Opus Interrasile

Opus interrasile (also known as openwork) was a technique used by goldsmiths to make elegant jewellery from the third through to the tenth century AD. Designs were traced onto sheets of gold and the background was punched with holes of various sizes to highlight the pattern, and fine details were then worked on the surface. The patterns formed by piercing the metal ground encouraged the play of light and shadow across an object’s surface.