Chinese calligraphists and painters often like to use calligraphy utensils and painting tools which come in organic shapes, inspired by nature. This is also the case for this leaf-shaped ink slab. It is beautiful in its serene simplicity and not only can it be used to prepare ink but when turned upside down, it also serves its purpose as a simple and beautiful paper weight. Because if its light weight of only 100 grams, it can also be taken with you in a bag when painting outside. The She Yan Stone is traditionally produced in Shezhou (歙州) in Anhui province which gave this type of stone its name. She Yan stones were first produced during the Tang Dyansty and ink slabs made of this material are famous for the following two characteristics – there are considered to be smooth like jade (jiān rùn rú yù/ 坚润如玉) and when grounding an ink stick on a She Yan ink slab, they produce no sound which is referred to n Chinese as (mómò wúshēng / 磨墨无声).