Ajouré or à jour (French for "to the day," meaning open to the daylight) is an

openwork In art history, architecture, and related fields, openwork or open-work is any decorative technique that creates holes, piercings, or gaps through a solid material such as metal, wood, stone, pottery, cloth, leather, or ivory. Such techniques ha ...

metalworking technique similar to

filigree Filigree (also less commonly spelled ''filagree'', and formerly written ''filigrann'' or ''filigrene'') is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver, m ...

, which leaves open spaces in the worked metal. Unlike filigree, the holes are usually sawed or pierced through solid metal rather than being incorporated during the process of construction. This technique also differs from

plique-à-jour ''Plique-à-jour'' (French for "letting in daylight") is a vitreous enamelling technique where the enamel is applied in cells, similar to cloisonné, but with no backing in the final product, so light can shine through the transparent or trans ...

enamelling in that the open spaces are not filled with enamel, but left open. The result is reminiscent of the style of

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

also known as à jour or

cutwork Cutwork or cut work, also known as in Italian, is a needlework technique in which portions of a textile, typically cotton or linen, are cut away and the resulting "hole" is reinforced and filled with embroidery or needle lace. Cutwork is related ...

. À jour work is often used in jewellery making to enhance

gemstones A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. Certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...

by letting light shine through the back of the stone. This

stonesetting Stonesetting is the art of securely setting or attaching gemstones into jewelry. Cuts There are two general types of gemstone cutting: cabochon and facet. Cabochons are smooth, often domed, with flat backs. Agates and turquoise are usually ...

technique became popular around 1800 A.D. and is commonly seen in

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

pieces.

References

Jewellery making {{Metalworking-stub

See also

References