Basic Introduction to Yili Stone
Yili Stone is produced at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, amidst the beautiful mountains in the north of Yining County.
The scientific name for Yili Stone is liquid wax stone, commonly known as kaolin. It is called Yili Stone by domestic sculptors due to its origin in Yili, and is also referred to as “Yili Soft Jade.”
Product Features
Yili Stone belongs to the same category of stones as Shoushan Stone, Qingtian Stone, Balin Stone, and Changhua Stone. Its texture is warm, fine, easy to carve, and has a strong oily feel, with rich colors. It is an excellent material for crafting art pieces and seals, comparable to famous Shoushan and Qingtian Stones. The picturesque mountains and rivers of the Yili River Valley have produced a superior material for craft carving – Yili Stone.
In this precious stone, various types such as lamp light stone, crystal stone, shrimp green stone, buffalo horn stone, fish brain stone, oil green stone, and chicken blood red are found. Some resemble water waves and clouds, while others look like landscapes, trees, or animals, with unique patterns and diverse forms. The lamp light stone is as clear as jade, and when viewed against the light, it reveals a clean white color, akin to moonlight. Occasionally, there are fine specks of gold or silver within the texture, similar to the effect of Qingtian lamp light stone when engraved.
History and Folklore
Yili Stone, also known as Yili Soft Jade, is similar to Balin frozen stone, with a texture resembling buffalo horn frozen stone. It has large, semi-transparent cotton-like white frozen areas, a smooth and shiny surface, and is nearly as fine and warm as Balin frozen stone, with evenly distributed stone chips. Stones in Xinjiang are mostly oily, and on the vast Gobi Desert, stones that shine under the sunlight are inconspicuous Yili kaolin stones. Not only is Yili kaolin an excellent industrial raw material, but it is also a top-quality material for craft carving, known as “Yili Stone” or “Yili Jade.” The Yili River Valley is rich in natural treasures, and the rocks found here are naturally formed and marvelously crafted by nature. Taking the most famous Yili Stone as an example, its scientific name is kaolin, and due to its origin in Yili, it is called Yili Stone by domestic sculptors, also known as “Yili Soft Jade.” It is an excellent material for crafting art pieces and engraving seals, comparable to the famous Shoushan and Qingtian seal stones. In addition to Yili Stone, the Yili River Valley also produces mineral stones, wind-polished stones, and fossils, all favored for their unique shapes, colors, textures, patterns, and profound meanings. Yili Stone is named after being found in the Tianshan Mountains in Yili, Xinjiang. The hardness of Yili Stone ranges between 2-3 on the Mohs scale. It is brittle but not prone to cracking, making it suitable for engraving and seal carving. Yili Stone comes in a variety of colors, including black, white, red, peach red, gray, green, and more, with rich and varied hues. After polishing, it has a good luster, also known as “Yili Soft Jade.” It is also an excellent craft stone. As people's understanding of Tianshan stones increases, Yili Stone will undoubtedly become a treasure among seal stones.
Yili Stone has long been exported to Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and other countries, enjoying a reputation both at home and abroad.