Glyptography comes from the Greek word glyptos which means to carve. In jewelry, glyptography is the art of gemstone carving and applies to both intaglios and cameos. Begun in ancient times as one of the earliest forms...

Throughout history, communication, and therefore symbolism, has been an integral part of human interaction. Symbols play a powerful part in the rituals of expression and we employ thousands of them...

Enameling is a decoration technique in which a glass of certain composition is fused to the surrounding or under laying metal. Although the exact origins are unknown, the art of...

Two or more elemental metals mixed to form a homogeneous mass are an alloy. Sometimes metals are alloyed with a non-metal such as carbon. The newly formed metal is usually...

Silver is a white metallic element, harder than gold, softer than copper and second only to gold in malleability and ductility. Represented on the Periodic Table of the Elements by the symbol Ag, silver is an...

The platinum family, or platinum group, is comprised of six metallic elements; platinum, palladium, iridium, osmium, rhodium, and ruthenium. Along with gold and silver, they are considered the noble or...

All metals are chemical elements that conduct heat and electricity. Their densely packed crystal structure causes them to be heavy, malleable, ductile strong, opaque, and shiny. Non-noble metals, for jewelry purposes, are those...

As a gemstone and jewellery grading and identification expert at Lang Antiques in San Francisco, Starla Turner FGA GG has seen her fair share of exceptional pieces, both historic and...

Silver is a white metallic element, harder than gold, softer than copper and second only to gold in malleability and ductility. Represented on the Periodic Table of the Elements by the symbol Ag, silver is an...

Contrary to gold, encountering silver in a pure metallic form is extremely rare. Most silver occurs in ores containing a mix of metals, most commonly lead, zinc, nickel and/or copper. As...

The reappearance of the Japanese in the world and their subsequent participation in the 1862 International Exhibition in London had a far-reaching influence on the aesthetics of art and design....

Popular throughout the Victorian Era, the jewelry we think of as “Scottish” is just as likely to have been made in England as in Scotland. Also referred to as “pebble”...

Egyptomania is an extreme obsession for all things Egyptian and, throughout history, a passion for Egypt has been a recurring theme. By the time Napoléon Bonaparte stormed Egypt at the...

Glyptography is the art of gemstone carving and the term applies to both intaglios and cameos. Begun in ancient times, circa 15,000 B.C., as one of the earliest forms of communication,...

Micromosaics are a type of mosaic created from tiny fragments of glass, called tesserae. The tesserae are mosaic pieces made from an opaque vitreous glass or enamel in a multitude of colors called smalto. The smalto is pulled into rods...

Human hair has been incorporated into jewelry since at least the seventeenth century. Around that time, the hair of the dear departed began to be incorporated into memento mori pieces, as...

Cannetille is a close relative of filigree work. It typically features fine gold wires or thinly hammered sheets. Jewelry with cannetille was very popular in the 1820’s and 1830’s. Motifs included tendrils, scrolls,...

Cut-steel jewelry is jewelry “set” with tiny faceted and polished steel studs, fashioned to resemble gemstones and usually riveted in place. All manner of jewelry was produced from cut-steel: earrings, necklaces, brooches, bracelets, chatelaines, shoe buckles,...

Granulation (from Latin: granum = “grain”) is a goldsmith’s technique whereby the surface of a jewel is decorated with small spheres of precious metal, named granules, according to a design pattern. The...