Ancient work, thread by thread

Filigree is one of the oldest silversmithing techniques there is — and one of the slowest. Here's how a Ruby Fox piece comes together, from raw wire to finished jewellery.

Filigree starts with a single strand of silver, drawn finer than a hair. Two strands are twisted together, flattened, then coaxed with tweezers into curls, spirals and leaves.

Each tiny scroll is laid into a frame and soldered with a flame — no glue, no casting. A single pair of earrings easily takes a full day. Nothing is cast: every strand of silver is hand-placed, which means no two pieces are ever quite the same.

After soldering, each piece is polished, checked, and where needed set around a stone — like the carnelian in the brooch alongside. Nothing leaves the studio without being checked by hand.

925

Sterling silver

1/1

One of a kind

0

Castings used

Hartvormige zilveren filigrein oorbellen / heart-shaped silver filigree earrings

Step by step

From wire to jewellery

01

Drawing the wire

Sterling silver is pulled through progressively smaller holes until it's finer than a hair.

02

Twisting and flattening

Two strands are twisted together, then rolled flat into a fine, ribbed ribbon.

03

Shaping

Using tweezers, the ribbon is bent into curls, spirals and leaf shapes — each one freehand.

04

Soldering

Each scroll is placed in the frame and soldered with a flame, one piece at a time.

05

Finishing

Polishing, checking, and setting a stone where needed — only then is a piece ready to wear.

View the work