BENCHTIPS: Filigree Jewellery tips with Michelle Lierre
As part of our Benchtips series, I was joined by Filigree Jewellery expert Michelle Lierre who shares her tips and tricks for creating beautiful filigree. You can watch the replay here and skip to the question you want the answer to
You can watch the whole masterclass or take a look below to see if there are any specific questions that you have. These are time-stamped below so you can skip straight to the answer.
5:05 - What is the history of Filigree?
8:45 - How can learning Filigree help to improve your jewellery making?
12:00 - Do you have to use twisted wire?
14:34 - Do you need a rolling mill?
16:07 - Can you make Filigree designs with Silver Metal Clay?
19:26 - Do you need a specific torch of soldering?
22:00 - Can you use gold filled wire or gold vermeil to create these designs
24:28 - How much practise do you need when working with such small pieces?
26:00 - What size of wire should I use?
28:38 - Do you use powdered solder?
31:55 - Can you fuse the metal?
35:35 - Any tips on polishing Filigree?
38:44 - How can you make sure the Filigree curls don’t catch on things while the piece is worn?
43:00 - Discussion around Zig-zag Filigree
45:50 - More tips on polishing Filigree
48:43 - Examples of Michelle’s work, the different filigree shapes and twisted wire
53:54 - Adding stone settings to Filigree
56:50 - How do you make a pair of earrings match?
58:38 - Do you draw out your patterns first or create them in metal straight away?
If you would like to learn how to make beautiful Filigree Jewellery, you can take our beginners course with Michelle. The course is suitable for intermediate-level jewellers who are new to filigree, Michelle will guide you through how to make a stunning filigree pendant. Including how to prepare the wire, create different shapes and patterns to come up with your own designs and how to construct a finished piece.
Michelle has also taught a module on our Advanced Jewellery Diploma, working with gold to create a Filigree ring with a central stone setting. This course is exclusive to the Advanced Jewellery Diploma.
Want to hear more from Michelle? She was also a guest on our podcast discussing why every jeweller should learn Filigree.
