Making Curls and Swirls with a Filigree Master

Filigree is a delicate embellishment in which very fine strands of gold or silver are twisted or curled into a design and then soldered into jewelry or other fine articles.  Filigree is characterized by smooth flowing lines, gorgeous scroll work and lacy flourishes.  It has been made since ancient times and was used by the Greek and Roman civilizations to make jewelry.  Filigree is still being made in many locations around the world but it is particularly notable in Portugal.
According to the Filigrana de Portugual, there are “two production centers par excellence of Filigrana Portuguesa (Gondomar and Póvoa de Lanhoso) … who united in the sole purpose of valuing the handicraft technique of filigree, common to both territories, defending its producers and protecting artisanal production from industrial imitations that confuse consumers and discredit art.”  Working together to preserve and protect a traditional art form‒there’s a mission I can get behind!
One of the traditional filigree workshops represented by this impressive organization is managed by António Cardoso and his wife, Rosa Cardoso.  They make and sell beautiful filigree jewelry in silver and gold under the brand of AC Filigranas.  Here’s a spectacular filigree necklace made by António and Rosa.  It is a traditional Portuguese design called the Viana heart.  The Viana heart is a stylized heart shape, with a flame at the top of the heart symbolizing passion and the sweep of the heart’s tip pointing towards the wearer’s own heart.

The Viana heart is the symbol of one of the cities I visited on my first Camino walk‒Viana do Castelo.  See my post Following the Yellow Arrows for a peek at this beautiful place.  Filigree jewelry is an important part of traditional festivals and activities in Viana do Castelo and the surrounding areas.  Every August, young women dress in traditional costume and adorn themselves with the family’s gold treasures for the annual Festival of Our Lady in Sorrow. It’s said the parade is heavily guarded with security and police because there’s so much gold on display.

Here’s another example of a traditional Portuguese costume with lots of gold and filigree jewelry.  It was displayed at the Museu da Filigrana (Filigree Museum) in Lisbon.
Given filigree’s long and rich heritage, I was super excited to participate in an Airbnb experience to “Learn How to Make a Filigree Heart” when visiting Porto (see More Info below).   The experience was hosted by Lucinda Oliveira.  Lucinda was the perfect hostess‒attentive, personable and enthusiastic.  Through her connections with the local artisan community, Lucinda is able to offer exclusive access to António and Rosa Cardoso’s workshop.  She escorted me to the artists’ private studio where I spent the afternoon making filigree jewelry.  I was actually working in a master filigree artist’s studio in the heart of Gondomar Portugal!  This was definitely a “Pinch Me” moment.
António and Rosa explained the process which Lucinda translated into English for me.  Then they demonstrated the various steps.  António started with casting whereby he melts silver and pours it into a long, thin bar-shaped mold.

Pulling threads is the next step.  The silver bar goes through a drawing process until a very fine, almost hair-like, thread is created.  The final step in preparing the silver threads is twisting whereby 2 threads are wound together.

With the materials ready, we were able to begin creating the filigree heart.  We started with framing.  António showed me how to use a metal template to create the heart’s skeleton or outline.

Once the heart frame was formed, António soldered the connection.

Then it was my turn to give it a try.  After forming the frame, I bent and cut several curls and swirls to fit inside the heart.  These were then soldered in place.  One important lesson I learned was to use the tweezers to pick up and move my piece.  At first, I forgot and simply picked it up with my fingers but that can damage the shape or cause the swirls to pop out.  It took a few gentle reminders to break that habit.

Once the heart frame and primary swirls were soldered in place, it was time for the filling step.  It is the most time-consuming step because the entire piece is filled with filigree threads‒teeny, tiny filigree threads!  This is Rosa’s specialty and she makes it look so easy.  But it’s not!

Winding those tiny little swirls and cutting them to the right size is tricky.  But holding everything in place until you’re ready to solder is even harder.  I eventually got the hang of it and found it quite enjoyable.  Here I am filling my filigree heart.

After all the filigree was soldered in place, António helped me shape the heart to give it a convex curve.  Next we added a bail to the top of the heart so it can be hung from a chain or cord.  Then we silver plated the heart by sprinkling silver granules over the piece and heating it.  The final step was to clean and polish my new filigree heart.  Here it is‒my very own Portuguese filigree heart made with lots of curls and swirls!

More Info

The Learn How to Make a Filigree Heart experience with Lucinda, António and Rosa was, by far, the most unique and special hands-on travel experience I’ve had.  If you’re heading to Porto Portugal and have an interest in traditional arts, be sure to check out Lucinda’s Airbnb Experience.  Thank you to Lucinda, António and Rosa for a great experience!  Special thanks to Lucinda for taking photos of my efforts.  Obrigada meus amigos!
You can learn more about António and Rosa Cardoso and the AC Filigranas brand on their Facebook page or Instagram account.  They are also represented on the Filigrana de Portugal site under Adherent Workshops.
The City of Gondomar has established a special tourism route called the Rota da Filigrana to promote filigree in their area.  Check out their very cool promotional video on YouTube.
There are a couple of museums which include filigree that are worth visiting.  I loved the Museu do Traje (Costume Museum) in Viana do Castelo. Numerous traditional costumes, complete from head to toe, are displayed in full splendor.  There is also a small exhibit of a gold workshop and a great exhibit of gold filigree jewelry.  You can learn more on the City of Viana do Castelo’s website.
The Museu da Filigrana (Filigree Museum) in Lisbon is small but thorough and interesting.  You can learn more on the Lisbon Tourism website.

I was so inspired by my recent trip to Portugal that I wrote a series of blog posts about what I learned and experienced.  Check out:
. Tied in Knots in Portugal about the bobbin lace traditions of Vila do Conde.
. Following the Yellow Arrows which recaps my first 110+ km Camino walk.
. Making Curls and Swirls with a Filigree Master (this post).
. Talk About Tiles! which features the beautiful tiles (azulejos) so prevalent in Portugal.
. Lavish Lalique in Lisbon which looks at the René Lalique Collection of Art Nouveau jewelry at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.
. Lines and Patterns in Wrought Iron shares a variety of wrought iron designs spotted in Portugal.

Today’s Takeaways

1. When planning a trip, seek out topics which are unique to or noteworthy for your destination.
2. Look for a hands-on experience of something that interests you for a more robust and deeper understanding.
3. Consider supporting initiatives and artists who focus on preserving traditional art, craft and design.