Filigree
by Alex White

In his comprehensive work on jewelry making and artistry, Jewelry: Concepts and Technology, Oppi Untracht calls filigree "a traditional wire technique of captured air". This phrase is a beautiful and appropriate description of the open and free appearance of filigree artistry.

Filigree is an ancient technique of jewelry making that involves delicate wirework that is supported within an open frame or placed upon a backing material. The elements involved may be constructed on a very small scale, so small that the jeweler must use magnification to construct the piece, or on a larger scale, such as the filigree found in the handmade sterling silver of Ariel Silver. The most common metals used in filigree work are gold and silver.

The techniques of filigree construction were used in such cultures as that of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Etruria, Greece and Byzantium. Today, traditional regional styles still exist in many countries of Asia and Europe.

Filigree artists create pretty, graceful, light-weight pieces, with delightful swirls and curls. When done by hand, it is an exacting technique which requires patience, good vision and the ability to manipulate small pieces in tight places, and it is a challenge to the jeweler’s soldering skills, since the wirework is constantly in danger of melting down during the soldering process if the torch flame is allowed to linger too long in one place.

Openwork filigree is made using a wire framework surrounding smaller filler units. The framework is constructed of a heavier wire than the filler units, and is commonly made of square, rectangular or flattened wire. The internal, filler, units are of a lighter weight wire. By tradition, these filler units may be of two small-gauge wires twisted together and then flattened, or one piece of flattened wire. For examples of this type of filigree, see the our sterling silver Filigree jewelry in the $rsquo;Jewelry by Design$rsquo; category.

Filigree with a background support is composed of wire pieces that are soldered to a ground of sheet metal or wire mesh. Only if the wirework on the background dominates the design of the piece may it be called filigree.

Designing and constructing a work of filigree requires that the internal wires never overlap, but must only touch at the edges. Flattening the wire to be used for these pieces increases the strength of the piece, since the edges meet better than if they were rounded. The flatness of the edges keeps the filler units pressed against each other and the frame. The tension from the filler units against one another and the frame should be just enough that when the piece has been fully assembled, but not yet soldered, it can be picked up without the filler units falling out. This goal can be a real challenge!

It is possible to include in a filigree piece units that border the outside of the framework, and, of course, the technique of assembly is a bit different for this form of filigree. It is certainly not expected that the tension alone would hold these pieces together.

Filler pieces are formed in all sorts of shapes of spirals, loops, curls and curves, which give filigree jewelry its ethereal, airy look. The placement of all these swirly pieces forms an exquisite, imaginative pattern in the jewelry. No large areas of space may be left open, since this will weaken the structure of the piece.

A filigree piece, though indeed a delicate-looking structure, is strong due to the careful soldering of every point of contact. The heavy frame carefully contains and supports the internal wirework, giving it strength and durability, which makes filigree lovely and special jewelry to wear and treasure for many years.

See the Filigree jewelry of Ariel Silver, under the category ’Jewelry by Design’ to see many pieces of handmade sterling silver jewelry made in the traditional technique of larger-scale openwork filigree. There are many pieces available, including bracelets, earrings, pendants and even matching sets, some with stones and some without. Buy a piece of this graceful filigree jewelry today!