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Note - Gram Weights are stated for additional identification purposes,
they have little bearing on the carvings' value. A sentence frequently heard in the everyday life of a Chinese is "Please sign your name and put your Chop on it." You need your name chop to withdraw money from the bank, to pick up a registered letter from the post office, to legalize a contract, and to acknowledge receipt of official documents. In China, from ancient times to the present, from official government business to private affairs, no matter how important or trivial, your chop affixes your credit and your promise. After signing your name, your chop is still required for a document to be legally binding. Name chops are also the constant companions of Chinese calligraphers
and painters. Artists follow the custom of stamping their works with
their name chops to "sign" them and as proof of authenticity. Name chops
are engraved by hand. Through the technique of carving, name chops combine
the beauty of written Chinese characters and line drawing. A name chop
produces virtually the same image of the same characters or figures
no matter how many times it is used, and so can be considered a forerunner
of one of the four great inventions of the Chinese: printing (the other
three being the compass, gunpowder, and papermaking). Its importance
cannot be underestimated. Traditionally, the most common materials for
making chops were copper, for the general population, and Jade and Jadeite,
for the emperor and nobility. |
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