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Thanks for the information and links.

Long time ago I was involved with jewelry, I still find it interesting.
I am wracking my brain, I have seen similar pieces in a book. I just cannot remember where, all I can rememberit was not anglo saxon origin.

At one time I had access to some old texts, english and french if memory serves. There were some old pictures of cloisonne, at the time I was amazed at detail, I have vague memory that was Indian or Eastern European origin.

You are correct on the level or skill and knowledge required for this type of work.
What I find most amazing is that modern people think that this type of skillis something new.
It also not only in jewelery making, I see it in engineering, mechanical and building trades.

Sometimes we as modern people forget that our ancestors were intelligent and resourceful folks.

Part of the problem, is the lack of written records.
I suppose tradesman would pass knowledge through the family. When the family dies so did the secrets.

I suppose it is enough to appreciate the talent, even if I do not possess the same.

Thanks for your post. I could not agree more than we moderns grossly underestimate the brainpower, creativity and abilities of the ancients. Take for instance silk. Its manufacture dates back to Neolithic times. But the level of thinking that was able to intuit how the web of an obscure worm could be woven and dyed into a product that helped sustain a great empire astonishes me. That's just one of hundreds upon hundreds of examples.

Cloisonné work is also ancient, with much of it coming from Asian and Islamic cultures. But it's very different from the Anglo Saxon pieces we've been discussing. It normally involves a fretwork pattern usually made of brass that's attached to a metal surface. The individual cells are filled with enamel of various colors, then fired. It can create beautiful pieces and in itself is very difficult to accomplish but it's child's work compared to the A/S garnet cloisonne.

I'm reminded of the lusty Etruscans who occupied Tuscany before Rome was built. They arrived in Italy from an unknown area of Asia Minor and brought with them very advanced knowledge of civil engineering and metalcraft. A particular type of gold work called granulation, found in Etruscan grave goods, continues to puzzle modern gold artisans.

It involved production of almost powder-fine gold granules formed into patterns and soldered onto vases and other gold objects. The soldering process was a mystery until recent years when some Etruscan-style items were produced. But making such incredibly tiny granules as the Etruscans did with their rudimentary equipment still remains beyond the grasp of modern technology.