Although this art was known to many ancient civilisations, including Greece and Rome, and was also produced by the Chinese and Indians, we do not know the exact origin of filigree. In Portugal, archaeological finds have shown that filigree existed in the country during pre-Roman times, and some pieces are displayed in the Dom Diogo de Sousa Museum in Braga.
Production of filigree is currently concentrated in the north of Portugal, the main production centres being Gondomar in the district of Porto and Póvoa de Lanhoso in the district of Braga.
Filigree is made by twisting together two extremely thin wires, usually of gold and silver.
The structure of the jewellery is first made using sheet of an appropriate thickness for each particular piece. The outer edges and internal patterns are then shaped, to be later filled with filigree “lace”. This filling uses individual pieces of extremely fine wire, woven and worked into circular, spiral or S shapes. With the help of tweezers, these pieces are fitted into the frame and may also be combined with small beads of gold to form the desired pattern.
Subsequent phases include welding and finally burnishing.