Secrets of the jade industry 8

Unless you carve jade yourself, you probably don’t realise that only about 50% of the time spent on a piece is goes into the carving. In many instances, as much time can be spent sanding and polishing the piece after it's been carved. The image above and the short video below show a paper thin vase nearing the end of the sanding and polishing process. For vase like this, it might take weeks of careful and painstaking work to make it ready for display and sale. I know of one master carver in Suzhou, Chia, who relies heavily on the family who sands and polishes his work.