I was cruising a bunch of links from Sensie's Library last night and came across photos of ancient Chinese stones. Sorry, didn't grab the bookmark, maybe someone else can. He's right, more or less. There are samples of hemispherical stones, some are highly ornate, others seem to be contemporary in glass or clear plastic. Just guessing these are placed deliberately with thumb and forefinger instead of the Japanese-style whack.

Why would these be placed noob-style? I find it easier to get the pa-chi sound with single-convex stones. They slide off the fingernail in a more stable way.

Continuing the conversation, much like you were. Have you ever held one of these big hemispheres? I have a set of semi-convex stones and, yes, they're not difficult to snap down. But these look like more of a challenge. Much more material, not necessarily mass, above the plane as well as a far steeper curve. Snapping them down could send them flying like a wet pumpkin seed.

The web-site claims that the "although modern Chinese stones have become flat, originally they were half-spherical; these stones were made according to the original design". Also, regarding the blue-and-red stones, they claim that the coloring was made according to "instructions found in Chinese manuscripts".

I am wondering if this is just a marketing ploy, or if there is any truth to these claims. Also, how would these stones handle? I imagine they would be easier to remove from the board than the modern single-convex stones, but would it be easy to place them on the board? Although there are a few videos online of Igor Grishin (Игорь Гришин), the owner of the store, I couldn't find any of him playing with these stones.

Why would these be placed noob-style? I find it easier to get the pa-chi sound with single-convex stones. They slide off the fingernail in a more stable way.