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What is a Damascene?

Damascene

This is the process of applying gold or silver on iron or steel to produce decorative patterns. Many of the definitions also refer to Damascus as the city of origin - hence the name. Reed and Barton also uses copper in their Damascene jewelry.

Much of the Damascene produced for sale on the internet is actually made in the "Damascene Technique"- also called "Toledo Damascene, or would perhaps be better called "Faux Damascene." It has the appearance of genuine Damascene jewelry, in that it is often black and gold, but the gold is not usually genuine 18k or 24K, and much of it is mass produced - some in Spain and much in the far east

Vintage jewelry Lane specializes in damascene jewelry. We have one of the largest collections of damascene on the internet. For more information on damascene jewelry, please refer to our resource article which discusses the subject in detail.

Examples of Damascene jewelry items: (click the pictures for more detail)  The third photo is tourist damascene.

To view other articles on other vintage words, please visit the word of the week archives.

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