Intarsia 402
This polished intarsia artwork consists of black Moss Agate overlaying Turquoise with a triple color border and black backing. The cabochon is constructed from 15 individual pieces.
This intarsia has a lovely long and steady composition, perfectly aligned within its frame. The blue turquoise sky is strongest in the center and has gentle translucent clouds that float in from the sides. The thin layer of moss agate allows for sections of translucent agate to create little lakes of turquoise woven throughout the black and golden brown terrain, and a line of spiky black foliage on the horizon line.
Center: Moss Agate, Turquoise, and Black Basalt
Border: Black Onyx, Magnesite, and Black Onyx
60mm x 38mm
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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.
