Picking suiseki

Hey guys,

I've been looking at your stunning stones for a while now,  and decided to dig into my own collection. However, picking a suitable suiseki is quite hard working. Can you please tell me (a little) about selecting suiseki and conditions a stone must have to become a (wonderful) suiseki?

Thanks in advance,

Tentakelaertje

P.s. I can show you (parts) of my collection, if you think that helps and/or you like to.

I would love seeing your stones!

Frankly, for me the magic of suiseki is at least the one special aspect that make the stone unique. There are a lot of traditional rules to judge a stone - like for traditional Bonsai. But bonsai had shown us in the last years (e.g. Walter Pall's Fairy Tale Trees) that contradictions to those rules can make a tree perfectly beautiful as well.

I don't believe in rules, but in an eye that is able to see the very special aspect that makes a stone a suiseki. And though I don't have this eye, I love to get explained what one sees in a stone.

So, don't hesitate to show us your suiseki!

Thanks for your reply, Kiefer.
I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, but my collection is only gemstones and related stones I like. Sadly, no suiseki
I'd like to know how to pick a suiseki, as I don't have a clue

I'll try to upload some pics

Maybe in this case a book would be great for a first step: Vincent T. Covello/Yuri Yoshimura, The Japanese Art of Stone Appreciation (2009). Lots of examples and even some hints for carving a wooden stand.

It's a classic and a cheap paperback. I started with it some years ago. There are much more other publications, in which the fascinating concepts of gongshi or other asian forms of stone appreciations are described. But to realize what the difference is, one has to know the basics.

Hi Tentakelaertje.

Among the best guides to learning about suiseki is the widely available text The Japanese Art of Stone Appreciation by Yuji Yoshimura & Vincent Covello. In the past, this book was inexpensive (even the old hardback editions), but it is rising in value on secondhand internet book shops.  Reviews suggest that the older editions from the 1980s & 1990 are better printed &, perhaps, larger than the reformatted 2009 edition.  I recommend any hardback edition (only available in earlier editions), but the early softback editions have identically printed pages.

Introduction to Suiseki by Arishige Matsuura (adapted/translated by Wil) is also a great text for learning with even more distinct description of suiseki.

It is useful to know guidelines for selecting stones, even if you intend to break or ignore them.  It will help train your eye to recognize a particularly apt stone for artistic display from just another rock.  It will suggest the line between acceptable & unacceptable for seasoned enthusiasts.  Most of us are students still learning & it is a long road to cultivating selection, display & maintenance of suiseki as well as other traditional & modern viewing stones.

A quick guide that is helpful to many is a short article by Frank English titled "What is Suiseki?"--LINKED HERE. 

You might visit the website of Nippon Suiseki Association-- LINKED HERE for further insight.  

The IBC Forum archives (including the IBC Stone Forum) are accessible by search engine on the IBC home page.  

Visit public & private suiseki collections.

The list goes on...  
   -  Use a search engine to find articles by Martin Pauli on suiseki.  

   -  Read the online archives of California Aiseki Kai, which include many excellent articles on suiseki.  Membership is only $10/year.

   -  ... and on...

Kiefer and Chris, thank you very much for your replies!
I'll go see the links and books, and perhaps purchase one or more
Your help is really appreciated, thanks!