Uncover the secrets of the processing process from rough stone to finished product

China's traditional jade carving craftsmanship has a long history, rich content, and unique carving techniques and skills.

It is said that "jade cannot be made into a useful object unless it is carved." This refers to a good piece of jade. From jade raw material to jade finished product, it needs to go through a series of processing steps. This process requires careful design and conception by the jade carver, making maximum use of the characteristics of the raw materials, achieving the most perfect design effect while saving materials, and then using exquisite carving techniques to turn them into unique pieces of art in the world.

Without the careful design, processing and carving of the jade carver, no matter how good the color, water quality and texture of the jadeite raw stone are, it can only be called a "beautiful stone". Only after cutting, peeling, removing defects, carefully designed and carved, and carefully polished, can it become a jadeite artwork loved by everyone.

In summary, it can be roughly divided into the following steps:

1. Material selection

Material selection is the key starting point in jade processing technology. Jade raw materials all have a skin, and the internal jade is wrapped in the skin. The color, texture, and cracks inside the jade raw stone cannot be seen by the naked eye. There is a certain degree of gambling, so there is a saying of "gambling on stones". This feature is also not found in other jades. Only those who have a certain understanding of jadeite raw stones can choose good raw materials. Improper material selection will result in material waste and economic losses. For example, when making bracelets, pendants, ring faces or ornaments, the requirements for material selection are different.

2. Cutting

When cutting the material, the skin is usually wiped off to observe the internal characteristics of the jade, such as the distribution and direction of cracks inside the jade, and the changes in color and water head. Secondly, based on the overall characteristics of the jade, a preliminary judgment is made on the purpose of the jade, that is, what type of jade article it can be processed into. Finally, use a diamond cutter to cut the jade into different sizes as required.

3. Usage positioning and design

First determine the processing type, such as bracelets, plaques, small pendants, ring faces or ornaments, and then design the style and pattern according to the characteristics of the material. Jade design is different from general industrial product design. Industrial product design requires design drawings, while jade design is to draw design drawings directly on the jade material based on the material.

4. Carving

1. Guillotine: Use a diamond wheel to chop off the useless parts outside the ink line.
2. Chisel: Use a diamond wheel to saw the convex and concave depth to further chisel away useless parts.
3. Punching: Use a small round stone or diamond wheel to punch out the uneven parts into a rough jade piece.
4. Grinding: Use grinding stones of different sizes to grind out the main pattern. Such as grinding out human figures, hands and ribbons, etc.
5. Rolling: Use a rolling mill to make it finer. Such as opening the face, opening the eyebrows, rolling out the mouth, nose, ears, etc.
6. Hook: Use a hook to draw out more subtle patterns. Such as drawing dragon scales, phoenix feathers and characters' hair.

In addition, the surface of the pattern should be constantly rinsed with water during carving. The purpose is to wash away the powder, while at the same time lowering the temperature and observing the quality of the product and the fineness and accuracy of the lines.

5. Drilling

Also known as drilling, especially when carving and hollowing out details, the drilling work must be carefully completed by machine. For the small hole on the top of the jade pendant used to thread the rope, you should pay attention to selecting the appropriate position of the hole and also consider the size of the hole. If the hole is too large, it will affect the appearance, while if it is too small, it will be inconvenient to thread the rope.

6. Grinding and polishing

Polishing is a process that uses certain technological operations to remove traces of jade processing and make the surface of jade achieve its proper gloss and smoothness. It is generally divided into manual polishing and machine polishing. Manual polishing is more delicate, time-consuming, and less prone to damage. Machine polishing saves time and effort, and can polish multiple pieces at one time, but it is easy to damage the design itself.

A perfect jade artifact is an ingenious combination of the beauty of material and shape.

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