Filigree
Lacework made from fine twisted wire, soldered into openwork patterns. Light for its size.
Filigree is built from drawn wire twisted and curled into a pattern, then soldered together, either on a backing or as freestanding lace.
Because it is mostly air, a large filigree piece weighs a fraction of a solid one of the same size.
In India the technique reaches its height in Odisha's Cuttack tarkashi, in silver so fine it is almost thread.
When you are buying
Filigree is fragile in one specific way: it bends and cannot easily be bent back without cracking a solder joint. Store it flat, in its own box.
Granulation
Tiny metal spheres fused to a surface to build texture and pattern, with no visible solder.
925 Sterling Silver
An alloy of 92.5% silver with 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The international standard for silver jewellery.
Temple Jewellery
South Indian jewellery in a deity and motif vocabulary, originally made to adorn temple idols and now worn by dancers and brides.
Thewa
A Rajasthani craft that fuses pierced sheet gold onto coloured glass, producing a stained-glass effect.