gem engraving

Gem engraving, also known as intaglio, is a decorative art where designs are sunk into a surface. This ancient technique, dating back to Babylonian cylinder seals around 4000 BCE, involves cutting or incising lines into materials like gemstones, glass, or ceramics. It is the opposite of cameo, where the design is raised in relief.1

Gem engraving was likely first used to create seals and was highly developed in ancient Mesopotamia. During the Hellenistic Age, intaglio carving evolved to create relief carvings, known as cameos, by utilizing different colored layers within stones like sardonyx or agate to make figures stand out. This art form has seen periods of great development, particularly in ancient Rome, the Renaissance, and the 18th-century Neoclassical period.2