Our biological ancestors, evidence now shows, were creating stone tools, including flint knapped materials approximately 700,000 years before previously thought. While working an archaeological site in the vicinity of Lake Turkana in northwestern Kenya found evidence for stone tools that were dated to approximately 3.3 million years ago. This time frame indicated that it wasn’t our most recent ancestors that learned to use and create tools, but that the idea of bringing rocks together to create something useful in their lives. For perspective, the previous oldest known evidence of stone-tool use were considered the material from the Oldowan sites located in Gona Ethiopia, which was dated back to roughly 2.6 million years ago.

And while this discovery is extremely significant for our understanding of tool usage as a whole, it is also important for the history of lapidary in general. Why? Because many of the techniques that are used for the creation of decorative stonework started here, at this time. Millions of years ago in Africa, far away from what most people see as the start of the evidence for the lapidary arts.

A World Perspective

While doing the research for this piece, I noticed something that was quite disturbing, but unsurprising. A quick internet search gave me plenty of information on the history of lapidary, provided that you were willing to focus around Europe and Northern Africa. It wasn’t until the seventh page of search results that I saw anything focused on other regions of the world.

A novice researcher might think by these results for the search “history of lapidary” that gemstone carving and stone carving spread out from this area and migrated to the rest of the world. And while lapidary writings and techniques did evolve and migrate through these areas, they are not the only places and times that produced decorative stone material.

Simply put, the lapidary arts are a world wide phenomenon. Evidence of lapidary techniques in the historical and archaeological record exist from the Americas, Asia, Australia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and yes, Europe. Nearly everywhere that humans existed, so did the lapidary arts.

So in this article, I’ll be focusing on the history of lapidary arts in Eastern and Southeastern Asia. Please note that this is not exhaustive. It should be used only as a brief primer; as a launching pad for those who require more information. In subsequent articles, I’ll be focusing on other geographical areas, such as Africa, the Americas, and northern Russia for example. I’ll also be doing a bit of a deep dive into the European areas as well as time permits.

And if you are wondering why I’m starting with this geographical region, the answer is relatively simple. The people who taught me the stone and gemstone carving techniques that I use hail from this part of the world.

Lapidary Arts in Eastern and Southeastern Asia

The countries that make up the area collectively known as Eastern and Southeast Asia have a long history of the lapidary arts. Stone carvings that were primarily decorative in nature were found dating back to between 14,000 and 26,000 years ago from Leang Bulu Bettue, in Sulawesi, Indonesia The material found consisted of two small stone plaquettes that had figurative imagery.

Cambodia – A Rich History of Stone Art

Indeed, if one would turn their attention to the country of Cambodia, one would see a rich and varied history of both large scale and small scale stone carving. Some of the oldest stone carvings actually date back to the 1st through the 6th centuries AD during the Funan kingdom. Over the centuries, stone carvings of various sizes were created as the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism started to co-exist in the region throughout the 1st to 12th centuries, and inspired highly detailed stone carvings that ranged in size from small personal statues that could fit in the palm of the hand, to temple sized depictions of deities in the temples.

The skill and artistry found in Cambodian stone carving and lapidary arts throughout it’s history is something that truly deserves it’s own discussion. There is so much more than what I can cover here. And while many examples were lost to modern era conflict in the area, a re-learning and re-discovery of the techniques is proving that stone carving in Cambodia is here to stay.

But if you want to talk about highly detailed gemstone carving or small stone carving that has a long and extremely detailed history in the area, the countries of China, Japan, and Korea need to be mentioned. Again, it should be noted that each of these countries have strong history in lapidary arts that date back thousands of years. The discussion here is merely a few highlights.

Korea – Delicate and Natural Details Carved in Amethyst

Korea has long been know for their intricate and lifelike carving of the amethysts. The deposits found around the Eonyang area in South Gyeongsang Province in South Korea are used to create some truly beautiful and detailed carvings. The Korean style of carving is truly unique, consisting of a highly raised backed cabochon, which allow for much better light reflections. This tradition of intricate, yet natural carving was first seen during the Silla Dynasty (57 BC to 935 AD), and even during that time, highly intricate carvings were seen.

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While other carving styles in the area focused primarily on impressive detail, carvings from Korea also show a certain reverence for the natural ebb and flow of life. In many cases the carving represents a conversation between the sculptor and material, with a more rough or rustic feel to them. It’s a dynamic balance that is truly beautiful to see.

China and Mongolia — Thousands of Years of Beauty and Detail

In the area currently occupied by the countries of China and Mongolia, decorative jade carving was first seen during the Xinglongwa time period, or 6200-5200 BCE. Materials found include jade pendants, small jade axes, chisels that were likely used for ritual purposes based on their sizes. Carvings made from nephrite were also found near Liaoning at the Chahai site, and small hanging jade specimens were found in the Zhejiang province dating back to the Hemudu culture from around 5000 BCE.

Evidence indicates that Neolithic carvers in this area used quartz sand, string saws, and bamboo drills to create their intricate and highly detailed carvings. It was certainly a long and arduous process. But speaking from experience, the results can be truly stunning.

Japanese Stone Art – A Matter of Perspective

In Japan, the earliest evidence of gemstone carving is seen at the Mimitori site in Kagoshima. It was in the form of a carved shale figuring dating back 24,000 years ago. Other examples from Japanese history of stone carving include pierced beads, or magatama from the Jomon Period (10,000-300 BCE), and highly polished ritual stone objects first seen during the Kofun Period (3rd – 6th centuries CE).

Over the years, a number of uniquely Japanese carving techniques were developed. While it should be noted that many of Asian regions share the mechanical techniques, a few are decidedly Japanese in origin and technique. One of the most interesting (at least in my opinion) is the Yukan technique, which is part of the Koshu crystal carving tradition. It starts with a piece of rough gemstone, which is cut and carved down from a single piece into the final result. The process in chain like in nature, and each step is a continuation of the last with different sizes of iron wheels with sand abrasives and saw blades being used to create more detail. The grinding tools are kept stationary, and the gemstone itself is moved in full rotation around the disk. It is a wonderfully intuitive process, but the artist needs to have a firm, but flexible idea in mind, and be open to adaptation as needed.

The Next Steps

Well, I’ve rambled on long enough, I believe. I am including links to my reference material, and I strongly encourage you to check them out for further information and insight. Also, if you like this article, please let me know in the comments. I am planning on doing other very brief primer articles like this for other areas, but I am undecided as to which to do next.

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Thank you for reading, and as always, happy carving!