Jade is a classic hardstone, used here for the wine cup of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.
For other uses, see Hardstone (musician).
Hardstone is a non-scientific term, mostly encountered in the decorative arts or archaeology, that has a similar meaning to semi-precious stones, or gemstones.[1] Very hard building stones, such as granite, are not included in the term in this sense, but only stones which are fairly hard and regarded as attractive – ones which could be used in jewellery. Hardstone carving is the three-dimensional carving for artistic purposes of semi-precious stones such as jade, agate, onyx, rock crystal, sard or carnelian, and a general term for an object made in this way. Two-dimensional inlay techniques for floors, furniture and walls include pietre dure, opus sectile (Ancient Roman), and medieval Cosmatesque work – these typically inlay hardstone pieces into a background of marble or some other building stone.
The definition of "hardstone" is not very rigid, but excludes "soft" stones such as soapstone (steatite) and minerals such as alabaster, both widely used for carving. Hard organic minerals such as amber and jet are included, as well as the mineraloid obsidian. Geologically speaking, most of the gemstones carved in the West are varieties of quartz, including chalcedony, agate, amethyst, sard, onyx, carnelion, heliotrope, jasper and quartz in its uncoloured form, known as rock crystal. On the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, quartz rates no higher than a 7, less for types with impurities. Stones typically used for buildings and large sculpture are not often used for small objects such as vessels, although this does occur.
The term is derived from a literal translation of the Italian plural pietre dure, 'hard stones', which in Italian covers all hardstone carving. The semi-anglicized singular pietra dura is used in English for multi-coloured stone inlay work, in fact using marbles as much as semi-precious stones, which was a Florentine speciality from the Renaissance onwards. Pietre dure is sometimes used for Italian or European vessels and small sculptures of the same period.[2]
^"Cameo" Glossary database Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
^See the introduction to the web feature on Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Hardstone is a non-scientific term, mostly encountered in the decorative arts or archaeology, that has a similar meaning to semi-precious stones, or gemstones...
Hardstone Psycho is the upcoming fourth studio album by American rapper and singer Don Toliver. It is set to be released through Cactus Jack Records and...
Hardstone carving, in art history and archaeology, is the artistic carving of semi-precious stones (and sometimes gemstones), such as jade, rock crystal...
the work more into the area of hardstone carving. Pietre dure is an Italian plural meaning "hard rocks" or hardstones; the singular pietra dura is also...
the Billboard 200. Toliver is set to release his fourth studio album, Hardstone Psycho, in the summer of 2024. The album produced the top-40 single "Bandit"...
lapidarist uses the lapidary techniques of cutting, grinding, and polishing. Hardstone carving requires specialized carving techniques. In modern contexts, a...
use for hardstone carving and jewelry, where it is usually cut as a cabochon or into beads. It has also been used for intaglio and hardstone cameo engraved...
have been the most commonly used minerals in the making of jewelry and hardstone carvings, especially in Europe and Asia. Quartz is the mineral defining...
فریدی) (Inspector Faridi, later Colonel Faridi, also known as Colonel Hardstone, Colonel Fareedi) is a fictional spy and crime-fighter, created by Ibn-e-Safi...
types were painted, usually after a thin coat of plaster was applied. Hardstone carving is the carving for artistic purposes of semi-precious stones such...
A rock crystal vase is a vase made of rock crystal, a type of hardstone carving. Such vases were rare, expensive, and decorated with gold and jewels,...
passenger. Heaven or Hell (2020) Life of a Don (2021) Love Sick (2023) Hardstone Psycho (2024) Headlining Life of a Don Tour (2021) Love Sick Tour (2023)...
platy habit. Many types of serpentine have been used for jewelry and hardstone carving, sometimes under the name "false jade" or "Teton jade". Most serpentines...
Atlantic Records as the second single from his upcoming fourth studio album, Hardstone Psycho, on March 14, 2024. The song was mainly produced by Buddy Ross...
shrines were given doors and jali grilles in silver and even gold. Persian hardstone carvings, once thought to mostly date to the 15th and 16th centuries,...
vase a ewer typical of Fatimid art one of a number of gemstones used for hardstone carving This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title...
his boxes was sold for over $40,000. "A MICROMOSAIC AND MOTTLED GREEN HARDSTONE BOX WITH GOLD MOUNTS, LUIGI MASCELLI, ROME, 1815-1825". Sotheby's. Retrieved...
detail to the final relief. In stone, as well as engraved gems, larger hardstone carvings in semi-precious stones have been highly prestigious since ancient...
starring Jaime Awe and Bill Homann. The film is about crystal skulls, hardstone carvings of human skulls whose alleged finders have claimed are pre-Columbian...
three dimensions using the same techniques, including coins and medals, hardstone carvings, a term for small carvings in stone that can take detailed work...
Roermond, Netherlands Type Funerary monument Material Limestone, sandstone, hardstone Completion date c. 1888 (1888) Restored date 1972, 2015–2016 Dedicated to...
extension of skills developed by cutters of engraved gems, or the larger hardstone carving of vessels in semi-precious stones, which were luxury arts with...
Crystal skulls are human skull hardstone carvings made of clear or milky white quartz (also called "rock crystal"), claimed to be pre-Columbian Mesoamerican...
from gems, which may be easier to appreciate than the original. Larger hardstone carvings and cameos, which are rare in intaglio form, seem to have reached...
Global Information