We begin with clear ice blocks that we produce in-house in 3-4 days. Many of our designs begin on one of our 2 CNC (computerized numerical control) machines. We then hand detail with chainsaws, endmills, and chisels to achieve the final artistic result. The timeframe from start to completion for a full block piece such as a swan or a dolphin is approximately 2 hours, not counting the prep time for the block, design time for the actual carving, and packaging/shipping/delivery. More complicated pieces may take many hours on the design and layout alone.