Contemplation in a Chinese Garden

For the Impressionists, there was Japanese prints, for me it was Chinese scholar gardens. 

In China, I visited 2 historic gardens, they were a revelation to me about my roots and my love of rocks. I still cannot believe it. Like having family one never knew about.

The Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai, China was created in 1577 by Pan Yunduan, a Sichuan  governor and mandarin in the Ming dynasty court. The other garden I visited was the Zhiyuan Garden in Hangzhou. Built in 1872, it was located within the former residence of Hu Xueyan, one of the wealthiest businessmen during Qing dynasty. 

Here's what I came to realise: through the centuries the Chinese love rock! We're not talking dainty glimmering diamonds. These are big gnarly solid rock with a ton of character. Called Gongshi, they were prized as Scholar's Rocks. Looking at a gongshi excavated from Taihu lake, it is easy to be contemplative.

Besides Scholars' Rocks, rock and stone appeared in many guises.

In the residence of Hu Xueyan, a flight of stairs down from a main hall is a very cleverly put together rough rugged limestone cave, perhaps white and sparkling when built, but now tan brown. Within the illuminated cave the humdrum of life falls away. Over a hundred years later and standing there I could still sense what a sanctuary from the concerns of daily life this stone cave must have been for the owner.

On the wall in one of the small formal reception rooms to receive guests there is something akin to what we would have in our homes. Some of us set small family photographs behind shapes cut out on a matboard within a frame. This was there too, but instead of photographs of kids and family members, there are smooth polished slices of stone! There was an even larger slab that filled up the whole frame on another wall. However, these being portable, could be recent additions to the scene. It looks something like this below. Note that the wall itself may be stone tiles like we have nowadays.

I was bowled over by the presence of rocks and it informed me about the psyche and imagination of the gardens' creators.

My most startling discovery was that the 'gardens' did not have a single blade of grass. Water stood in the place of grass, and rocks for sculpture and hedges. It made me reflect on the purpose of gardens as flights of fancy and fantasy. My imagination of fairies exist in a sunny, grassy, flowery, tree filled world. A daytime fairy version of John Singer Sargent's Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose http://www.jssgallery.org/paintings/Carnation_Lily_Lily_Rose.htm 

So standing in each of the gardens, I came to suspect that traditionally in China there was a different idea of fairyland. 

I returned and did some searching... turns out some Chinese fairies have rocky abodes in Penglai(pictured below),  the Eastern Isle of the Immortals where they flew amidst craggy caves to mountain tops http://shimagata.tripod.com/srhist.htm .

All in all my trip reaffirmed my appreciation for the intricate beauty of natural rock. I came to understand that I need not censor my love for rough hewn stone with character and captivating texture. 

Let me take another look at that green petrified wood and figure out a way to set it. 

Happy 10-10-10!

This is "Hero". Somehow the color of the natural crystal Amethyst juxtaposed against Rhodochrosite looks heroic to me. 

 Happy Lucky 10th day of 10th month of 10th year! 

Happy 10-10-10!

Here is "Princess", a rose quartz cabuchon with a peridot drop both I handcut at the workshop. It took me a bit to get the shot right. The rose quartz is a real delicate blush pink.

Now here off soon

So turns out I work on a piece of petrified coral. I always wanted to have some. This stone is lovely to behold with fascinating flower-like blooms. If you've ever been to Bali this would make a great souvenir since this came from a boulder found in Indonesia. As I cut it I feel like I am adrift in the sea there too. I picture it worn and it occurs to me the subtle colors of this stone complements all skin tones. I think I'll set it with a small pink drop.

Kind of made up for the amethyst piece that crumbled while I cut. Sigh *

Soon off to Shanghai for inspiration.

Tomorrow

What shall I work on tomorrow? I recently completed an amethyst and rhodonite brooch which has a princely swagger to it. Before that, a rose quartz - peridot with a lovely delicate bezel edging (which melts faster than butter) with a charming princess feel.

I've cut the azurite -malachite slab I got at the club show. There's an earth domed one, a broken earth dome and one that I'll call a spear. I'm taking a new approach and setting the broken earth shape with copper. Copper really complements the stone, very earthy and warm. Wonder why it took me so long to embrace this metal.

