If someone says they carve seals, look at their hands. Anyone who carves a lot of stone will have a callus or two on the hand they hold the seal knife. Their thumb and first two fingers will have the typical “writer’s callus” since most carvers hold their knife the same way they hold a pen or pencil. Since we sometimes have to put a lot of pressure on the blade, depending on how hard the stone is, our hands will reflect how often we cut seals.
If you’re just starting out your fingers may hurt for a few days, but it won’t take long to toughen up your skin.