Jade carving: If jade is not cut, it will not become a useful object

As the saying goes, jade cannot be made into a useful object without being carved. Every piece of jade must be carved, and carving is a perfect transformation for jade. From a piece of raw stone to the final product, every piece of jade has its own story and meaning, from the merchant selecting and purchasing materials to the sculptor's careful design and meticulous carving.

Jade has gem-grade hardness, which makes it much more difficult to process. In the jade industry, there is a saying that "30% material and 70% workmanship". The "workmanship" here refers to the carving, which shows its importance. There are three types of carving: negative carving, positive carving, and hollow carving, but they all require "cleverness, beauty, and precision."

Clever: ingenious conception and meaning. A good design can maximize the value of a piece of jade. When jade carvers select materials, they will base their ideas on the size, structure, color, etc. of the raw materials. For example, smaller materials are used to carve gourds, which symbolize "good fortune, wealth, longevity" and "many children and grandchildren"; greener materials are used to carve bamboos, which symbolize "prosperity on a daily basis" and "wishes for peace and prosperity", etc.

Qiao: the use of pretty colors. Make full use of the original color of jade to achieve harmonious unity. The rare treasure "Emerald Grasshopper and Cabbage" housed in the National Palace Museum in Taipei is one of the works that makes the most effective use of color. The raw materials contain three natural colors: white, green and yellow. When carving, the ingenious craftsmen did not avoid the yellow emerald green, but boldly left it on the cabbage stems, realistically showing the texture of the cabbage after frost, thus revealing a strong breath of life and making the cabbage more charming.

Jing: refers to the exquisite craftsmanship. For the same dish, the one prepared by an ordinary person and that prepared by a professional chef cannot be compared. This is especially true for jade carving. Jade carvers with superb skills can often achieve magical effects by turning decay into something magical. Good craftsmanship can make up for the inherent deficiencies of jade, separate the colors organically, and make ordinary pieces of jade full of vitality and artistry.

Jade carving is very time-consuming and laborious. It takes at least half a month and at most half a year or a year to carve an object. Sometimes it cannot be completed by one person. This shows the importance of carving. Jade carvers can generally be divided into ordinary jade carvers, excellent jade carvers, jade carving artists, provincial and national level, etc. The higher the level of the sculptor and the greater his fame, the higher the price will naturally be.

Don’t ask me if the carving is expensive! It is precisely because of the wisdom and skillful hands of the sculptors that the jades buried deep in the dust of time can shine with dazzling brilliance. And their beauty that has undergone "thousands of hammers and refinements" needs you to discover and appreciate it.

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