- The artist made skillful use of color in the raw material to create these lively jadeite frog with features such as the wrinkles which make these carving so lifelike.
- .jpg (35.67 KiB) Viewed 5 times
Converting a piece of jadeite from the rough stone to a finished piece of jewellery or a carving takes time. There are many steps along the way ,requiring experience, skill and patience. Every single step is important and judgement is crucial.
The processing of jadeite is set out briefly as follows:
1. Analysis of the rough material
The first thing that carvers do is examine the rough stone and note its colors, grain lines, transparency and cracks. The rough is cut with the following key objectives:
- A jadeite mountain carving in a garden landscape. It is well carved and polished to highlight the tones of yellow , green and amber in the stone, making it a lively scene.
- .jpg (57.27 KiB) Viewed 5 times
-To maximize distinctive features, e.g. veins, streaks of color
-To capitalize on its strengths, e.g. good color, good transparency
-To minimize its weaknesses such as cracks and flaws
-To retain as much volume as possible, a expecially with more highly priced varieties
-To meet consumer demand
-To consider market trends
2. Cutting
Cutting jadeite is more accurately called “grinding”. Because of the hardness of the jadeite, a rotating metal disc or a metal disc coated with diamond abrasive is used to grind the stone slowly into two pieces. Carvers usually grind a fine line into the stone first, to observe its quality and, if it is what was originally expected, proceed to cut the whole piece into two. A small amount of the jadeite is , of course, lost during this grinding/cutting process.
- A delightful butterfly brooch with two translucent carved jadeite wings and the body, eyes and antennae set with rose cut diamonds
- .jpg (60.06 KiB) Viewed 5 times
If it happens to be in an imperial green part of the stone, there will be some financial loss. If cracks are present, the first cut is usually along the direction of the cracks.
- Buddha is generally the most expensive type of jade jewellery as it takes such a large piece of rough to make the form. The carver has to select very carefully, choosing the right thickness and color, avoiding cracks and making sure that the extracted slab contains the very heart of the color in the rough
- .jpg (35.73 KiB) Viewed 5 times
3. Slicing
After opening up the raw material, the color, transparency and any cracks or inclusion are apparent. Determined by its quality and following the objectives of getting the most from the stone, the rough is cut with a diamond saw into slices of predetermined thickness and shape. Stones with higher transparency will be fashioned into popular shapes such as cabochons, beads and “Chicken hearts” (鸡心)。
- A beautifully carved jadeite vase with flower
- carving.jpg (52.12 KiB) Viewed 5 times
Low to medium transparency stones will look opaque and dull if they are cut too thick. Light can be transmitted more easily through thin slices, enhancing the stone’s transparency. l Carvers will have to examine the stone from many different angles in order to decide what will be needed to maximize the full potential of full potential of the stone.
4. Designing
Again, the designers have to consider the 4Cs and 2Ts of jadeite evaluation and then apply their own sense of innovation and artistic flair to the stone. The shape of the stone must be considered when attempting to carve it. Artists use a pen to draw and mark the various designs onto the material. The procedure for smaller pieces is, as one would expect, quite different from that of a big carving.
- .jpg (32.17 KiB) Viewed 4 times
- The jade
manufactuing process
was colorfully
documented in Qing
Qing Yuen's(澄清渊）
book written and illustrated in the Qing
Dynasty. - .jpg (49.49 KiB) Viewed 5 times
Carving big pieces of jadeite is a discipline in itself. As in medicine, where there are cardiologist, neurosurgeons, paediatricians etc., each with their own specialty, some mater carvers also only specialize in one particular area such as flowers, figures, animals ,birds or scenery. So, some of the huge jade carving that include many such specialties are worked on by a whole group of artists. One example of this is the myriad stone , which produced at least four caving that have been acknowledged as National Treasures of China. In Yang zhou, artists specialize in carving hill s and streams and their technique is famous , The basic principles of carving are rigorously studied and applied so that the effect achieved is as close to reality as possible. One of the rules for proper proportions is “ a metre for a hill ,a foot for a tree, an inch for a horse ,and a centimeter for a centimeter for a human figure” (丈山尺树，寸马分人)
5. Carving
The stone is first marked up. Then the out line is cut out and ground into rough shapes with grinding wheels. An electrical grinder with round disce in various sizes and degrees of fineness is used for this purpose. The discs are charged with diamond dust. A jet of water is directed onto the stone as it is being cut. Because considerable heat is generated during the grinding process, the water serves to reduce the heat and thus prevents the jadeite from being burned.
