FILIGREE

Filigree (skan) is a jewellery technique in which a pattern is made from thin, twisted or smooth metal wire (gold, silver) that is bent, twisted and soldered into an openwork, lace-like tracery. The word comes from the Latin filum ('thread') and granum ('grain'), because the wire is often combined with tiny soldered beads (granulation). It is one of the oldest and finest jewellery techniques, demanding extraordinary precision of hand. Filigree adorned jewellery, icon covers, vessels and luxury objects in many cultures, including Ukrainian and Eastern European craft. The result is a light, airy, expensive-looking construction in which metal becomes almost lace.