Reverse Intaglio Rock Crystal Tie Pin Of A Polo Pony With Two Mallets

An unusual 9ct37.5% pure gold (or 375 parts pure gold and 625 parts other metals) gold tie pin with a carved reverse intaglioAn engraved stone, the opposite of a cameo, with a recessed design cut below the surface of the stone. Intaglio designs are common for signet rings and fob seals. rock crystal of the head of a polo pony with crossed polo mallets behind him. The back is mother of pearlThe iridescent inner layer of certain molluscs such as oysters or abalones which is used as a decorative inlay.. The intaglio has been painted realistically with oils so, that when viewed through the top, the image appears three-dimensional. This technique originated in Belgium c.1860 and is attributed to an artist named Emile Marius Pradier. It was also practiced in England by Thomas Cook and his descendants who made crystals for Lambeth & Co.

Production of a reverse crystal intaglio begins with the mining and cutting of fine rock crystal from Brazil or Madagascar. A well-formed cabochonA polished, not faceted, dome shaped stone – either round or oval with a flat polished base, primarily used as a cut for phenomenal stones such as cat’s eyes and stars.
is the key to a beautifully made reverse intaglio and the tedious process of hand polishing it to perfection had to be completed before the design work could begin. A watercolour of the image was painted on the underside of the cabochon and an oil and diamondA precious, lustrous gemstone made of highly compressed carbon. Diamonds are one of the hardest materials known to mankind. Colours of diamonds range from colourless, yellow, orange and brown to almost black. Natural coloured (or ‘fancy’) diamonds can be extremely rare. The cut, colour, clarity and carat weight of a diamond are the criteria jewellers use… dust mixture was used along with up to 250 scribing tools to carve the design into the interior of the crystal “…the deeper the carving the more pronounced trompe l’oeil effect.” Once the carving was established the painting process began with extremely fine brushes and paint working in reverse to create incredibly detailed images.

The motifs most commonly found are sporting themes – horses, dogs, foxes and birds. This relatively secret process passed through family members, so keeping it exclusive and expectations of quality were very high. All our tie pins come with a stopper at the end of the pin.