Feiyuehui Studios · 翡月荟 · The Jadeite Guide
Study Notes
Translucency is an essential part of jadeite quality. Thickness gives us the context in which to understand it.
This Feiyuehui Studios chapter considers why a thin piece and a substantial piece should not be compared through brightness alone. Light travels through different amounts of material.
Sustaining a luminous appearance at greater thickness can be demanding. Yet thickness, by itself, is not a guarantee of superior quality.
The study returns to balance: how thickness supports the form while remaining in harmony with translucency, texture, color, internal structure and proportion. The material must be considered as a whole.
Read the translucency.
Then consider the thickness at which it is sustained.
FEIYUEHUI STUDIOS · EP04
WHY THICKNESS MATTERS
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Key Observations
- Translucency must be considered in relation to actual thickness.
- Under comparable lighting, thinner material may transmit light more readily.
- Similar translucency at different thicknesses can reflect different material performance.
- Greater thickness does not automatically mean better jadeite.
- Thickness should suit the form and remain balanced with the stone’s other qualities.
翡翠厚度与通透度
同样讨论翡翠的通透感，厚度不同，比较结果也可能不同。翡翠蛋面、吊坠等作品的厚度与比例，会影响视觉深度、体量感和光线表现。
本期翡月荟 Feiyuehui Studios 说明为什么观察翡翠种水时需要结合尺寸与厚度，不能只凭一张明亮的照片判断材料品质。
Transcript
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Original accompanying text, edited for reading.
FEIYUEHUI STUDIOS · EP04
WHY THICKNESS MATTERS
Translucency is itself an important part of jadeite quality. Yet what the eye sees must always be understood in relation to the actual thickness of the material.
Under the same lighting conditions, a thinner piece of jadeite may appear more translucent because light travels through less material. This does not make its translucency false. It simply means that translucency cannot be fully evaluated without knowing the thickness of the piece.
When two pieces appear similarly translucent, thickness provides essential context. If jadeite can sustain brightness, clarity, colour, and visual depth at a greater thickness, that level of material performance is generally more difficult to achieve.
But thicker does not automatically mean better. Thickness must suit the form of the piece and remain in balance with its translucency, texture, colour, internal structure, and proportion.
What matters is not translucency alone, but the thickness at which it is sustained.
Presented by Maggie
Co-Founder / Co-Lead Curator
Jade Narrative & Visual
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