Antique Pietra Dura Locket Pendant on Gold Chain

• Pietra Dura / Florentine Mosaic - Pietre dura, also known in English as "Florentine mosaic" is a decorative art that originated in Renaissance Italy and involves the creation of intricate, multi-layered inlaid designs using a variety of different coloured stones. The name "pietre dura" is Italian for "hard stones," and refers to the use of hard, durable materials such as marble, agate, jasper, and other semiprecious stones in the creation of the designs.
  
  The origin of pietre dura can be traced back to ancient Rome, where the technique was used to create intricate inlaid designs for mosaic floors, walls, and other architectural elements. During the Renaissance, the technique was revitalized in Italy and became particularly associated with the city of Florence. The court of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo I de' Medici, was a major patron of pietre dura and employed many of the leading artists and craftsmen of the time to create a wide range of objects, from small items like jewelry boxes and vases to large panels and furniture.
  
  In the 19th century, pietre dura was used to create a wide range of decorative objects, from furniture and decorative panels to small items like jewelry boxes, vases, and picture frames. During this time, the technique was particularly popular in Europe, where it was used to create elaborate pieces of furniture and other decorative objects for the wealthy and aristocratic classes.
  
  In addition to traditional pietre dura objects like cabinets, tables, and vases, the 19th century saw the development of new forms of pietre dura, such as book covers, cigar boxes, and other small items. This was largely due to the advent of new, more affordable production techniques and materials, which allowed for the creation of pietre dura objects on a larger scale and at a lower cost.
• Hardstone - Hardstone is not a scientific name for a particular gemstone, but a word used to describe any one or more semi-precious stones used in jewellery and decorative arts, and can include jade, agate, onyx, rock crystal, amber, jet and carnelian. Softer stones and minerals such as soapstone, and alabaster and hard stones used in building such as marble or granite are generally excluded.
• Onyx - Onyx is a form of agate, used from antiquity and popular again in the 1920s and 30s. European onyx is generally green, but can be many other colours, and can contain bands of black and/or white.
  
  This multicoloured stone is widely used for table tops, lamp bases and in jewellery. Some types of onyx are also used for cameos of which the upper white layer is cut away to reveal the colour beneath.
• Foliate - Decorated with leaves or leaf-like forms.
• Bezel - On a clock or watch, the bezel is the metal frame into which the watch or clock glass is fitted. In clocks, the bezel may include a hinge and a flange, in effect a door to the face of the clock. In jewellery the bezel is a band of metal with a projecting lip that holds the gemstone in its setting.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• pendants and lockets, set with - pietra dura 15
• pietra dura - jewellery 72