- Jadeite rough is usually
cut into slices before it
is fashioned into
carvings and jewellery - A货B货.jpg (38.47 KiB) Viewed 5 times
Most grinding equipment is fitted with a water box. Lighting and covers to contain any splashing of fluid and grains. Then the details of the design are carved into the stone.
6. Polishing
Both the outline and the details of the design must next be polished to achieve the final result. Different grinding wheels are again used. Carvers start with the coarser abrasives in order to achieve the basic polish quickly. Then fine polishing powder is applied until the quality of the polish is smooth and fine.
7. Wet Buffing – Commonly termed Chu shui(出水)
Each step of the jadeite fashioning process can be taken separately and allocated to different factories. There are factoried that specialize in this wet buffing process. The jadeite is buffed with polishing compound on damp leather, wood, cotton or felt mops on a polishing wheel which rotated 400 times in five minutes, giving the jadeite its final shine. This process adds life to the stone by increasing its reflection, making the stone look bright and shiny.
- A magnificent
contemporary jadeite
carving that is a three
dimensional picture of a journey in
the mountains in autumn(秋山行旅图）。
A combination of boththe Norther and
Southern styles of jade Carving（南北派）。
It maked impressive use of the paler inner
material and the contrasting
brighter green outer material - .jpg (40.42 KiB) Viewed 4 times
8. Soaking in sour plum juice (浸酸梅)
Sour plum juice is a weak organic acid. When worked, jadeite is soaked in the solution for a few hours, any smears and stains r\created in the manufacturing procedure will be removed.
9. Soaking in grey water(过灰水)
“Grey water” is an alkaline solution which is very effective in removing working stains and marks from manufactured jadeite pieces.
- A well carved arnament before polishing. In the front a lively
green appears through the white while the back a dark green - .jpg (34.44 KiB) Viewed 4 times
10. Waxing
Waxing is the final touch for all jade products. It serves an important purpose, filling up any undercutting, small pits or cracks to give the product a smoother and shinier appearance. Some polished surfaces may be uneven because of the polycrystalline structure of the jade, but wax will fill up the uneven areas and will also seal the stone, preventing dirt firm getting into the tiny pits on its surface. It is common practice to put the product into a stainless steel container which is filled with molten wax. The container is heated up slowly, forcing wax into the “pores” of the jadeite, and thus filling in the cracks.
- A finely carved jadeite cabbage.
The stone has a coarse texture,
poor translucency and a fairty
undistinguished grayish green colour,
The craftsmanship is of equal of not
greater importance in establishing
the value of such a piece. - .jpg (36.91 KiB) Viewed 4 times
Spray wax is used for larger carvings that would be difficult to soak in a container. In order to enlarge the “pores” of the stone so that it can absorb the wax more easily, the jadeite is put into an oven and heated to about 80C. Wax is sprayed onto the piece immediately after it is taken out of the oven, while it is still hot. The spray wax method is quicker and easier, but the result is not as even as the soaking method. In either case, there is bound to be excess wax left on the surface. If can be removed by rubbing it with a dry towel, or if the wax is too thick, bamboo probes can be used to clear it. The final product should be a bright and shiny piece of jadeite.
- Jadeite bangles are among the best sellng
forms of jewellery in China. So carvers
usually select the material for the round
bangle forms first and then use the
remaining stone for other items of
jewellery. - jadeite bangles are among the best.jpg (35.95 KiB) Viewed 4 times
- What is left after the bangle forms
have been cut from the jadeite rough - .jpg (45.64 KiB) Viewed 4 times
- what is left after the bangle forms have be.jpg (34.2 KiB) Viewed 4 times
- A strong light source is needed to illuminate the rough stone so that
the cutter can study it carefully in order to made a wise decision as
to the direction of cut, and the type of jewellery to be made so that
he can make the best possible use of the stone - a strong.jpg (55.37 KiB) Viewed 4 times
- A jade carving requires a
lot of hard work - sa jade carvint required.jpg (33.31 KiB) Viewed 4 times
- The outline is carefully ground into
the surface of the jadeite. Water
is used to reduce the heat during
the carving process - The outline is carefully ground into the surface.jpg (32.56 KiB) Viewed 4 times
- The carvers engrave
and carve the jade
carefully according to
the pre-marked outline - The carvers engrave and carve.jpg (49.94 KiB) Viewed 4 times
- Water is often used to reduce the heat
generated by the grinding and
to avoid damage to the stone
during the carving process - water is often used to reduce .jpg (56.45 KiB) Viewed 4 times
