Hermann Ratzersdorfer was the only Viennese goldsmith and jeweller to resurrect the cutting and polishing of rock crystal with perfection. He based his work on the Miseroni workshop in Milan, which had been a leading source of rock crystal engravings around 1600.

At the Vienna World Exhibition in 1873 and at the Paris World Exhibition in 1878, Ratzersdorfer was represented with numerous enamel works.

The rock crystal engravings show entwining tendrils and borrow from Italian grotesque painting, use of which was resumed in German-speaking countries from 1870 onwards.