Tomorrow? Hmm, I'm dying to work on the sheer sheet that was IDed as Californian jade. It is so lovely when the light passes through. I would never have thought stone could resemble fabric. But it needs the right equipment to polish it.

Now it's here, now it's gone...?

Yesterday I bring in my recent finds in a box to the lapidary workshop. I get to work in the next room finishing the azurite malachite stones and before you know it, it's time to go. I go back to get my things and I'm about to leave when I realise my whole box of stones has disappeared.

Turns out people had thought it was someone else's and left it with his stuff. Thank goodness my box was still there. But that was unsettling.

What's in the shop

How to cleave a boulder evenly? Use a rock cutter. This is heavy duty, it can cut just about anything. Cutting stone is not easy even for a great engine, it heaves with a roomful of noise and smell. It's like having a rushing train in a box.

This is a smaller saw for fine gemstones and fist sized stones.

Then when the stone is the right size and shape which is often a hazy, uneven sided hexagon, it's time to grind and grind on a series of wheels that removes a tiny bit of stone with each rotation.

This is the last set of wheels and they do the polishing. No stone is taken away at this point. The wheels buff the stones from dull to a shine. Then it is on to the metalworking studio.

Back in the shop

Yesterday I am back in the lapidary workshop working on the azurite-malachite piece. What a buzz, there are a ton of people there, more than I've seen there for ages. But then there is less space at the wheels. I've got pics of our shop, will load it up soon.

Princess brooch

Today I just completed a piece. Pink rose quartz with a very lovely unusual bezel and a tiny green peridot drop. I am so happy to see it in reality from tumbled pebbles and slices of stone.

Monday

It is Monday and I am happy. Not just from my weekend haul. You will hear why soon.

What lies within

Today I find myself back at the show rustling around more rocks. This is the last one I got. Looks like a piece of turd doesn't it?

Here is another view. You can see some bits of crystal along the top right edge.

When I cleave open the rock, here is a garnet in it's heart.

This stone is from Garnet Hill, California. Where I hear near by there is the most beautiful campground. An oldtimer tells me his wife would mix up a pack of jello with water in a container, submerge it in the nearby river and it would be ready by dinner after a day of rockhounding, this he tells me from his wheelchair.

Finds

So I leave happy:
Purple – real purple, not hazy brownish but real purple Burro Creek Agate from Arizona. Red jasper from Mt Diablo, CA! I've been there, I've climbed above the clouds there! A stone that is a microcosmic view of the earth, all bits of intense green and intense blue: Azurite, malachite in matrix. I almost can't brethe!
Grape agate, finally I have this, on jasper? cuprolite? both amazing stones in it's own way. Fossilized wood in regular brown and then in green! I have never seen this: agatized fossiled wood in green. Carnelian, not the best, but lets see when we cut it. And perhaps turquoise. And from a vendor a pure pink rhodonite.

Last & First

This morning bright and early which means arriving a bit after 10am, I go to Sequoia Gem and Mineral Society show. Rumour has it that it is the last show, not of the year, but ever. (So sad. But thats another story.)

I zoom past the showcases, zoom past the vendors to the back of the hall, out the door. If you're uninitiated, you'd have thought I completely missed the show before I even got there. But out the door is where the action is.

Used to be every year members of the Rock club would donate their collection for the silent auction. This year being the last, there is a sale.

But at first sight there is just piles of rock on folding tables. Grey, brown, tan, rough boulders. And thats what they are called: rough. But blink and try and see the boulders as field-collected gems to be.

At strategic intervals on the six foot table are spray bottles of plain water. I find a stone I like, turn it, spray it, guess what, for a brief moment, it turns from dull to a gem-my green.

Then it's off to an emotional rollercoaster as I try and identify what it is I am holding. I ask the guy next to me what he thinks it is. Umm some sort of copper mineral. I seek and locate a mineral expert. Chert. I ask the head honcho at the workshop who's seen it all. Californian jade. We're getting some where now. Finally I find the guy who collected the stone. Idocrase he says. Before I drive off I get one last opinion: the annual vendor of specimen stones. He cracks open a book and say Vesuvianite. I thought it's idocrase, I say. Yes, it was idocrase before it was vesuvianite. Bingo concordance! I am at peace and can die happy.