| Definitionn. Filigree /filligree/:From the Latin 'Filum', | | | | this day their designs remain unsurpassed even by |
| meaning 'Thread', and 'Granum' meaning 'Seed'. Filigree | | | | modern jewelers. |
| is the art of curling, twisting and plaiting fine pliable | | | | The Greeks And Filigree |
| threads of precious metals, and uniting them at their | | | | In the eastern Mediterranean the Greeks had been |
| points of contact by means of gold or Silver solder. | | | | using Filigree techniques since the time of the Trojan |
| Introduction | | | | wars and were quick to integrate the refined Etruscan |
| Perfected over millennia, incorporating the ancient | | | | style into their jewelry. Necklaces were decorated with |
| techniques and styles of vanished civilizations, Filigree is | | | | Filigree flowers and tassels, hoop earrings with Filigree |
| without a doubt one of the oldest and most beautiful | | | | disks and rosettes. With the conquests of Alexander |
| art forms known to man. | | | | the Great Greece attained a wealth of gold and Silver |
| Unlike the mass of jewelry produced today Filigree | | | | booty plundered from the Phoenicians, Egyptians, |
| jewelry is totally handcrafted, calling for hours of | | | | Persians and Indians. And from 323 B.C., during the |
| concentration on the part of its maker. The knowledge | | | | Hellenistic period, Greek Filigree became prolific from |
| behind Filigree's meticulous creation, passed down from | | | | southern Europe to India influencing craftsmen |
| generation to generation, remains a closely guarded | | | | throughout the massive empire. |
| secret kept in the hands of lapidary masters stretching | | | | The Romans And Filigree |
| from the islands of the Mediterranean sea to the | | | | By 133 B.C. Rome had absorbed the entirety of the |
| shores of East India. | | | | Greek Empire and its economic wealth. And with the |
| The Egyptians And Filigree | | | | rise of the Roman Empire a new phase of jewelry |
| Filigree's intricate lace-like trellises are entwined in | | | | design was ushered in with the use of colored |
| mystery. For eons it was believed that Filigree had its | | | | gemstones. Roman craftsmen applied gold and Silver |
| roots planted in the classical Greek period 400 years | | | | as settings for emeralds, sapphires, rubies, peridots, |
| before the birth of Christ. However, in the 1920s | | | | garnets and pearls. However, Roman jewelers, in |
| archeologists lifted the lid on two of the most | | | | order to emphasize the gems rather than their settings |
| significant finds this century, revealing that Filigree was | | | | preferred plainer geometric shapes to the detailed |
| in fact more than 5000 years old. | | | | styles of classical Greek jewelry, and techniques like |
| The first discovery was of a Filigree knife sheath | | | | Filigree and granulation fell out of fashion. |
| dating from 2600 B.C., found in the royal tomb of the | | | | The Byzantines And Filigree |
| Mesopotamian Queen Pu-Abi. The second was the | | | | By the 4th Century A.D. the Roman Empire in Europe |
| discovery of several gold and Silver rings with | | | | had fallen into the hands of the barbarian tribes of the |
| exquisitely formed Filigree shanks dating from 1350 | | | | Goths and Vandals, the 'Dark Ages' ensued and |
| B.C., found in the legendary tomb of the Egyptian | | | | Rome's art forms were lost. However, the East of the |
| pharaoh Tut-ankh-amun. | | | | Roman Empire known as the Byzantine Empire |
| The Phoenicians And Filigree | | | | became a repository of classical learning, preserving |
| Later discoveries, similar to the Egyptian and | | | | the artistic heritage of the Greek and Roman artisans. |
| Mesopotamian Filigree but dating from 1000 B.C. were | | | | The Byzantine Empire was Christian, and rich, this is |
| found in Phoenicia, present day Lebanon. Archeologists | | | | reflected in the opulent gold and Silver icons, book |
| concluded that the seafaring Phoenicians had been | | | | covers of gospels and panels of reliquaries crafted in |
| influenced by the two cultures through widespread | | | | the monasteries. The large surfaces of these objects |
| trade in gold and Silver. | | | | were encrusted with precious stones cut into |
| The Phoenicians spread their skills throughout the | | | | cabochons and decorated with fine Filigree, granulation, |
| Mediterranean; many settling in southern Italy integrating | | | | engravings, and enameling techniques known as |
| with the Etruscans, a civilization of the 7th century B.C. | | | | cloisonné. |
| dedicated to the arts. The Etruscan artists fused | | | | Filigree Sterling Silver Jewelry Through History Part II - |
| traditional geometric designs with the Phoenician's | | | | 1000 A.D. To 1900 A.D. |
| oriental influences of floral and figurative designs, | | | | Copyright © SilverShake Corporation. All Rights |
| refining Filigree to such an extraordinary degree that to | | | | Reserved. |