Opus interrasile

Opus interrasile, lit. 'work shaved or scraped in-between' is a pierced openwork metalworking technique found from the 3rd century AD, and remaining popular in Byzantine jewellery. It was developed and popularized in Rome, where metalworkers used it to make arabesques and other similar designs. The technique involves punching holes in metal to simulate lattice patterns, openwork gold jewelry, and so on. Patterns were often drawn on the metal, and then various tools used to remove the desired pieces.

Ancient Roman gold bracelet from the Hoxne Hoard, found in Britain and buried after 407 AD. The name JULIANE is spelled out.

The technique may be referred more generically to as openwork or pierced work. The equivalent technique in Japan is called sukashibori, and is found in Buddhist art.

References

• "Openwork Gold Jewelry - The Process of Making Jewelry". Retrieved 2007-11-24.
• "Jewellery-making Techniques from Antiquity to Recent Times (NB spells technique incorrectly)". Archived from the original on 2006-08-27. Retrieved 2006-07-13.
• "Idiomatic and Mainstream: the Technical Vocabulary of a Late Roman Crossbow Fibula" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-12.