Hard and fine stones in general, such as are used for inlay and the like, as distinguished from the softer stones used in building; thus, a Florentine mosaic is a familiar instance of work in pietra dura, though the ground may be soft marble.
inlaid mosaic of hard, semi-precious stones
From the Italian meaning "hard stone," an inlaying technique using various stones such as malachite, lapis lazuli, and jasper to create articles of jewelry and small decorative objects; usually associated with workshops in Florence.
system of carving hard and semi-hard stones or gems
Means "hard rock" and is an ancient technique of inlaying semi precious stones into marble or other soft stone.
An inlaying technique usually associated with workshops in Florence, Italy, used to describe sculptural or decorative use of hard stones to decorate furniture, cameos, vases, and panels with various stones such as malachite, lapis lazuli, and jasper.
A composition of semi-precious stones applied to the panels of furniture.
Richly ornate assemblage of semiprecious stones mounted on a flat decorative surface, perfected during the 1600s in Florence.
An inlay of semi-precious stones such as agate, chalcedony, lapis lazuli, porphyry, sardonyx; the technique was at its height in Italy around 1600, but the result was so expensive that the cheaper Scagliola process came to dominate.