Presenting the New Pearl River Chop: How It Was Made

We’re so pleased to present the new Pearl River Mart chop!

A chop or engraved seal is a kind of signature for artwork, official documents, letters, and more. First created in China during the Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 BCE), chops are still used today in countries like China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan.

Our seal was designed and created by dear friend and talented artist Vincent Chong. Prior to living in New York City, he studied calligraphy and stone seal engraving for two years with master Chinese calligrapher, Wu Wengsheng, in Taipei, Taiwan. He’s also the creator of this beautiful Black Lives Matter calligraphy and many other pieces.

Designing the Pearl River chop was an iterative process, and Vincent worked closely with us to ensure that elements important to Pearl River and its legacy were included, such as the double fish symbol, not only our logo but one of the eight auspicious treasures in Buddhism; a sense of roundness, representing unity and perfection; and a touch of water for prosperity.

But we’ll let Vincent tell you himself. Not only did he design and make the chop, he recorded this fun how-to. 

The first step is sanding down the waxy face of the stone. Before he does that, he sets out some of ink to let it evaporate a bit while he sands.

The next step is inking the design, which afterward he very carefully transfers onto the stone (easier said than done!).

Next: the carving! The stone is placed in a “bed” which holds it firmly in place while Vincent carves.

Next comes mixing the ink — it should be mixed in a ball at the center of the dish — and stamping the seal. Make sure it’s completely covered!

Beautiful!

The final step is carving the date and signature on the side of the stone.

Thanks so much Vincent! It was wonderful having you!