WELCOME to MyIntaglios

– My online scrapbook of bits and pieces about carved gemstones, more specifically, about intaglios and associated topics. It’s a collection of information that I’ve come upon while researching the history of the odd intaglio that I acquired. Recently, I decided to organize what I had and put it all in one place. Why not on a website where it could be available to anyone who might be interested? 

Also, if your interest is piqued, please visit my new website, which will have much more in the way of resources and glyptic information updates (I’ve learned a lot in the past few years, but there is so much more to go) at EngravedGem.com.  Hope to see you there. 

After I had gathered a small collection of the gemstones (they can actually be had for a very small outlay of cash), I found that I became as interested in the story of the history the pieces of art as about the objects themselves.

Intaglios are small, usually tiny, pieces of art that date back to pre-historic times; think of carved mammoth tusks.  They have survived over the millennia much more successfully than other types of art due to their defining feature — they are engraved below the surrounding surface providing a natural protection of the image. 

The first thing that an art historian will tell the student of art history is that the study of art over the ages is much more than learning about the art objects themselves, it is learning about the times and the cultural environment in which they were produced and collected; it is learning about the artists themselves, about the subjects of the art, about the collectors; it is, in fact, the study of history itself.

The collection of information contained in this website is, therefore, not just about the intaglio gemstones, it is about history too.

Enjoy!