Chapter 0258 – North and South Carvers

“Old man, if there’s something you want to do, just order. Kid will definitely do his best as long as he can.”

Facing this carving master who was on par with the ancient master uncle but was already in the twilight of his heroic years, Zhuang Rui had great respect in his heart, and if it wasn’t for the fact that those rings and other jewelry were too ostentatious and that his mother might not like it, Zhuang Rui would want to give this jadeite to the old man to carve.

In fact, for the old man’s hand shaking problem, Zhuang Rui does not know whether his own aura will help him, but this is different from gambling on a few pieces of superb emerald, if leaked out, then I’m afraid that they will not have a good day.

Although Zhuang Rui is now a small fortune, but he knows that there are too many people in this world can swallow him with his skin and bones not a bit left, so Zhuang Rui suppressed this idea.

However, Zhuang Rui was already considering whether he should go and learn some acupuncture or something, even if it was for show, in the future, when he encountered any more urgent situation, he would be able to disguise the presence of his aura.

“Young man, with Ancient Brother’s craftsmanship, you should be able to cut four pendant materials out of this piece of emerald pinch. The remaining two ends will still have so much left, the old man …… I was thinking, can you sell the remaining bit of emerald to me, of course, the price I will not let you suffer.”

The old man put forward this request, the heart is also some helpless, this stone fast all rely on his fame to support up, but in recent years, Pengcheng jade market competition is more intense, coupled with his physical discomfort, but also seldom go to pick up the business of the old patrons, so that the popularity of the stone fast than in the past to be a lot worse.

The old man is trying to use Zhuang Rui this piece of jadeite scraps, polished so a ring face to, as the store’s treasure, but also can slightly relieve the pressure on the granddaughter, to his eyes, on this piece of jadeite can make what kind of things, will be left how much material, basically hit the eye can distinguish.

Zhuang Rui did not directly agree, but asked the old man, “Old man, the materials left behind, what other objects can be made?”

The old man took the jadeite on the table into his hands, gestured back and forth, and said, “There are still two small fingernail-sized rings that can be made, or two pairs of smaller earrings, and I’m afraid that there is no way to make any more.”

“Earrings?”

Zhuang Rui’s heart moved. He knew that mom had pierced ears, but never saw her wearing earrings, in addition to the pendant, and then do a pair of earrings to give mom is also very good, to mom’s temperament, wearing such a pair of earrings, must be very good looking.

“Elder, I won’t hide it from you, this piece of jadeite I originally didn’t intend to sell at all, but since you opened your mouth, let’s do it this way! If I can save the material for the two rings, one I’m going to beat a pair of earrings, and the other one will be given to you, is that okay?”

After thinking for a while, Zhuang Rui said his thoughts, although he respected the old man, he wouldn’t take his own things as a favor.

“Okay, okay, you get all the rest of the materials back, I’ll help you with the earrings. I’ll go and call Lao Gu, if he can’t save this material, I’ll have to go to Beijing one day to scold him.”

After hearing Zhuang Rui’s words, the old man stood up trembling with excitement, this is a good thing to kill two birds with one stone! Since the fulfillment of his dream of carving imperial green jadeite, but also to leave a ring face to support the facade, the old man’s heart is already very contented.

“Elder, this matter …… is better for me to talk about it on my own!”

Look at this old man a look to go to the phone, Zhuang Rui hastened to stop, if this phone call is the old man to call the ancient master, he will certainly eat the row, there is a good object does not first take to their own people to see, inevitably a burst of counting.

“Right, right, you yourself to say, as for how to recognize the old man my well, so …… you say and my granddaughter is a classmate, well, just like this, you young people more close down, haha …… ”

The old man has lived such a large number of years, a little thought to know the meaning of Zhuang Rui, the heart is also secretly praised this young man to know the etiquette, through reasoning.

“Close?”

Zhuang Rui looked at the girl next to him, although her looks were good and her smile was sweet, but Zhuang Rui didn’t have the heart to provoke her, Qin Xuan Bing called twice a day. There was also the occasional greeting from Officer Miao, which already gave Zhuang Rui a headache.

“I’ll go back and call the ancient master uncle, right, old man, I also want to ask you to teach you, this jade carving master where is more, I additionally have some material, want to ask someone to carve down.”

Zhuang Rui is thinking of his own piece of red jadeite wool, sooner or later after unraveling, or to ask someone to carve, that inside the jadeite is quite a lot, bracelet material can be pulled out seventeen or eighteen to, can not go to the trouble of the ancient master, right?

“Oh, this world’s jade carving carver, the first Yangzhou, I am Yangzhou carving out, if the material is more, you can go to Yangzhou to invite a few masters over.” The old man mentioned his heritage, his face was filled with pride.

