The study of Mughal jades is well established in the modern scholarly record. There are, however, two important aspects of Mughal jade working that have received insufficient attention to date. First, the tools and exact methods of production used to manufacture Mughal jades. Second, the finest Mughal jades demonstrate highly developed sculptural qualities that transcend the expected characteristics of decorative art. In order to better understand the techniques used to create Mughal jades, this article will discuss historical literary accounts describing the methods of production used by South Asian lapidaries and examine pictorial portrayals of the lapidaries at work.