What do you know about the five major technological features of jade carving?

Jade carving is one of the oldest types of carving in China. There are many varieties of jade carving, mainly including figures, utensils, birds, beasts, flowers, etc. After thousands of years of accumulation, China's jade carving technology has formed distinct characteristics and enjoys a high reputation in the world.

1. Craftsmanship based on materials

The most important technique in jade carving is to apply art according to the materials: jadeite raw stone is difficult to mine and it is a non-renewable resource, so it is relatively precious. The texture, color, shape and other characteristics of each raw stone are different. Only by applying art in accordance with the material can we minimize the loss of jade materials as much as possible, and utilize the characteristics of the jade itself to make jade more beautiful and distinctive. Jade carving is a craft creation with no fixed shape. It requires imagination and is poured onto the jade without any modification. Each work must start from the material properties, color, shape, etc., to maximize the use of jade materials, especially in the creation of figures, birds, flowers, and animals, the design is based on the material and a unique approach is taken. Historically, due to the materials used, craftsmanship was mainly limited to small pieces, with single products and limited quantities. With the advancement of technology and the improvement of skills, the skills of applying materials are becoming more and more advanced, and the works are becoming more colorful. The shape of the jade carvings, the size of the works, the rational use of colors, etc. are all achieved by combining the materials and the craftsmanship to achieve the best results.

2. Remove dirt and knots

Dirt and cracks are taboos in jade products.

Remove the impurities from jade to make it purer and brighter. It is difficult to find jade that is completely free of impurities for large jade carvings, so one must remove as much impurities as possible, retaining the shape, and design the work based on its characteristics to maximize the use of materials. During the production process of the work, the jade may reveal impurities again, such as black or white spots or rice-like impurities, etc., especially in the main part of the front side. This is the most difficult problem for designers to deal with, and they must try their best to deal with it or "cover it up". Many jade works have their original structure changed due to the process of carving out dirt. It takes a lot of effort for jade carvers to remove the dirt and make the structure and shape reasonable.

Remove tangle. The cracks in jade are natural cracks that have no fixed shape, direction or pattern. The formation of curls is affected by many factors such as the impact of natural forces and cold changes. The types of streaks include fracture lines, broken lines, turtle back lines, exploded heart lines, and exploded shocking lines. When processing, selecting materials and carving jadeite, the first thing to pay attention to is the treatment of the texture, either sawing the jade along the texture or avoiding the texture. After removing the knots, design according to the shape of the material. In the carving after design, there are often reappearance of grain lines, called "grain lines" and "water lines", which require designers and craftsmen to think hard.

Meditation can remove hair strands and change shape.

3. Turn flaws into strengths

Defects are taboo in jade, but there are very few flawless jade materials. Making full use of the raw materials has long been noticed by jade carving experts, forming the carving process characteristics of "turning flaws into virtues." The works created by turning flaws into virtues not only do not affect the works, but can also cleverly utilize the flaws to make them become the icing on the cake of the jade works, making the image of the work more vivid, increasing the sense of realism and achieving an effect that ordinary jade materials cannot achieve.

The work in the picture above is a clam girl and a cleverly colored leopard ornament made by a jade carver using dirty spots.

4. Smart use of waste materials

As jade becomes increasingly scarce, high-quality jade material has become hard to come by. In order to conserve jade resources and reduce costs, jade carvers cleverly conceive of some scraps and reap their value to create jade carvings that are equal to or more valuable than the finished jade materials.

Jade carvers use waste materials from Damakan to create collection-level works

5. Clever use of color

The clever use of jadeite colors refers to the process in which jadeite carving masters look at the jade material and skillfully use the various colors of jade to complete the jade carvings. This requires the sculptor to fully understand and utilize the color of jade, select materials according to color, and apply art according to the material, or carve figures, animals, landscapes, or flowers, to achieve the effect of harmony between nature and work, highlighting the ornamental value of the work while also showing the color beauty of jade. Colorful jade carving is a unique skill in jade carving and belongs to the category of artistic creation. There are two important points in carving colorful jade: material selection and conception.

Across the World

Jade is the most beautiful stone. And this beauty is given by the hands of the jade carver. These exquisite jade carving techniques perfectly interpret the temperament of jade itself. It seems like carving jade, but also like carving the person in your heart.

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