Contemporary Filigree

This May, we celebrate the traditional art of filigree – an incredible craft that has been used in designs for hundreds of years.
Filigree is a form of intricate wire work used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver, made with tiny beads or twisted threads, or both in combination, soldered together or to the surface of an object of the same metal and arranged in artistic motifs.

Our Contemporary Filigree exhibition celebrates a curated selection of artists using this wonderful technique, who all feature in the new publication by Filipa Oliveira – Contemporary Filigree Jewellery. We will be hosting a special book launch event for the publication on Saturday 6th May from 11am to 1pm – no booking required!

For a brief introduction to the art of filigree, watch this short film below:

Descend from a textile-producing family in the city of Batik, Pekalongan. Indonesia-born Edwin Charmain focuses on creating ethical filigree jewellery inspired by The Indonesian batik arts and traditions. By combining traditional Indonesia Batik motifs with unique sequences found in natural objects and buildings, Charmain transformed what was once a two-dimensional waxing technique on top of fabric into a three-dimensional jewellery object, celebrating the life, courage and wisdom of the people who came before me and who are about to be. Charmain holds a master’s degree in design jewellery from Central Saint Martins and is one of the Arts Council England Exceptional Promise endorsees. His work has been exhibited internationally and was selected as the Silver winner for the NAJ x BATF Ready to wear category during the Goldsmiths’ Crafts & Design Council awards 2022.
From his London studio, he continues to sustain the art of filigree and Indonesian batik under his jewellery label “Pusaka”, while at the same time nurturing and maintaining a collaborative working environment with filigree craftsmen in Indonesia.

Andrew Lamb graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2000. He completed his Masters at the Royal College in 2004 and now exhibits and sells his award winning jewellery worldwide, with work featuring in prestigious public collections in the UK and abroad.

His interest in illusion and the mesmerizing visual effects of ‘Optical Art’ are cleverly adapted into his jewellery designs. By incorporating these principals, his aim is to create striking, yet delicately shaped pieces which appear to shift and change as the eye moves across them.

Andrew also finds inspiration in the linear patterns and structures abundant in nature and woven textiles. With these in mind, he uses a combination of fine lengths of 18ct gold and silver wire to construct sculptural, three-dimensional jewellery. The wire, layered, twisted or overlapping to create pieces with rippling textures and subtle colour variations playfully drawing the eye and creating a moment of surprise.

Growing up in a highly artistic family it was only natural that Helen would follow in a similar vein.  At age 13 she consciously decided that she couldn’t live a life without some form of art as a career.  She achieved her BA Hons degree in Silversmithing, Jewellery and Allied Crafts at London Guildhall University in 2005, then went on to complete her postgraduate studies at the Bishopsland Educational Trust in Berkshire.

As a silversmith specialising in filigree wire work, Helen London chose this craft for its ability to combine aesthetic beauty with engineering challenge. Helen attributes her passion for creating to an instinctive nature as humans to use our hands and tools to manipulate materials.  This is combined with her own innate tendency towards intense focus and perfectionism.
She looks to Japanese and Islamic arts and craft as well as Art Nouveau for inspiration.  The human body, antlers, birds and other natural forms have all provided starting points for her designs.

Filipa Oliveira is a specialist in contemporary filigree jewellery. Her work has been widely recognised and awarded by numerous jewellery institutions, as the Goldsmiths’ Company. She uses this ancient technique in an innovative way to lend detail and heritage to her work. This historical element allows both the past and present to be encompassed within each piece of jewellery and is evocative of different times and cultures. Filipa has built a reputation as an expert in filigree and a leader in disseminating this unique knowledge within the industry, having taught the technique nationally and internationally. She trained as a goldsmith in Portugal and in Scotland at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, graduating in 2011 with 1st class honours. Filipa holds a passion for this art, which she shares with her students in her Contemporary Filigree Courses, and in the Contemporary Filigree Jewellery book, of which she is the author.

Filipa Oliveira spent 2 years creating her book, Contemporary Filigree Jewellery, with the support of The Scottish Goldsmith’s Trust and The Goldsmith’s Centre. The focus of the book is to showcase the work incredible variety, innovation and skill found in filigree designs, and the book highlights a range a of international and UK based filigree makers.

Join us on Saturday 6th May between 11am and 2pm to celebrate the official launch of the book, and to meet the author Filipa Oliveira. There is no need to book for this event.
You can purchase the book in Gallery, or online here.

Our Contemporary Filigree exhibition also includes some vintage designs by Susan Cross and Jacqueline Mina – we have a selection of work from the 80s and early 90s using traditional textile techniques with precious metal wire and semi-precious stones.

Contemporary Filigree is available to view online here, and in the Gallery from 04 May 2023 – 27 May 2023.