Intarsia 401
This polished intarsia artwork consists of Cripple Creek Jasper and Wiggins Fork Agate overlaying Turquoise with a double color border and black backing. The cabochon is constructed from 12 individual pieces.
This intarsia presents a scenic image of golden earthy terrain, with a mountain in the distance of a gently cloudy bright blue sky. The jasper and agate layers both have a subtle gradient that creates an illusion of bright sunshine coming from the right side. The area of translucent chalcedony with very faint banding creates both a clear layer for the turquoise sky to show through, and the appearance of soft clouds in front of the far away mountain.
Center: Cripple Creek Jasper, Wiggins Fork Agate, Turquoise, and Black Basalt
Border: Black Onyx and African Queen Picture Jasper
36.5mm x 26mm
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Intarsia: The Gem Shop’s founder, Eugene Mueller, has an MFA in painting and has won awards in the Cutting Edge Competition® for his intarsia, and has crafted and/ or designed many of the pieces available here. For thousands of years artisans have been using stone, striving to create the most beautiful scene possible. This process is commonly referred to as Intarsia. Intarsia traces its history back to the Italian Renaissance, and was called pietra dura or pietre dure. This is a term for the inlay technique of using thinly cut and polished stones to create images. The stonework is glued stone-by-stone to a substrate after having previously been sliced and cut in different shape sections; and then assembled together so precisely that the contact between each section is practically invisible. Intarsia items are generally crafted on green, white or black base stones. Traditionally Intarsia pieces have a flat polish, but more contemporary pieces are more freeform and have a dome polish, and are often referred to as “composite cabochons.” Intarsia is a high expression of lapidary art requiring a close mastery. Each piece is eccentric and highly collectible – a true work of art.
