Portuguese Filigree With a Twist

The butterfly in the window of Eduardo Carneiro and Co. at 225 Rua das Flores is prominently displayed. Sun glints off its delicate wings, reflected not from iridescent color but from gold.

The butterfly’s intricate pattern is not nature’s creation, but that of a Portuguese artisan whose skillful hands wound, twisted, curled and braided fine golden wires into symmetrical wings.

This is the art of filigree, a technique of working gold and silver that dates from about 3000 BC, and was introduced in Portugal during the Middle Ages by the Moors.

Artists work for hours on each delicate piece, shaping leaves, hearts and flowers for pins and pendants, hoop earrings and bracelets. They also make larger items such as model ships, miniature furniture and picture frames. The work demands skill and patience.

Bending, twisting and curling tiny gold or silver wires into complex patterns requires hours of painstaking labor.

Filigree is available throughout Portugal, but most of it is made and sold in the north, in the old city of Oporto, Portugal’s second-largest, and in the nearby town of Gondomar.

Most artists work in silver, some of which is then plated with 24-karat gold. Filigree is done in 19 1/4- or in 24-karat gold.

Rosas de Portugal (Rua 5 de Octubro 20, Gondomar) is one of the largest factories for filigree. Workers spend hours with tweezer-like instruments, looking through magnifying lenses to make the tiny twists and curves with gold and silver wire.

Even with the skill required to work the gold, artisans are paid very little for their labor. As a result, the intricate jewelry costs much less than might be expected.

At Rosas de Portugal, ornate silver filigree bracelets wholesale for $5 and up, and the gold-plated variety are only slightly more expensive. Filigree items that are 19 1/4- or 24-karat gold sell for hundreds of dollars, but they’re still a bargain, considering the labor involved.

Retail prices for filigree made at Rosas de Portugal and other factories are slightly higher in the jewelry shops along Oporto’s street of gold, Rua das Flores.

There are nine jewelry shops along the street. As at Rosas de Portugal, prices here are calculated daily, based on the price of gold. Gold jewelry is tagged, but the number written down refers to the weight of the piece. The tag may also indicate the degree of complexity.

Antique gold pieces usually have set prices that are higher than those of contemporary pieces because they are usually made of 22-karat gold, and value is placed on old workmanship and the history of the piece.

Shops along Rua das Flores have similar wares, but each piece of filigree is slightly different. All the shops have the basics, such as pins, pendants, bracelets and earrings.

The gold butterfly in the window of Eduardo Carneiro & Co. comes in a gold-plated version that sells for $9, and similar but smaller butterflies sell for $5. The entire back room of the shop is stocked with filigree, much of which is gold-plated. Lovely leaf pins sell for $8 to $11.

Barroso Filho Ltd. at No. 257 has a large selection of gold-plated filigree boats in various sizes. A 12-inch-long model costs about $500. Smaller versions sell for $180 to $290. They also have 19 1/4-karat filigree ship earrings for $85.

An excellent selection of filigree pins and bracelets is available at Pedro A. Baptista Ltd. at No. 235. Ornately worked pins cost $18 to $40, and bracelets an inch wide made of linked squares of filigree cost $18 to $25.

C.S. Coutinho & Co. at No. 185 has a lot of filigree miniatures of furniture, including tiny tables and chairs, tea sets, chests and cabinets plus religious articles. A lovely Maltese cross with enamel decoration costs about $50.

M. Eugenia da Silveira Rodrigues at No. 226 sells antique filigree of 22-karat gold. It is exquisite and costly. An antique gold heart five inches tall with enamel decoration costs about $5,200. Maltese crosses of about the same size and with enamel decoration are about $4,500 and up.

Get a receipt to assure authenticity, especially when purchasing higher-priced solid gold filigree or antique jewelry.

Prices quoted in this article reflect currency exchange rates at the time of writing.