Onyx Paperweights

This is a superb decorative antique Italian Grand Tour marble Pietra Dura mounted desk paperweight, circa 1880 in date. This splendid rectangular paperweight is exquisitely inlai...

Large Art Deco Green Onyx Cigar Ashtray with Nude Bronze Lady Sculpture. Signed "Made In Austria".

Vintage Italian spherical onyx desk paperweight, in natural neutral hues / Made in Italy circa 1970s Measures: diameter 4 inches Order reference #: FABIOLTD G178 This piece makes for...

A beautiful paper weight made of Black Onyx. The piece rests on a sterling stand with three lions paws. The stunning piece is a compliment to any space, side table, desk or work st...

Brass Dog Head Letter Clip on Green Onyx Base, Germany, 1920s This elegant letter and document clip from the 1920s is a unique desk accessory and a perfect gift for dog lovers. The c...

Art Deco / Midcentury Silvered Bronze Bust - France 1930´s. Silvered Bronze Head mounted over Onyx Marble. Very nice Sculpture, perfect for a desk or a side table. We have speciali...

French onyx egg shaped paperweight with bronze base.

A polished onyx decorative object paperweight, a tetradecagon shape, in brown and tan hues, in the Modern style, Post-Modern period, circa 1970s. A great piece for a desk, library, s...

This is a stunning decorative antique Italian Grand Tour Vatican Micro-Mosaic inset black marble desk weight, in the form of a miniature table, circa 1870 ...

A polished onyx decorative object paperweight, a tetradecagon shape, in tan and brown hues, circa 1970s. A great piece for a desk, library, shelf, side and coffee/cocktail tables, et...

A decorative desk lot consisting of pear and able shaped paperweights with brass stems and a mosaic ashtray in Onyx marble. Manufactured in Italy during...

Lovely natural onyx stone ashtray, paperweight or rings bowl, Spain, 1950s-1960s. Cut and polished stone showing the mineral’s distinctive banding striations in different shades of ...

This is a superb decorative antique Italian Grand Tour marble Pietra Dura mounted desk paperweight, circa 1880 in date. This splendid rectangular paperweight is exquisitely inlaid with a sumptuous arrangement of semi-precious stones including malachite, agate, onyx and amethyst. It is beautifully inlaid on a slate base. Not only is this desk paperweight very functional, but it is also an exquisite mineralogical wonder that can be admired by all discerning collectors. Condition: In excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation, Dimensions in cm: Height 2 x Width 17 x Depth 10 Dimensions in inches: Height 1 inch x width 7 inches x depth 4 inches. Pietra dura is a term for the inlay technique of using cut and fitted, highly polished coloured stones to create images. It is considered a decorative art. Pietre dure is an Italian plural meaning "hard rocks" or hardstones; the singular pietra dura is also encountered in Italian. In Italian, but not in English, the term embraces all gem engraving and hardstone carving, which is the artistic carving of three-dimensional objects in semi-precious stone, normally from a single piece, for example in Chinese jade. The traditional convention in English has been to use the singular pietra dura just to denote multi-colored inlay work. However, in recent years there has been a trend to use pietre dure as a term for the same thing, but not for all of the techniques it covers, in Italian. But the title of a 2008 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe used the full Italian sense of the term, probably because they thought that it had greater brand recognition. The material on the website speaks of objects such as a vase in lapis lazuli as being examples of "hardstone carving (pietre dure)" The Victoria & Albert Museum in London uses both versions on its website, but uses pietra dura. "A method of inlaying coloured marbles or semi-precious stones into a stone base, often in geometric or flower patterns...." Giovanni Montelatici...