A technique used in Anglo-Saxon England and by other Germanic metalsmiths as a means of decorating polychrome jewellery and metalwork with inlaid stones of glass. The cloison (or cell) into which the jewel was set is fabricated from bands of thin metal attached to a base plate, and these were often separated from each other by filigree wire. A piece of stamped metal was placed at the bottom of each cell to reflect back through the stone and enhance its beauty.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied