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Designing with Metal Filigree |
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Written by Dara Spiotto
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Tuesday, 20 May 2008 |
 
Designing with Metal Filigree Isn’t it funny how sometimes a certain bead or component can lay quiet and unnoticed until you spot it in a fantastic new design, and then you become a crazed lunatic and have to work with it and nothing else? Well, recently I got zapped by a filigree. 
Laying in Wait…
Although I’m ashamed to admit it, I have a bag that has been accumulating assorted bead stuff for quite a while. You know, it's that catch-all bag. Stuff I don’t have time to put away in the moment. In trying to tuck something small in there, I realized that the seams were going to burst and it was time to clean it out. So I dumped it on the table and was astonished to see how much I had managed to cram in there.
Digging through stuff, a small baggie surfaced with a few big faceted stone cabs in it. Topaz, amethyst, and sapphire cut vintage cabs made of leaded glass from the early 1950’s in the most luscious colors. So I picked up the bag and dumped them onto the table… and then I noticed they were wrapped in the most delicate, detailed, sweet filigree. I stood there staring at them, letting it sink in. Who did this????  This is brilliant! Don’t you wonder what to do with those huge square-ish shaped filigree pieces? Usually I leave them flat and stack stuff on and make pendants out of them, using wire to wrap into the small holes, or E-6000 to attach a cab.
Designing Delirium Imagine this: A piece of filigree is a flat piece of metal. Simple enough. But if you take that metal and bend, roll or tweak it you can make it a 3 dimensional component. The edges of the filigree literally are used as prongs to encase a stone, cab or bead. Then from this metal component you can link with wire, attach Softflex or jump rings, or do whatever you want with it. Fantastic idea! Wish it had been mine! 
Why does everyone know but me?? So I did some searches on the web, and it turns out that everyone in the world seems to know this little trick, but apparently I’ve had my head in the sand all this time. Booooo... But I learned some great tips and hints on what to do and what not to do. So here’s the skinny…
First, you have to choose a piece of filigree that has an oxidized finish or is raw metal such as brass, copper or the like. If you choose a plated metal then when you try to bend it the plating is going to crack and fly off.
 Consider the size of the filigree when you choose what stone or cab you wish to wrap. Make sure the metal is big enough to actually wrap around it. Now, I’m not saying that it has to work as a bezel and hold the cab in place. If you only wish for the filigree to be more decorative than functional, then you can use a bit of E-6000 to hold the cab in place, and then when you bend the metal it can be more loose and flowing. Just let your E-6000 dry well for 24 hours before you begin bending metal.
Next, use pliers that won’t hurt the filigree. Even if you do the prettiest bend over the cab, if you’ve squashed the pattern out of the metal it won’t matter. You can use nylon jaw pliers or padded pliers. Or just be really careful when bending. Take your time and think of making curves in the metal, and not tight angles. If you bend the metal in the same place more than once it can break. Use gentle hands.
Here’s a big thing to remember… when you begin, lay the filigree upside down. That way when you wrap the edges around your cab the right side of the filigree is showing! I wonder how many designers out there did it the other way and then ruined their piece because they couldn’t un-bend the metal or had glued their cab on. Poor them.
What to Look For Some filigree is made to be bent. For instance, a piece that is long and slender and shaped like a diamond can be bent in half with something sandwiched in between. Or sometimes you can find filigree that has little extended leaves or protruding fleur de lis sticking out at the tips of the metal. It's just screaming to be used as a bezel cage!
 Say you use one piece of filigree to be the flat background, and then you put your stone in the center. Then take another smaller piece of filigree and wrap it over the top of the stone, bending it down to meet the flat filigree base. You can attach the two filigree together on the back side with thin wire that won’t show from the front. Gorgeous!
You can also use a filigree piece to just be a bail. Choose one that’s diamond shaped, and bend it in half. You can use it with the point facing down with a drop hanging off the tip, and then jump ring some chain to the sides. Another idea is to make small tube beads from filigree by rolling them around a pencil or a fat knitting needle. 
Is Your Motor Revving? After learning all this stuff I feel like I’ve just eaten a gallon of sugar. I could leap over my house. The inspiration is overwhelming! I hope you’re inspired by this, too. If not, check your pulse. :-)
“Life beats down and crushes your soul, and art reminds you that you have one.” ~Author unknown
 Resources…
eBay Review: How to Wrap Stones in Filigree
Vintage Jewelry Supply: Filigree Wrap Settings
OpalEssence Etsy Store: Victorian Charm Necklace
http://vintagestones.com/
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