Jade Sculpture Conservation

Oops

This lovely Jade Elephant sculpture was made in Africa and lived briefly at our client’s house in Georgia before getting knocked over in a storm. It broke into several pieces and arrived at our studio in a serious state of disrepair.

Structure

This was structurally one of our hardest sculpture projects. The large, very heavy Jade ears broke at an odd angle, making pinning difficult. We used fiberglass pins set at specific angles to accommodate the weight distribution.

color matching and filling

There was significant material loss at each break line, which led us to use several different colors of epoxy as both a structural component and surface filler. We recreated the natural veining and colors so that the repairs blend in seamlessly.

It was touch-and-go there for a while.