Zhuang Rui had also heard of Yangzhou carvers, but he didn’t have any friends there, so if he ran there with two eyes, the ghosts would come over with him, so he continued, “Master. You see when you can introduce me to one or two masters? The price is not a problem, as long as they are willing to come.”

“Masters? Oh, the people who can be called masters now are not more than a few years younger than me, they won’t come out for the money, but you don’t have to be anxious, when your material is solved, I’ll call an apprentice to come over and carve it for you, his craftsmanship isn’t much worse than mine back then, and now it’s also the best of the best in Yangzhou’s carvers.”

The old man gave Zhuang Rui a piece of mind. Several of his disciples in the field, now in various jewelry companies, are unique, as long as Zhuang Rui can afford the price, he opened this mouth, the disciples will surely sell the master a few points of face, and they are all between thirty and forty years of age, it is the golden age of the craft.

“Is Master Gu also a Yangzhou carver?” Zhuang Rui some curiosity, south Wu north ancient, as if this division is not the same, do the younger generation of the elders of the gossip, always very keen.

“No, the ancient disciple is a school of northern workers.”

Seeing Zhuang Rui a little puzzled, the old man went on to say: “Since ancient times, jade carving has a north and south work division. Northern work is centered in Beijing, also known as Beijing work; Southern work is centered in Suzhou, also known as Suzhou work or Yangzhou work, and Ancient Brother is from Beijing work.”

“Is there any difference between the two?” Zhuang Rui really didn’t know anything about carving.

“Oh, the difference can be big, the southern craft is delicate, heavy detail part of the realistic fine, especially in the jade ornaments. And the northern craft more concise knife performance, usually leave a large area on the jade, forming a ‘sparse can run a horse, fine impermeable’ characteristics, a few knives, you can talk about the characters of flowers, birds and animals styling, sketching the best. Next is the difference in modeling, to give you an analogy!”

The old man stood up and walked to the safe, took out an object from it and placed it in front of Zhuang Rui.

“This is the famous ‘Squirrel Eating Grapes’ northern carving from the Qing Dynasty usually uses a large leaf as the base, highlighting the shape of the grapes on the surface; whereas look at this one, it is the grapes as a whole meticulously carved out and the jade underneath the grapes hollowed out.”

The old man flipped this exquisite jade carving over, pointing out the hollowed out area inside for Zhuang Rui to take a closer look.

“Our southern workers have always ‘spared no material’ and can sacrifice unnecessary parts for the sake of a fine piece of work; while northern workers mostly ‘spared no material’ and try to retain the integrity of the jade. Like this ‘squirrel eating grapes’. Weighing four hundred and fifty-eight grams, it would have weighed at least six hundred grams if it had been carved in Beijing. Artistically speaking, the southern workers are looking for perfection, but with the gradual decline of Hetian jade and Jadeite materials, most collectors and consumers use weighing as one of the criteria for jade carving, so the southern workers have borrowed many of the techniques of the Jingzuo carvers. It’s just that in the jade market now, southern work accounts for 80% of the weight, while northern work is less than 20%, and there’s a trend of increasing shrinkage.”

“No? The gap would be that big? Then why is Master Gu still so famous?”

Zhuang Rui was startled by the old man’s words, this Beijing carver is also too uncontested a little.

The old man laughed, said: “mainly in the Qing Dynasty, the emperors have recognized Yangzhou carvers, so now, Yangzhou work price is higher than the North, there is also the South jade carving talent than the North, there are successors, and jade carving has formed an industrialization, the development of a very good, the influence of the North’s practitioners is declining, difficult to become a scale. Like my level, Yangzhou, there are a lot of people, but now the Beijing carver, the ancient brother can be said to be a tree, if not he is holding up, huh, Beijing carver will not be mentioned.”

It can be seen that the old man is very proud of his origins in Yangzhou work, but the ancient master’s craftsmanship is also doubly respected.

Listen to the old man so an explanation, Zhuang Rui is to understand this carving line of work inside the inside, dare to say that the old man is the only one of the Beijing work, no wonder the status in the industry is so high.

In fact, Zhuang Rui or his uncle thought of a simple, ancient Tianfeng not only in the carving on the extremely talented, jade knowledge jade identification is a great, so it can be decades to flourish, its position in the jade line, and the antique world that the last name of the Aisin Gioro’s masters about the same.

Although the purpose of this trip has not been achieved, but Zhuang Rui is also benefited greatly, after bidding farewell to the old man, drove back home, Zhuang Rui picked up the phone is hesitant, he just arrived at home not two days, and the white lion is still sick, in the end, in the end, do not immediately go to Beijing it?

“First make a phone call to pass the gas!”

This usually do not burn incense, anxious to clasp the Buddha’s feet can be a bit unpolished, after thinking for a while, Zhuang Rui or dialed the ancient master’s phone.