Inlay is the mirror image of carving — instead of raising a design above a surface, the artisan sinks contrasting materials into it.
A design or pattern set into the surface of an object, made by inserting pieces of contrasting material such as wood, metal, or stone flush with the surface.
A compound of in + lay (from Old English lecgan, to put down, to place), meaning to lay material into a surface. The craft term emerged to describe the technique of inserting decorative pieces into a prepared recess in a base material. Key roots: *legh- (Proto-Indo-European: "to lie down, to lay").
Inlay is the opposite of relief carving — instead of raising a design above the surface, the artisan sinks it into the surface and fills the recess with contrasting material. The technique reaches peak complexity in Italian intarsia (wood inlay) and Islamic geometric inlay, where thousands of tiny pieces of wood, bone, metal, or mother-of-pearl create stunningly intricate patterns. Guitar makers use inlay extensively for fretboard markers