The Art and History of Filigree Jewelry Making – Part 1

Background of Filigree Jewelry Making

Let me share a short background of the wonderful art and history of fine filigree jewelry making. Filigree is a method of metalwork used by artisan jewelry makers to create exquisite pieces of fine jewelry. It has a long history that can be traced all the way back to the ancient times. The filigree method can also be referred to as Telkari, from the Anatolian expression which means “wire work”.

The filigree method is created by employing thin and carefully twisted threads of silver, typically with recurring curvy motifs, that depicts a lace. All of these exceptional string elements are subsequently soldered to each other to produce a bigger item that in the end makes up the fine silver jewelry you will hold in your hand.

This filigree method of jewelry making turned out to be widely used in the French designer jewelry, from 1660 to the to this day. However due to its timeless and fine elements, the stylish design remains in style year after year. The filigree jewelry making process lends itself especially well to create beautiful and exquisite rings, earrings, bracelets, and elegant pendants. Natural and precious stone highlights produce additional, luxuriant and irresistible appearance, resembling classic jewelry that is always in style.

The term filigree is based on the Latin term filum, which means thread. While an expert technique for the contemporary jeweler, in ancient times this was a natural part of the repertoire of expertise of any jeweler.  Particularly throughout Etruscan and also Greek periods, you can see several gorgeous examples of their work in museums across the world.

How is Filigree Jewelry Made:

The craft of creating filigree jewelry comprises in twisting thin silver string firmly to let it form a ridged design. After that this delicate string is further carefully twisted to create several circular and beautiful figures. Subsequently these string patterns are soldered to one another to form a bigger item that can make up a part of the final design. The filigree style may also be made by producing multi-layered shapes, for instance flowers. You will find good examples of this when you browse the exclusive, handmade sterling silver rings in our shop.

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