Because of its bright color and fine texture, jade is loved by many female friends. But sometimes, what really attracts consumers is often the jade carving process. A perfect jade carving skill is likely to add a lot of color to the jade jewelry, but also inadvertently increase the value of the jade a lot.
Modern society is developing at a very fast pace. In a society that has entered the era of science and technology, many machines can produce many handicrafts in batches, such as jade works carved by machines. Compared with pure hand carving, machine carving is not only fast but also can be mass-produced, which has the advantages of saving time and cost. This phenomenon is also seen in the jade carving industry, and the cost of machine carving jade is relatively low, which allows more people to afford jade. Of course, this is the benefit of scientific and technological progress. However, many people feel that hand-carved jade has a soul.
In my opinion, the greater value of jade is reflected in the carving process. But jade carving is generally divided into machine carving and hand carving. There’s a big difference between the two.
Machine Engraving Jade
At present, most of the jade jewelry is processed by machine engraving, and the commonly used machine engraving methods are ultrasonic and computer engraving.
1. Computer engraving: Computer engraving requires a template. First, the worker designs a sample model, which is scanned by a machine and used as a template. After that, the jade is carved by machine, and the engraving is repeated repeatedly, just like using a computer to copy and paste indefinitely.
2. Ultrasonic engraving process: It generally uses ultrasonic waves. This process uses a mold made of high-carbon steel, using a machine to drive the mold on the surface of the jade with ultrasonic frequency vibration friction back and forth. Workers using this method can quickly achieve the purpose of jade and carving. This production method only needs a mold to copy and paste the jade, naturally saving time and effort.
The soul of machine carving works has been transferred from carving techniques to the design of engraving templates. Just like chip design, you need to have a good design and then through good technology to achieve. Machine jade carving techniques are more accurate, more efficient and less costly. It can be said that the machine jade carving also has a soul, and the core is the conception and design.
Machine carvings are repeatedly attacked by most DIY enthusiasts for being soulless and lacking in personality. However, in this fast-paced society, convenient machine carving has been accepted by more and more jade practitioners. Most of the jade jewelry on the market is machine carving, jade using machine carving can be said to have become a trend.
Compared with hand carving, the cost performance of machine carving is definitely higher. Because the machine can be carved in batches, a batch of goods can be produced at a time. Therefore, the processing cost of mechanical engraving is relatively low, and the cost performance will be higher.
In addition, hand-carved jade will inevitably make mistakes. Jade raw material is very precious, once the mistake will cause a great waste. Therefore, we have to be more careful when carving complex patterns. However, we use machine carving will not have this trouble. Machine engraving can greatly improve the efficiency, unlike manual engraving difficult to control.
Hand Carving Jade
Jade carving is the most wonderful means of art and craft, there are round carving, relief, through carving and other carving processes. In ancient times, carvers liked to use jade for carving. However, today’s hand carving has lost its traditional significance.
Today’s so-called hand engraving is to use high-speed motors to drive high-speed rotation of the diamond grinding head or engraving tools, this method of cutting out the jade jewelry and carvers hand-cut grinding out is also very different. But at least this carving process still relies on the sculptor’s manual drawing as a template, with a unique personality. In addition, it also needs to be hand-modified by the engraver himself to make the jade jewelry look more spiritual.
How Can We Distinguish Machine Carving From Manual Carving?
Although it is the same jade carving when you take the time to carefully observe it yourself, you will find that machine carving and hand carving are also very different. Relatively speaking, we prefer hand-carved works. So, how can we distinguish between these two carving processes?
- The edge of the machine engraving work is more consistent, there is no inward or outward arc. They’ll look even more flat and the same. However, the edge of hand-carved works will have some concave curvature, which looks more natural.
- If you often see the machine-carved jade Buddha works, you will find that the ear lobe and the brow folds are exactly the same. I think this kind of work will seem stilted and unreal. However, hand carving is more delicate, the expression of the work is different. The facial details when the work presents the crying expression and the facial details when presenting the happy expression are completely different, they are simply vivid and the lines are relatively soft.
- Hand-carved jade works are generally spiritual, and each sculpture is different. So, every time you look at it, you find details that you never noticed before. On the contrary, if you feel that there is nothing special about the jade work in your hand, then it is very likely that it is unified by the machine to “copy” out.
Whether the jade carving works can be eye-catching or even inherited from generation to generation is not determined by the two methods of machine carving or manual carving, but by the design idea and the depth of meaning of the works. In my opinion, jade carving is a kind of culture and a kind of spirit. If you are only obsessed with the difference in carving methods, then your sculpting process may not be very enjoyable.
There is no absolute difference between machine carving and hand carving. Instead, they complement each other! There is no need to deliberately pursue hand-carved jade, let alone be biased against machine-carved jade.
