The extensive network of Roman roads, criss-crossing the Roman empire, was built using the Opus incertum technique with its typical irregularly shaped and randomly placed stones. The builders made good use of whatever stones were available along the way, resulting in an ‘uncertain’ pattern. The Via Appia is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the Roman Republic, connecting Rome to Brindisi in southeast Italy. The building of the road started in 312 BC, and many parts of the original road have been preserved; some are even used by cars today.
Over the centuries the word ‘opus’ – which simply means ‘work’ in Latin – became associated with art and music. Italian composers started to number their compositions, using the word ‘opus’ followed by a number. The term ‘magnum opus’ refers to the ‘masterpiece’ of an artist, originally the piece of work produced by an apprentice aspiring to become a master-craftsman in the old European guild system. In modern use it is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person’s career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship.
We view each life an Opus Incertum: a work of art, a masterpiece, composed of unpredictable stones. Our life paths have stepping stones to assist us in crossing rivers or taking new directions. Along the way, we will reach milestones: a diploma, a marriage, the birth of our child, professional accomplishments or academic achievements. Sometimes we become like rolling stones, shifting locations, moving freely across the world, and finding rest in new places. All these stones are connected, forging a unique and individual path, with grand and modest victories linked together in an Opus Incertum journey. Our Opus Incertum collection symbolises your life’s unique journey, pieced together with varies stones, crafting a masterpiece.
The colour palette chosen to represent milestones and stepping stones, is symbolic of life itself. We selected a spectrum of dazzling greens and vibrant blues, recognising that life originates in water and that upon birth, oxygen is our foremost necessity. Without air and water our existence is unsustainable. The various blue hues symbolise water, while the range of greens represent air, a nod to the vital oxygen produced by verdant trees and plants.
The joy of colour is at the heart of each Opus Incertum piece. We exclusively use natural gemstones such as blue agate, green turquoise, green-blue chalcedony, lapis lazuli, turquoise, green agate, phrenite, chrysoprase, blue topaz and crystal quartz. These gemstones are paired and layered to obtain an abundance of colours in unique, unexpected hues. The domes are irregularly facetted on both sides, reminiscent of the opus incertum roads. The gems nestle in warm yellow gold links, with some areas meticulously etched by our master-artisans in a Florentine finish and others that remain smooth and polished. as opposites. This contrast mirrors life’s ebb and flow—sometimes smooth and serene, at other times challenging. The light filters through, casting a warm and distinct radiance on the Florentine finish.
“We went to great lengths to find the perfect colours and combinations, ranging from deep night-blue through intense turquoise to blue-green and warm green, spanning half of the colour wheel. The natural gemstones are layered as doublets and triplets, with the domes set either in blue topaz or crystal quartz.”
Renilde Vervoort
