Patu

Jade carving is a painstaking and exacting art form.

Jade carving is a painstaking and exacting art form. A carver first needs to study the stone to see where its strengths and beauty lie, in terms of colour, clarity and patterning. Some carvers call this "the heart of the stone". The carver works to bring the heart of the stone to the fore. To do this, a rough shape is first cut out on a diamond bladed trim saw. Pre-forming, the grinding of edges of the rough shape follows. A high-speed grinder then shapes the piece into its final form. Still the surface needs to be polished - through a series of increasing finer grades of sand paper until the desired finish, from smooth and satin to a highly polished gloss, is achieved.