明曦宅

In Chinese philosophy, harmony blooms where yin and yang meet, in marriage as in seal carving.

For my brother’s wedding, I made two Soushan stone seals, each adorned with the fortune bearer 貔貅. One is yang, with characters in red lines; the other yin, where the lines appear in negative space.

@angelianathalie ’s yin seal reflects her 丁巳 (Yin Fire Snake) daymaster in Chinese astrology 八字, graceful, fiery, and full of life. Its flowing curves, carved into green-yellow stone, are inspired by Ming-dynasty style chops.

@timwidjaja ’s yang seal follows his 戊申 (Yang Earth Monkey) daymaster: firm, grounded, and steady, carved in strong red stone. The final character 明 carries a detail that evokes a monkey’s tail.

In the corner of each seal, two characters lean toward one another, forming a quiet embrace in stone.

Together, the seals are named 明曦宅 Míng Xī Zhāi, The Bright Twilight Manor, drawn from the final characters of their Chinese names.