However, in the 17th Century due to refined methods of
faceting gems the emphasis moved once more from
precious metals to
gemstones,
and the diamond became the preferred item for
jewelry. The 18th Century brought with it industrial development and mass
production. Cheaper materials were utilized, in addition to gold and
semi-precious gemstones, including base-metal alloys, paste to make imitation
gemstones, steel
and cast iron. With these cheaper methods of production
jewelry techniques changed their emphasis from the artisans to less skilled
mechanical processes of stamping and cutting out patterns and settings. It was during
the end of the 19th Century that Peter Carl Faberge,
jeweler to the Russian Tsars, reintroduced an exacting craftsmanship into
jewelry design. Similar to the artisan
jewelers of the Renaissance,Faberge