked glowing mushrooms dared to eat them, fearing that they would be poisonous.
Authenticity recognition
Natural night pearl is extremely rare and rare, we identify its authenticity, in addition to the use of gemstone detection instruments for scientific identification, but also according to its many characteristics to identify. According to experts, after the false night pearl is irradiated by a strong radioactive source, it will emit fluorescence, and some can be maintained for three or five months or even a year. Many luminescent minerals are radioactive, and it is best not to approach or prolong exposure if they have not been tested for radioactivity safety.
Natural night pearl
(1) Light gray fluorite that must be illuminated for 15 minutes and can continuously emit light for dozens of hours.
(2) With phosphorescence phenomenon, it can produce a quasi-effect of the night pearl.
(3) The color is beautiful, translucent, without any light, that is, permanent active luminescence, and the luminous energy is larger.
(4) Be sure to distinguish the fluorescence and phosphorescence of fluorite, phosphorescence phenomenon is the effect of external light source, after removal can also maintain a certain luminous time.
(5) Observe its luminous length of the world's largest night pearl (5 photos), uniformity, and half-life, and the length of the afterglow.
Artificial night pearl
(1) Fill the fluorite cracks that do not emit light themselves, and only emit light locally or linearly.
(2) After the illuminated part passes through the light, the time is fleeting.
(3) Filled with luminous objects, flawed, there are obvious traces, naked eye viewing, it is easier to see.
Due to the high value of pure natural night pearls, when identifying authenticity, it is necessary to hold a serious and serious attitude, and there should be an appraisal certificate issued by the national gemstone authoritative testing institution as the basis.
The value of the pearl of the night
1. During the reign of Tang Ruizong, the night pearl of the "water beads" was "worth hundreds of millions", and the Hu people bought them with 40 million guan (fang kong money is 100 million yuan).
2. The Yuan Dynasty "Zhao HongDian" ruby night pearl weighs one, two or three dollars (265.625 carats), and the price is 100,000 ingots.
3, the Yuan Dynasty (garnet) night pearl, weighing one or two or three dollars (203.125 carats.) in the official valuation of the total money of 140,000 ingots.
4, Ming Nei once hid the emerald night pearl "so it is the most precious treasure, its price is six grades", the eldest one or two dollars, can be worth more than 10,000 yuan.
5. The Qing Cixi Night Pearl, weighing four hundred and twenty-two cents (667.1875 carats) "worth 10.8 million taels"; the valuation of the first year of Xuantong increased by ten times, and the valuation of the Republic of China in the twenty-fifth year must rise by a hundred times, and it is impossible to calculate today, and can only be regarded as "priceless treasure".
【The text of this content comes from the Internet】