How to distinguish good and bad jade carvings, experts tell you

The criteria for judging a piece of jade are its type, water, base, color, and workmanship. The first four are determined by the quality of the material itself and are not affected by human factors. The quality of the carving is controllable by humans and is an important factor affecting the value of jade works.

Nowadays, many jade lovers are no longer satisfied with buying finished products directly, but choose materials for private customization. Although the price may be higher, you will feel more comfortable with a customized product because it is unique. Therefore, choosing a good carver is particularly important.

Today, let’s talk about how to distinguish whether the carving of a jade product is good or bad?

1. Design

1. Good design draft, with its own charm

“Well begun is half done.” In the eyes of jade lovers, the cost of a jade carving is mainly the material and carving, while in the eyes of jade carvers, the most important cost is the design. Good design will make it more efficient and increase its value.

2. Design and carving, fit each other

As the saying goes: Art should be applied in accordance with the material; jade carvers must first understand the stone, and then design according to the material's trends and characteristics, so that the carving and the stone fit perfectly. Even if the stone contains flaws, they can create according to the characteristics of the stone, turning decay into magic.

This stone has a transparent texture, but the only drawback is that it is not a flat material. There are depressions on the stone. This requires the jade carver to have a comprehensive and complete grasp of the material, and then design it based on the characteristics of the stone itself.

Based on the characteristics of the stone, the jade carver cleverly designed the concave part of the stone into the auspicious cloud part of the Guanyin statue and placed the focus of the design on the right side of the stone to balance the visual proportions.

The finished Guanyin statue has soft lines and curves as flexible as flowing clouds and water.

In terms of the proportions of the picture, it is divided into upper and lower parts in the golden ratio of 3:7. The Guanyin with closed eyes in concentration in the upper right and the leaping dragon in the lower left are in harmony with each other, which is naturally interesting.

3. Proper proportions and reasonable composition

The quality of jade is also reflected in its proportions, just like the matching of clothes. Proper proportions give people a reasonable imagination and look comfortable. Improper proportions make people feel that the work is dull and wooden...

Just like landscape cards, if you just add scenery, it will give people a feeling of complexity and lack of focus, and the overall artistic conception will disappear. Appropriate blank space, on the contrary, gives people room for imagination and increases its spirituality.

4. Simplify the complex and create beauty through simplicity

There can't be a flower without a strand. Some carvings are to cover up the flaws of jade. It doesn't mean that the more complicated the carving, the more valuable it is. If the water color is the same, simplicity will better show the beauty of jade.

Comparing before and after, everyone can intuitively feel that the second Guanyin is obviously more spiritual, and the water quality looks better.

5. Aesthetic level determines the beauty of the work

The jade carver's ideological level and creative ability determine the presentation effect of the design, which tests the jade carver's aesthetic ability, vision and courage.

Works with poor design effects will destroy the visual appreciation effect and may even lead to improper water quality, affecting the quality of the jade. Works with high creativity can make the presented works more suitable for jade materials.

This work was originally a one-armed Maitreya Buddha. The water quality was transparent but not adjusted. The overall lines were simple, the proportions were not coordinated, and there was no attractive focal point. In terms of details, Maitreya's smile was stiff, and the one-armed ingot felt like "adding unnecessary details".

After redesign, the original upper body of Maitreya was designed as a complete statue of Tathagata Buddha. The round belly of Maitreya Buddha was cleverly transformed into the lotus pod under the body of Tathagata Buddha. The overall image is symmetrical and the proportions are harmonious. The Buddha is located in the middle, highlighting it and becoming the focus of viewing.

In addition, the rough manufacturing of the original work buried the pure texture of the jade itself. After the transformation and design, the water quality of this fine ice yellow material was perfectly presented, the jade was delicate, and the whole work looked crystal clear.

2. Carving

1. The details reveal the world

The biggest difference between good and bad carving lies in the treatment of details.

Good carving, in general, means that the carving skills are exquisite, natural, smooth, and aesthetic, and can perfectly combine jade and carving. As for those carvings with poor workmanship, in addition to the rough workmanship, the details are often not carefully modified and carved. Many places are hastily sketched out, and are rough and rigid.

From this set of pictures we can see that the jade carving above is rough, without any fine carving or polishing, and the shape is rigid; the jade carving below is well handled in details, with delicate and smooth lines, naturally rounded, and perfectly matched with the quality of the jade.

The details in the jade are not handled well, the lines are not smooth enough, the details do not connect, and the outer circle is uneven and the workmanship is rough, as if it was a work that was done in one stroke without any revision or modification.

The lines are smooth and natural, the details are handled smoothly and the connection is in place. This is the so-called "slow work and fine work".

2. Hand-carved sculptures bring vitality

Although machine carving is fast and low-cost, it is all monotonous and lacks spirituality. It is only suitable for low-end jade and has very low collection value. However, hand carving can increase the value of jade materials, and good workmanship can add the finishing touch, which cannot be matched by machine carving!

Jade carving design is not something that can be done at random, but is based on the experience of designing countless works and the understanding of life. The quality of the carving affects the value of the jadeite. It is very important to learn how to judge the carving of a piece of jadeite.

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