Skill, precision, design - with each aspect playing a vital role, every piece of silver filigree ornament narrates the legacy of this centuries-old art. Coupled with the hard work of artisans, each ornament is a testament to the forms, designs and traditional techniques that truly complete this art form.
The process is laborious, demanding and time-consuming, to say the least. It is a special art that requires skill and precision, time and attention. First, the outer pattern of the ornaments is traced on paper. This helps the artisans access the size and definitive form of the ornament. Next, extremely fine silver wire is twisted, looped, cut, coiled and curled with hands to follow the design on the paper. Bit by bit, one piece at a time, thin silver wires are put together to create a design.
Looping, nipping, weaving, plaiting, piling, filling and twisting… are all processes that are used in creating desired designs. All the separate pieces of silver wire are then carefully soldered together. Uniformity, evenness, and neatness are highly important and hence the artisans have to carefully avoid any mistakes that could break the patterns.
It is a versatile art form. Flora, fauna, geometric patterns, impressions of nature, and inspirations from all sorts of forms can be given shape with filigree. The possibilities of filigree are as wide as imaginations and inspirations can be.
