Upon completion of the grinding process, the pieces were painted with very fine brushes and paint to bring out the images.
The deeper the carving, the more desirable they became. Following this, the images were painted on the back and then painstakingly ground into the back with minute scribing tools utilizing a diamond paste. The rough quartz crystal material, usually from Brazil, was first formed into a cabochon shape, sanded and polished on all sides including the back. As time went on, the technique became popular in England. Sometimes, signed pieces of Pradier’s work are found by current collectors of his artistry. The technique was developed by Emile Pradier in the 1860s in Belgium. The back of the cabochon was then sealed so that the painting was preserved as the piece was worn. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, reverse crystal intaglio carving became popular with the images carved being painted with realistic oil paint colors and patterns. This would identify the sender while securing the document. The document was sealed with a wax that would have the intaglio stone pressed into it so a raised image was left behind. In ancient times, carving intaglio images of royalty served as a means to seal and authenticate a document. Ancient Carving PracticeĬarving images on stones dates back at least 15,000 years, and at that time it was a crude means of communication. The work produced by Jack Hoque is called reverse intaglio because it is carved on the reverse side of a transparent gem material, usually a clear quartz crystal. Inscriptions carved into stones result in making them into intaglio pieces. This is called an intaglio, pronounced in’taly?.Ĭameos are often carved on pendant-sized pieces, and intaglio pieces are often sized for use in rings. The reverse of this method is where the image is carved into the surface, leaving a negative image in the piece.
This recently-completed piece showcases a multi-headed dragon. Glyptology includes carving an image on the front of a stone by removing the outer surfaces, leaving a raised image. The term derives from the Greek word glyptos – to carve. The carving of images on gemstones falls under the category of glyptology. After seeing his fantastic work, I decided to learn more about him as well as the type of work that he does. A quick glance into his case revealed an exceptional glyptic artist that carves in reverse intaglio. While we were setting up our case, a younger gentleman was setting up a case adjacent to ours. Because our granddaughter lives in Medford, this allowed us to turn a visit with her into an opportunity to see how societies outside our federation conduct their shows. I am the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies Membership Chairman, so we travel to numerous California shows to display our case while concurrently allowing me to learn more about the various gem and mineral societies and their activities. Recently my wife, Pat, and I traveled to Medford, Oregon, to attend the annual Roxy Ann Gem and Mineral Society show.