gems, ancient jewelry, gold, Roman, Byzantine

This article describes replication experiments that produced fine pierced goldwork commonly referred to as opus interrasile, along with hollow beaded wires characteristic of late Roman and early Byzantine jewellery. The use of punched circular holes combined with a triangular-section graver-like tool is proposed as one method for recreating the delicate pierced designs. Precise hollow beaded wire can be fabricated from sheet gold tubing using a simple two-piece tool. Some ancient examples of hollow beaded wire have been found to contain a charcoal (possibly originally wood) core, which may have played a role in the production technique. The article also argues against the continued use of the term opus interrasile to describe this category of fine pierced goldwork.