Frequently Asked Questions

Suxiu (苏绣) — Suzhou embroidery — is China's finest silk embroidery tradition and one of the Four Great Embroideries of China. Born over 2,700 years ago in the canal town of Suzhou, it was once reserved exclusively for imperial courts.

It is governed by an eight-character aesthetic code: 平 (flat), 齐 (even), 细 (fine), 密 (dense), 匀 (uniform), 顺 (smooth), 和 (harmonious), 光 (lustrous). A true Suxiu piece does not look like thread on fabric — it looks like a painting that glows when light hits it. This phenomenon, unique to mulberry silk, is called "silk luster shift."

At Suxiu Studio, we apply this 2,700-year-old craft to a very modern love: capturing your pet in silk.

Step 1 — Place your order. Choose your portrait size and complete checkout.

Step 2 — Upload your photo. Send us a high-resolution photo of your pet. Clear, well-lit, natural-light portraits work best. Not sure if your photo works? Email it to suxiustudio@gmail.com — we'll review it for free before you order.

Step 3 — Artisan matching. We pair your pet with a master embroiderer whose style matches your pet's features — fur texture, eye color, breed characteristics.

Step 4 — Hand embroidery. Your pet emerges on silk, stitch by stitch. Midway through, we email you a progress photo. You'll also receive a final preview before shipping.

Step 5 — Quality inspection + shipping. Every portrait passes a 12-point quality check, is professionally framed, and ships worldwide with full insurance.

Mini Portrait — $299

• Embroidery area: 15 × 20 cm (6 × 8 in)
• 4-thread pure mulberry silk — visible, warm handwork texture
• Flat stitch + interlocking stitch techniques
• 15-day turnaround
• Handled by a senior embroiderer
• Solid wood frame

Classic Portrait — $599 (Best Seller)

• Embroidery area: 30 × 40 cm (12 × 16 in)
• ⅛ split-thread silk — hyper-realistic fur texture, every strand individually rendered
• Flat stitch, dense stitch, layered stitch, and free stitch techniques
• 20-day turnaround
• Handled by an advanced embroiderer
• Solid wood frame with UV-protective glass + embroiderer-signed collector card

Heirloom Portrait — $1,299 (Masterpiece Collection)

• Embroidery: custom double-sided — two color expressions on one silk canvas
• 1/16 to 1/32 split-thread silk — threads so fine they are nearly invisible
• Full classical needlework suite including rolling stitch and sparse stitch
• 3-month production
• Handled by a master embroiderer with 15+ years of experience
• Museum-grade 360° rotating display stand + pure silver serial-numbered certificate
• Strictly limited to 50 commissions per year

All three tiers are hand-embroidered on pure mulberry silk. The difference is in thread fineness and stitching technique.

Mini ($299): Uses 4-thread silk (slightly thicker) with flat and interlocking stitches. Visible, warm handwork texture. 15-day turnaround. Ideal as a heartfelt entry point into silk art.

Classic ($599 / Best Seller): Uses ⅛ split-thread silk with dense stitching, layered stitch, and free stitch techniques for hyper-realistic fur texture. Every strand of fur is individually rendered. 20-day turnaround. Our most popular tier.

Heirloom ($1,299): Uses 1/16 to 1/32 split-thread silk — threads so fine they're nearly invisible to the naked eye. Applies the full classical needlework suite plus double-sided embroidery: two different color expressions on each side of a single impossibly thin silk canvas. 3-month production. Reserved for 50 commissions annually.

Every Suxiu Studio portrait uses three elements sourced from Suzhou's century-old silk houses:

• Thread: 100% pure mulberry silk, hand-dyed in small batches to match your pet's exact coat colors. Silk threads reflect light like tiny cylindrical mirrors, creating the "silk luster shift" — colors that change as you walk past the portrait. This is impossible to achieve with cotton, polyester, or digital printing.
• Base fabric: Premium silk satin (Mini & Classic) or silk organza (Heirloom double-sided).
• Framing: Solid wood frame with UV-protective glass (Classic & Heirloom); museum-grade 360° rotating stand (Heirloom).

Silk is also remarkably archival — properly cared for, a silk embroidery can last centuries. The oldest surviving Suxiu pieces in Chinese museums are over 1,000 years old with colors still visible. A digital print, by contrast, begins fading within 5–15 years.

For the best embroidery result:

• Resolution: At least 2000 × 2000 pixels
• Lighting: Natural daylight. Avoid heavy filters, flash, or extreme shadows
• Angle: Pet facing the camera, eyes clearly visible
• Texture: The photo should show fur/coat texture and true color

Tips: Outdoor photos in soft morning or late-afternoon light work best. Multiple photos are welcome — our artisan will use them to understand your pet from different angles.

Not sure about your photo? Email it to suxiustudio@gmail.com and we'll give you a free assessment before you order.

Absolutely. A single silk portrait can feature two or more pets. Multi-pet commissions typically add 30–50% to the base price of your chosen tier, depending on the number of subjects and complexity. Simply mention it in your order notes or email us with your photos for a personalized quote — we respond within 24 hours.

Yes — twice, actually.

Midway progress photo: At approximately 50% completion, we email you a work-in-progress image so you can see the direction and provide feedback.

Final preview: Before packaging, you receive a final image of the completed, framed portrait for your approval.

Only after you confirm does your portrait ship. This is a collaboration between you and a master artisan, not a blind transaction.

A Suxiu portrait is built to last generations with minimal care:

• Display: Hang away from direct sunlight. UV-protective glass (included on Classic & Heirloom) provides additional protection.
• Dusting: Once or twice a year, use a soft, dry microfiber cloth. Never use water, cleaning solutions, or vacuum attachments on the silk.
• Humidity: Ideal range is 40–60%. Avoid bathrooms, kitchens, and damp basements.
• Storage: If storing unframed, roll (never fold) with acid-free tissue paper. Keep in a cool, dry place.

Follow these, and your portrait will look as luminous in 50 years as the day you unbox it.

Yes and yes. We ship to over 40 countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and throughout the European Union. Standard shipping is 100% free on all portrait orders — no minimum, no hidden fees.

Each portrait ships in a reinforced carton with full-value insurance against loss or damage. Estimated transit times after production:

• North America: 5–7 business days
• Europe: 5–8 business days
• Asia-Pacific: 3–5 business days

Important: International orders are shipped DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid). Import duties, if any, are the customer's responsibility. Most orders under $800 to the US are duty-free.

We stand behind every portrait. If your embroidery does not match the approved design or arrives with manufacturing defects, we will remake it at no cost or issue a full refund.

Since each portrait is a bespoke, handmade commission created specifically for you, we cannot accept returns for change of mind. However, the process is designed to eliminate surprises: you receive a progress photo at the halfway mark and a final preview before shipping. You approve the finished portrait before it leaves our studio.

For full details, see our Refund Policy and Shipping Policy.

Yes. Our digital gift cards are available in four denominations — $100, $299, $599, and $1,299 — directly mapped to our portrait tiers. They're ideal when you want to gift a silk portrait but don't have access to the recipient's pet photos. The gift card lets them choose their preferred size and submit their own photos when ready.

Gift cards are delivered instantly via email with a personalized message. They never expire.

Yes, the following add-ons are available on the product page at checkout:

• Gift Box Upgrade (+$39): Custom brocade presentation box with silk lining — perfect for gifting.
• Rush Order (+30%): Cuts your lead time by 50%. Availability depends on artisan capacity.
• Process Video (+$49): A 15–30 second time-lapse video of your portrait being embroidered. A behind-the-scenes keepsake of the creation process.
• Extra Photo Print (+$29): An 8×10" archival fine art print of the finished portrait.

Every Suxiu Studio portrait is hand-embroidered by a female artisan in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province — the birthplace of the craft. Our artisans range from senior embroiderers with 5+ years of experience (Mini tier) to master embroiderers with 15–22 years (Heirloom tier). Many began their apprenticeships in their early teens, learning the craft from mothers and grandmothers in an unbroken lineage stretching back centuries.

Each artisan specializes in different strengths — some excel at the dense fur of Golden Retrievers, others at the delicate blue eyes of Siamese cats. When you place an order, we match your pet to the artisan whose skills best suit the challenge.

The Heirloom tier includes a master-signed certificate of authenticity with a pure silver serial-numbered plate. Classic tier includes an embroiderer-signed collector card.

It's not about "better" — it's about what you value.

A printed photo or digital illustration is an image. A Suxiu portrait is an object — physical, tactile, luminous. When light hits a silk embroidered surface, each thread reflects it at a slightly different angle. From one viewpoint, a Golden Retriever's coat appears warm gold. Tilt the frame, and it shifts to amber. Walk past it, and the colors ripple like fur in wind. This optical effect — unique to natural silk — is why a Suxiu portrait feels alive in a way no print can replicate.

There's also the question of permanence. A digital print begins fading in 5–15 years. A silk embroidery, properly cared for, will look vibrant for a century or more. The oldest surviving Suxiu pieces in museums are over 1,000 years old. You're not buying a picture. You're commissioning an heirloom.

• Email: suxiustudio@gmail.com — we respond within 24 hours, Monday through Saturday (China Standard Time)
• Contact form: Visit our Contact page to send a message directly
• Studio: Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

For order inquiries, please include your order number in the subject line. For photo assessments, attach your pet photos and we'll evaluate them at no charge.