filigree

Definition

A delicate and intricate ornamentation made from platinum, gold or silver (or sometimes other metal) twisted wire.

Etymology

From French filigrane, from Italian filigrana, from Latin fīlum (“thread”) + grānum (“grain”).

Example Sentences

• "To carry pure death in an earring, a casket, / A signet, a fan-mount, a filigree basket!"
• "There were antiquities from Central Italy, made by the best modern houses in that department of industry; […] Genoese velvets and filigree, Neapolitan coral, Roman cameos, Geneva jewellery, Arab lanterns, rosaries blest all round by the Pope himself, and an infinite variety of lumber."
• "[…] the repose of the pool, the idle motions of the insects and flies upon it, the placid waving of the flags, the leaf-skeletons, like Genoese filigree, placidly sleeping at the bottom, by their contrast with her own turmoil made her impatience greater."