From ancient quarries and the remotest regions of the Empire, Romans imported marble, mother-of-pearl, lapis lazuli, malachite and turquoise, cornelian and jasper and used them along with inexhaustible supplies of travertine from Tivoli for their floors and wall art. di Mosaico distributes dozens of the same marbles and travertines used by ancient mosaic masters.
SMALTI GLASS
From wood-fired furnaces on the Island of Murano, Venice and the Vatican factory of Papal Rome, ancient glass craftsmen supplied the colored and gold glass used throughout the Paleo-Christian and Byzantine world to produce wall and vault mosaics of spectacular brilliance.
Today there are less than a handful in Italy who still craft the genuine colored and gold glass smalti in the way of their ancestors. di Mosaico is proud to distribute MDM smalti and gold leaf tile, which is still produced by hand in Italy .
CUTTING MATERIALS
The most satisfying tools for accurate cutting of stone and marble are a mosaic hammer and hardie. Although these same tools are still in use today and remain the preference of many professional mosaic artists, other tools are available such as chopping machines and nippers. Please visit the tools section of our on-line store to see di Mosaico's line of ancient and modern cutting tools.