Sterling Filigree Earrings in the style of Matilde

In Latin America, fine metal filigree metal seems to have originated primarily in Peru with skilled Andean artisans. Today, Mexico, too, excels in its production of filigree and boasts many master artisans in silver and gold filigree work. Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Yucatán stand out most notably for their exquisite filigree work, and the Taxco University of Art and Design is also on the vanguard of filigree. How are these delicately-balanced, dangly pieces created? Their dozens or hundreds of individual moving parts simulating lace or embroidery are composed of fine-spun silver threads, made from torched and flattened silver. Each individual component is soldered with the greatest care and smallest instruments to unify the whole piece into one cohesive design. Some “filigree-ers” (filigraneros), as the masters of this difficult craft are often called, use organic forms while others rely on geometry to bring together every part and minuscule braid and thread. Influence from colonial Spanish and religious designs on traditional indigenous silver work has led to distinct developments between regions.