Hehe. Ever have one of those “Chinese Name Seal”? Or seen one?
Chinese name seals have been around for a few thousand years. In the past, all Chinese emperors have them. So did the ministers, generals, scholars, etc. Today, most Chinese in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong tend to have at least one … and very often a few.
To the Chinese, a name seal is considered an important piece of stationery, because apart from using them in place or on top of a signature in everyday life, it is also normally affixed on chinese calligraphies, paintings, and other works of art. By itself, a name seal can also be a piece of art of very high value.
A name seal can be made of any one of these materials:
Stone, marble, metal (silver, gold, etc), wood, ivory, etc.
Among the most common name seals are the ones made of stone. Here’s an example:
The above name seal with my Chinese name, was made in China and presented in September 2003 to me as a gift by 2 of my Mandarin Conversation students, Dato and Datin Wan in Kuching.
It is a very beautiful name seal with the carving of an azure dragon on top of it. The wordings on the seal were carved by hand.
Apart from stone, in the recent years, in places like Taiwan and China, most name seals are made of horns (specifically cow horns). This is because horns are cheaper, easily available, easier to carve and more durable. Here’s an example:
This particular name seal was made in Taiwan in 2001, when I was based in the Keelung Port in the north. It was made of cow horn and it was carved with a special tool instead of by hand. The wordings were carved very intricately and even. If I had chosen a white colour horn material instead of this, it would have been more expensive. I was also offered other choices such as the modern plastic name seals that came in all sorts of colours and sizes. Hehe … but I preferred this one 
When it comes to affixing the seal, normally a special red rice ink is used. The best method of doing it will be to use both hands so that one can press down with enough strength for an even stamp:
But if you have a very strong arm and you are comfortable affixing the seal using one arm, why not?:
The most important thing is to get an even stamp. So, regardless of how you do it, the end result must be clear. With practise, it is actually quite easy
Btw, for the sake of convenience and because I needed a bigger seal, I have also made a normal rubber stamp chinese name seal:
With this seal, I could just use any normal stamp pad. Hehe … against tradition … but practical hehe
ps. Actually I have a few other name seals back in Johor Bahru. I will try and take some photos and update here later.
So, do you have a name seal? What material is it made of and where did you have it made?
regards.
ps. article taken with permission from ILuvChina.BlogSpot.Com. the url for the original article can be found here.