Antique jewelry glossary

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Plate inlay

A type of decoration related to, and possibly preceding, cloisonné inlay, produced not by the attachment to the metal base of thin cloisons of metal, but by piercing a design in a metal (usually gold) plate, backed by a second metal plate, and filling in the design in the upper plate with thin slices of coloured gemstones (usually garnet) or coloured glass, often backed with foil and secured by mastic. It is found in gothic jewelry.

From: An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry, autor: Harold Newman, publishers: Thames and Hudson