Filigree Jewellery with Michelle Lierre
NEW for 2023 - Learn the amazing art of filigree jewellery with talented filigree artist Michelle Lierre.
Filigree is a traditional technique of coiling, bending and intertwining threads of gold and silver wire to make delicate, ornamental patterns or details in pieces. You can create 'openwork' filigree or 'metal-supported'.
In this course, suitable for intermediate-level jewellers who are new to filigree, Michelle will guide you through how to make a stunning filigree pendant. Including how to prepare the wire, create different shapes and patterns to come up with your own designs and how to construct a finished piece.
With these skills, you will be able to progress to making earrings, brooches, rings or elements of a bangle as the same technique can be used across different types of jewellery.
It is such a delicate and creative process that anyone can try and enjoy.
What Techniques are covered in this online course?
- Preparing wire for filigree and creating granules in silver
- Creating frames for open filigree work
- Measuring and marking for planning your filigree designs
- Creating a range of shapes in the filigree wire to create different designs
- Soldering techniques for filigree
- Working with granules and solder paste
- Optional tools to help improve your filigree work (and how to use them)
- Creating a completed filigree pendant
- Polishing and finishing for filigree work
Plus Michelle shares lots of her developed tips and techniques along the way.
Who is this course made for?
This course is suitable for intermediate-level jewellers with some experience of working with silver and soldering.
This technique can be made in gold or silver and once you have mastered it you will be able to use and incorporate it in your jewellery making.
Your Instructor
Michelle Lierre (Lee-air) is a self-taught filigree artist who makes one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces in silver and gold. She is on a mission to discover and learn all the major filigree styles of the world and to help pass that knowledge onto others.
In between handing out snacks to three small children, Michelle works out of her home studio near Seattle, WA. You can find available jewellery pieces or information on commissions and made to order items on her website.
This course includes:
- 9 bite-sized Video Lessons
- A set of downloadable course notes
- Tools and materials list
- Ongoing support in the Facebook group to get your questions answered
When you purchase this course you get ongoing access to watch as often as you like!
- Our online courses are professionally filmed by a film crew, ensuring you get a better view than you could in person
- By purchasing this course you get ongoing access and can watch as often as you like
- The course is broken down into bite-sized videos so you can easily find the section you want to watch
- You also get a full set of notes to go along with the videos plus a list of tools and materials
Tools and Materials:
Please note that for this course you will need access to a rolling mill to flatten your wire. If you don't have a rolling mill but would like to try filigree we recommend asking in the Facebook group if there are any jewellers near you who would be happy to roll some wire in a small batch for you so you can try it out. Alternatively, this is a great excuse to purchase that rolling mill! They are wonderful tools for jewellers.
- Pliers - Flat nosed, snipe nosed, parallel, round nosed (smaller is better), nylon, round/flat nosed
- Riveting hammer
- Graph paper or ruler/callipers
- Soldering station: torch and gas, reverse action tweezers with third hand, steel AA tweezers, soldering pick, honey comb block, charcoal block, liquid flux in a spray bottle and flux dispenser bottle, paintbrush, pickle solution
- Small dish
- Sharpie
- Jump ring maker or a doming punch or wooden dowel 10mm
- Scribe
- Rolling mill
- Saw and saw blades
- Bench peg
- Steel block x 2
- Heavy hammer
- Needle files
- 400 grit emery paper
- Masking tape
- Brand new pair of AA tweezers
- Fine paintbrush, trimmed short
- Flush cutters
- Tin snips
- Callipers
- Pendant motor
- Polishing wheels - medium silicone wheels, fine silicone wheels, sandpaper roll (300-400 grit)
- Stone setting burrs - 2.6mm, 2mm (to match your stones)
- Polymorph/thermoplastic granules
- Bench vice or hand vice
- Lubricant - burr life, beeswax or 3 in 1 oil
- Square pusher or acrylic
- Burnisher
- Needle burnisher
- Cotton polishing mop
- Black bristle brush
- Luxi polishing compound or Zam
- Old, soft toothbrush
- Washing up liquid and warm water
- Tumbler- optional
Materials:
- 0.6mm round wire, 3m, Michelle uses Argentium but you could use sterling or fine silver
- 1.2mm round wire, 20cm, sterling silver
- Sheet solder - hard, medium, easy
- Paste solder - medium
- 2mm round gemstone
- 2.6mm round gemstone
- Premade tube settings to match stones or
- Sterling Silver Tube, Ref 5, Outside Diameter 3.0mm, Inside Diameter 2.1mm, 0.45mm Wall Thickness
- Sterling Silver Tube, Ref 8, Outside Diameter 2.4mm, Inside Diameter 1.6mm, 0.4mm Wall Thickness
- Silver chain with clasp
Join our community of jewellery makers and get support, training and a team of amazing people all routing for you on your jewellery journey.