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West African Filigree
Filigree is a common technique in West African countries and is a specialty of Senegalese jewelers. The focus of this demo-centered virtual class is to make a traditional West African filigree ring.
Attendees will learn how to make a frame, how to prepare the wire into small filigree units that will be used to fill the frame, how to properly install them, to prepare the solder, to solder everything together, and finally to form and finish the ring. All while using very few tools!
Meet the instructor
Matthieu moved from Paris to New-Mexico when he was 19, where for seven years he studied Navajo, Hopi and Zuni jewelry techniques. He was immediately drawn to stamping, making concho belts and bracelets. He then moved to Mali, West-Africa and worked for a few years with the Fulani, Tuareg and Bambara jewelers.
In 1999, Matthieu settled in Montreal Canada and continued his studies by going to a jewelry school and learning a more classical part of the trade. Over the years, Matthieu has returned to Africa regularly.
In 2014, Tim McCreight and Mattheiu Cheminee created the Toolbox Initiative, a non-profit organization that helps jewelers in West Africa through the gifts of donated tools.
“I have been stamping and making stamps since the beginning and have developed a form of stamping design by creating patterns that fill the entire piece of metal. This is called “tessellation”.
Matthieu has written two books, “Legacy, jewelry techniques of West Africa“ and “The Art of Stamping”, both published at Brynmorgen Press.
Visit Matthieu's website or instagram page for more info on his work.
Materials & Tools
The following supplies will be used for course demonstrations and objectives. A suggested item and/or vendor has been provided below for reference. Click the vendor name (in red) to be redirected to a page where you can find the item. The quantities needed for each item are listed first. If ordering, please be aware that some items may come in larger quantities than needed for this class. We recommend not opening an item's packaging until the day of the workshop. Student participation during or in-between class sessions is strongly encouraged but not required - observers are welcome.
Raw/metal materials (note wood sizing is approximate but stay close to the measurements):
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1 x 10"x6"x3/4" pine or cedar wood
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2 x 4"x2"x2" pine or cedar wood
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24 feet x fine silver round wire - 0.4mm (Rio Grande)
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12" x sterling wire - 0.7mm x 1.2mm or 1.2mm square (Rio Grande)
Hand tools:
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1 x round nose pliers (Rio Grande)
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1 x jewelers saw (Rio Grande)
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1 x pack saw blades - 2/0 (Rio Grande)
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1 x bench pin (Rio Grande)
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1 x set of needle files - #2 cut (Rio Grande)
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1 x rawhide / plastic mallet (Rio Grande)
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1 x steel block / steel surface (Rio Grande)
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1 x small steel ruler (Rio Grande)
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1 x calipers (Rio Grande)
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1 x ring mandrel (Rio Grande)
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1 x small shop shears (Rio Grande)
Torch setup:
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1 x fireproof area - steel sheet, tiles, etc. (Amazon or Home Depot)
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1 x compressed charcoal block - hard (Rio Grande)
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1 x torch - Smith mini, Silversmith, or butane (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)
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1 x #0 or #1 torch tip - if getting Silversmith (Rio Grande)
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1 x striker or lighter - Silversmith system has one (Rio Grande)
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1 x soldering tweezers (Rio Grande)
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1 x soldering pick (Rio Grande)
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1 x paste flux (Rio Grande)
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1 x copper tongs - for pickle (Rio Grande)
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1 x 6” silver solder - hard (Rio Grande)
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1 x 6” silver solder - medium (Rio Grande)
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1 x liquid flux (Rio Grande)
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1 x pickle - sodium bisulfate or citric acid (Rio Grande or Amazon)
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1 x brass bristle brush (Rio Grande)
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1 x crock pot or lidded glass container (Rio Grande or Amazon)
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1 x tempered glass container or sink - for quenching and rinsing
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1 x small brush - for flux
Other/miscellaneous items:
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hard/stable work surface
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escapement files - optional
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safety glasses
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ruler
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old files/nail setters/chisels
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fine point permanent marker
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glass jars/containers - for oil and vermiculite