Wire Work Jewelry

by Michael Khordipour January 18, 2015 1 Comment

Wire Work Jewelry

Wirework – or wire wrap – jewelry has its origins in ancient times, with evidence that the craft dates back to about 2000BC. Wirework is unique in several different ways.

No external influence such as heat or foreign substances is used in the manufacture even when setting stones. All pieces need to be made by hand, and all parts are, by their very construction, unrepeatable. It differs from filigree, in that no soldering or other setting techniques are used, and the pieces are held together by the positioning of the wire and the manner in which its twisted into place.

Wirework EarringsAlso, an entire wire worked jewelry item is usually made using just wire and decoration whereas filigree is but one element of a more significant piece. Although an ancient craft, wire working has been in practice throughout the ages and has the occasional renaissance period of its own, where interest booms and demand rockets.

One of these periods was the 1960s, driven by the increasingly anti-establishment feelings that were running high, particularly in the USA. All of a sudden, what had previously been relatively simple, homemade crafts became big business among both alternative and mainstream cultures. Wirework jewelry, with its unique cultural and decorative history, came to represent a return to past values, to simpler times and purer ideals.

Because of the relatively basic tools needed for wire work, and also because of the relatively easy to learn – if tricky to master successfully – skills needed to make even quite complex pieces, anybody who had a bit of imagination could make almost anything they wanted for just a few dollars and a few hours of their time.

One of the problems of this approach, as with any mass-scale “artisan” craft, is quality. Most makers of wire work jewelry, even today, do so because they like it and not always because they’re good at it! What the local arts and crafts interest in wire work did, however, was encourage some of the large jewelry houses to incorporate the effect into their range. In the main, it was machined due to the many manhours it takes to produce jewelry of a sufficient quality manually. As the large houses often drive trends, more and more jewelers started to pick up on the growing desire for wirework pieces.

Some did take the trouble to hand-produced wirework pieces, despite the time and cost but the vast majority stuck to incorporating wirework into more conventional pieces, mainly earrings, and necklaces.

Today, such pieces from well-known designers fetch very high prices whenever they become available, and are very collectible as well as still being very wearable. As the 1960s counter-culture moved on into the 1970s the “hippy effect” diminished, and wire work went back to being the preserve of craft fairs and personal use.

Even so, it is still prevalent today, with thousands of people selling their original creations on storefronts like Etsy. It’s true that quality is, by the nature of wore work, still a little bit of an issue, but some outstanding designers are producing stunning quality pieces of what is, mostly, wearable art.

Of course, because progress comes in many forms, a lot of the best designers are a little less strict about the materials they use and occasionally do a little spot soldering in order to strengthen a joint or connection, but considerable effort is made to retain the original skills of the early exponents of wire working, and the results can be quite beautiful.



Michael Khordipour
Michael Khordipour

Author



1 Response

Hillary Dilon
Hillary Dilon

February 08, 2018

Such a beautiful type of jewlrey!

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in Antique Fashion Blog

How To Clean Pearls and Pearl Jewelry
How To Clean Pearls and Pearl Jewelry

by M Khordipour February 22, 2018

Continue Reading

Natural Pearl Jewelry
Natural Pearl Jewelry

by M Khordipour January 31, 2018 4 Comments

Continue Reading

Kashmir Sapphires - Knowledge and Buying Tips
Kashmir Sapphires - Knowledge and Buying Tips

by M Khordipour January 31, 2018 2 Comments

Continue Reading