Micro Mosaics were originally created by the Vatican in the 1500’s to preserve paintings that were deteriorating. The paintings were completely reinterpreted in glass so they would last forever, resulting in this technique being termed “eternal paintings”.  In the 1700’s, they began miniaturizing Italian architectural scenes as jewelry and selling them to tourists that were coming from Europe on what was called “The Grand Tour”.

Micro mosaics, or Filato Romano, are an Italian technique, made of glass and developed in the the Vatican in the 1700’s as a way to preserve deteriorating paintings. Upon completion of the paintings, the artisans began experimenting with spun glass enamel threads, miniaturizing the paintings and setting them into jewelry. Some examples of micro mosaic jewelry can have as many as 1000 pieces per square inch!

The creation of micro mosaic jewelry is an art nearly lost to time, with only a rare few modern day artists creating these heirloom pieces.