Jem Mosaics
JEM MOSAICS
The Art of Gem Inlay is as old as man. Many cultures including The Mayan, Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman and Chinese, fashioned tools, weapons, and everyday items using stones, wood, bone and metals, as available through trade and proximity. With advanced knowledge came multiple uses for inlayed surfaces. Craftsmen used stone inlay to embellish the courtyards of kings and temples of the Gods. By the 1870's, Southwest American Zuni, Navajo and Hopi Silversmiths were using local and traded materials,(turquoise, jet, freshwater clam shells, etc.), to add to sterling silver in the form of inlay and bezel work.
Jem Mosaics
The Art of Gem Inlay is as old as man. Many cultures including The Mayan, Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman and Chinese, fashioned tools, weapons, and everyday items using stones, wood, bone and metals, as available through trade and proximity. With advanced knowledge came multiple uses for inlayed surfaces. Craftsmen used stone inlay to embellish the courtyards of kings and temples of the Gods. By the 1870's, Southwest American Zuni, Navajo and Hopi Silversmiths were using local and traded materials,(Turquoise, Jet, Freshwater Clam Shells, etc.), to add to Sterling Silver in the form of inlay and bezel work.
Jem Mosaics
I like to experiment with authentic Gem mosaic inlays paired with Lab Grown Gems. The Gems shown above, Emerald & Sapphire, exhibit the same optical, chemical and physical properties as their naturally occurring counterparts. The natural inlayed gems, Turquoise, Black Onyx, Afghani Lapis Lazuli and Australian Opal are hand cut, formed and set, using many of the same techniques used by Native American Silversmiths and Lapidarists of days past.
2024 Spring/Summer Silversmithing Workshops