granulated filigree

Granulated filigree is a decorative technique in jewelry making that involves applying tiny balls or grains of gold to a surface. These minute grains, with diameters ranging from 1/60 to 1/180 of an inch, are used to create patterns or fill in decorative areas. This technique was first used as early as the 3rd millennium BC in Western Asia and Egypt.12

Filigree itself is a delicate, lacelike openwork made from twisted gold or silver threads, widely used in jewelry since antiquity. Granulated filigree is a more complex type of filigree where the metal wire is shaped into beads. The Etruscans, between the 7th and 6th centuries BC, are noted for their mastery of granulation, creating elaborate granulated and embossed jewelry.312