Filigree – Overview

Filigree refers to a jewel work of tender kind created with twisted threads often of silver and gold, or stitching that have exact curving motifs. Often, it suggests lace and has remained widely sought-after in the present century, both in Indian metalwork as well as other Asian metal work.

Filigree has many open areas just like ajoure jewellery work; threads soldered together are used in filigree to create an item. On the other hand, ajoure jewellery has to do with holes that are drilled, punched, or cut via piece of metal that is already in existence.

Although filigree is now a unique branch of jewel work in contemporary times, in the historic days, it was simply an aspect of the normal work of the jeweller.

Uses of Filigree

Earrings, brooches, crosses, buttons as well as other personal ornaments of present day filigree are usually bounded and subdivided using flat metal or square bands, providing consistency to the filing up, which would not have been able to maintain its right shape originally.

The wire used for filigree work may either be twisted, untwisted, plain or plaited. Usually, the metals in use include silver, gold, bronze or platinum.

Creating Filigree

Filigree can be created in four fundamental ways. First, you have the open work that uses heavier wire and does not have a backing for the design. In this type of filigree making, the artisans solder wires together at points to keep the designs together. There’s also the ground-supporting way of creating filigree (which is the second method). Using the ground-supported technique which involves supporting surface, every wire point is soldered to a surface. The surface is usually sheet metal. The third technique is a combination of openwork technique and ground-supported technique, which allows completed forms of openwork to be attached to sheet metal. Non-soldering mechanism such as bezels, rivets or split rivets are used in achieving the attaching. The last technique (which is the fourth one) is adding a material to fill the space between wires; an instance of such material is enamel.

A good number of the design styles for filigree are linear since the main material used is wire. Small wires are frequently structured into areas which are created within the boundaries of relatively large areas. The essence of the larger areas is to provide strength and structure for the jewelry item. On the other hand, the smaller areas accomplish decorative purpose.

Using conventional techniques, overlapping of wires does not result, but the wire is likely to stay close to other wires. Open work styles are usually achieved with structural frames. The wire is shaped using simple process which does not need complex utensils. Simple implements such as pliers and tweezers alongside with bare hands are used in shaping the wires. Cutting of wires can be done with wire cutters or cold chisels. Filigree jewelry is available in various forms such as engagement rings, earrings etc. You also have these jewelry items in various styles to choose from and you can request for a custom-made type.

About the Author:

Tom Babilla is the author of this article on Handmade Jewelry. Find more information about Filigree Jewelry here.