History Of Enamel Inlay In Silver
All though there are more ways than one that the Russians crafted silver and enamel, the method of filigree sterling silver and enamel jewelry carries a historical time line of its own.
Even though the Russian silversmiths of the Czarist era perfected the ways of filigree, filigree was actually historically an artistic craft technique incorporated from several long vanished civilizations from millenniums further back than the Russian silver and enamel explosion of Russian silver artisans.
One highly renowned style of exquisitely detailed art works is filigree, precious metals and enamel pieces of jewelry.
There are several various historical cultures that worked with silver and enamel, but there were none that really could touch the high quality and exquisite craftsmanship of the Russians. All though there are more ways than one that the Russians crafted silver and enamel, the method of filigree sterling silver and enamel jewelry carries a historical time line of its own.
The technical definition of filigree was derived from the Latin term of ‘Filum’, which in reference to ‘Thread’. Filigree its self is the specific formations of flatly laying, twisting and curling of fine precious metal threads onto, around and over larger artistically hand crafted items of silver and gold. Even though the Russian silversmiths of the Czarist era perfected the ways of filigree, filigree was actually historically an artistic craft technique incorporated from several long vanished civilizations from millenniums further back than the Russian silver and enamel explosion of Russian silver artisans.
Filigree has always been and still is a 100% hand crafted art form of jewelry that usually always requires hours of time and patience by the artist. This is not only true for jewelry, but any formations of silver and enamel filigree art works that is crafted. The Russian silver and enamel filigree method is a closely guarded secret kept by the few highly talented lapidary masters of yesterday. Filigree has always been a meticulously delicate art form based on years of knowledge and gifted creativity. This gifted knowledge is most always only passed from generation to generation, but only when one older artesian is ready for his highly perfected talent to be handed over to the next gifted chosen younger one.
It is during the Russian Czarist Era the magnificent artist Peter Carl Faberg