Incrustation (inlay) comes from Latin word incrustation - covering something. It is a decorative works producing technique through incision into various materials (metal, bone, pearl, etc.) pieces surface, different from decorated surface in color or texture. In incrustation cut in elements and a surface should make uniform face.

Precious and nonferrous metals are among materials, suitable for surfaces inlaying. Marquetry history numbers many centuries. There were special workshops as long ago as in Ancient Egypt. Masters of Ancient Egypt performed incrustation from trees bark, skin, bugs’ iridescent wings, from cedar and ebony wood, ivory, faience, jewels and gold foil. In the Egyptian incrustations of ?II-?VII dynasties (2000-1700 AD) were used mainly red carnelian and blue lapis lazuli (lapis lazuli), turquoise and amazonite, and also color glass.

From Egyptians incrustation art was adopted by Greeks. They decorated statues covered with gold and ivory plates by precious stones, inserted these stones into antique pantheon gods sculptures eye-sockets.

Excavations have discovered that the technique of inlaying furniture with bronze, gold, ivory and colored glass has been widespread in Assyria and Babylonia. Historically, this technique has been used for weapons, decorative elements cultic constructions embellishment.

Throughout many centuries there were various kinds of incrustation, including Intarsia (wood inlay on wood). More than 80 workshops worked in the Renaissance, in the middle of XV century only in Florence. Dark wood breeds were applied to background, light - to drawing, and on the contrary. Intarsia had arisen in Ancient Egypt where wood with beautiful texture and bright color were applied for wooden products incrustation along with ivory, metal, nacre, stones. Ancient Greeks for the purpose to change color of wood, impregnated it with oil, alum, boiled in paint. Sarcophagi were made from cypress, cedar also. They were decorated with vegetative forms ornaments, applying boxwood, maple, iron tree, cornel. Polygonal perspective images of city streets, scenes from everyday life, historical events began to appear with development of this art form. Engraving, etching, wood roasting came into operation at manufacturing of subject sets. From Italy Intarsia has got into other countries of Central Europe. Masters of the Armory Museum in Russia in XVII century have created their own, so-called incrustation Moscow style, for which mastic with nacre and ivory combination is characteristic. Durability of ivory enabled to cut out very difficult inserts.

  And today this kind of creativity isn't forgotten and continues to develop.