Soapstone seal/stamp translation and care of

[juled87]

I have two East Asian/Chinese soapstone seals/stamps - one is a yin and the other is a yang - I know that these generally state a family or personal name, where they are from, etc. or a saying or proverb --can anyone translate either of these?  Also, I think the carvings on each are a pair of dogs (pugs?) - does anyone know the significance of?  And lastly, I read on several sites that the way to care for soapstone is to clean using mineral oil - as you can probably see from the photos, I tried this - the problem is that after a day or so they appear almost dried out (something that was not a problem until after I used the mineral oil) - Anyone with other ideas on how to clean or preserve?  Any info. would be appreciated!!

[ironlord1963]

The Dogs would be called Foo Dogs

[mart]

They appear to be chop marks or seals if you wish !!  They are personal marks or seals and are individual to the owner !! If you look at artwork from that area you will see that most all are marked with this type seal !! Hubby spent years in Korea and Japan but it would take more knowledge than he has to tell the name !! Try a light wax and buffing to build the shine up if thats what you want !!