Chinese Hard Stone Cutting
CHINESE HARD STONE CUT- on a big trade with India in stones cut in this
TING. BY L. W. C. LORDEN, fashion-
A R I B A ^e 'C'ea °^ *-'':l'nese cutter when he finds a
stone to work on, is to cut it into some object
Now that Chinese art is receiving so much which can be worn as a charm; and at the same
attention and large prices are being paid for good time he tries to take advantage of any defects
old pieces of work, I am surprised that nobody has which the stone, from a European point of view, may
yet done justice to their workers in gem and other possess and make them add to the beauty of his
hard stones, who unaffected by foreign influence design. A glance at No. 2 in the page of coloured
are still turning out very good work. As for many reproductions will show what is meant. Here a
years I have been a collector of these stones, both clear agate has been cut to represent a small boy,
old and new, I hope I may be able to interest a but adhering to the agate are pieces of brown
lew in this most ancient artistic stone. Instead of these being
craft. cut away, one piece has been
The Chinese gem and stone 1 carved to represent his hair (the
cutter of to-day is working on A-ii Chinese boys have their heads
much the same lines as those & fc shaved except for a small tuft),
followed by the Greek and Roman dfcv an0- another piece has been
workers in stone. He prefers to « '-'2%' worked to represent two shoes he
cut cameos and intaglios rather Jmm is carrying slung over his shoulder,
than to cut every beautiful stone % \ P for it must be borne in mind that
into facets and get that glittering ^KBB-V«B5*38''' in good Chinese work there is no
effect which seems to be the only ^B&Mfi Wm t^'ImAI' ' ' back, one side being as good as
European cutter. I am quite HK^ V«';Mf As jade has been the most
certain, however, that the Chinese prized of the hard stones by
have long been familiar with ^4eP^' ' the Chinese, I will explain
facet cutting, for from most how the craftsman proceeds by
0 . squirrel eating a melon 1 j
remote times they have carried (coral) assuming that he has purchased
the chinese stone cutter at his wheel cutting a piece of jade into shape. the wheel is worked
by means of a belt or cord kept in motion by the feet
CHINESE HARD STONE CUT- on a big trade with India in stones cut in this
TING. BY L. W. C. LORDEN, fashion-
A R I B A ^e 'C'ea °^ *-'':l'nese cutter when he finds a
stone to work on, is to cut it into some object
Now that Chinese art is receiving so much which can be worn as a charm; and at the same
attention and large prices are being paid for good time he tries to take advantage of any defects
old pieces of work, I am surprised that nobody has which the stone, from a European point of view, may
yet done justice to their workers in gem and other possess and make them add to the beauty of his
hard stones, who unaffected by foreign influence design. A glance at No. 2 in the page of coloured
are still turning out very good work. As for many reproductions will show what is meant. Here a
years I have been a collector of these stones, both clear agate has been cut to represent a small boy,
old and new, I hope I may be able to interest a but adhering to the agate are pieces of brown
lew in this most ancient artistic stone. Instead of these being
craft. cut away, one piece has been
The Chinese gem and stone 1 carved to represent his hair (the
cutter of to-day is working on A-ii Chinese boys have their heads
much the same lines as those & fc shaved except for a small tuft),
followed by the Greek and Roman dfcv an0- another piece has been
workers in stone. He prefers to « '-'2%' worked to represent two shoes he
cut cameos and intaglios rather Jmm is carrying slung over his shoulder,
than to cut every beautiful stone % \ P for it must be borne in mind that
into facets and get that glittering ^KBB-V«B5*38''' in good Chinese work there is no
effect which seems to be the only ^B&Mfi Wm t^'ImAI' ' ' back, one side being as good as
European cutter. I am quite HK^ V«';Mf As jade has been the most
certain, however, that the Chinese prized of the hard stones by
have long been familiar with ^4eP^' ' the Chinese, I will explain
facet cutting, for from most how the craftsman proceeds by
0 . squirrel eating a melon 1 j
remote times they have carried (coral) assuming that he has purchased
the chinese stone cutter at his wheel cutting a piece of jade into shape. the wheel is worked
by means of a belt or cord kept in motion by the feet