Filigree firing enamel is a major feature of "Kaktu" handicrafts, painting enamel is the finishing touch of Kaktu, painting enamel is actually a Western painting painted on the utensils, can be as layered as a fine brushstroke.

When an order is received, the craftsmen will do their best to complete it. But sometimes there will be a situation of delaying orders, so there is no way, you can only hand over as many pieces as you do.

However, we will do the rest of the work, because the filigree inlay is a work of art, and after it is made, even if the customer misses the time to deliver the order, it is still collectible.

More importantly, a piece of work has taken the hard work of our craftsmen from design to final product, and I hope to keep one piece and make a mold for the future. For many works, we make two pieces and keep one for ourselves. This is also the tradition of our filigree inlay making process.

Eucalyptus look at the cups of tea today, each with a silver cup holder, if you look closely, their cup handle color is different, so that when the tea is renewed, you can see it at a glance, so as not to be confused.

This was inspired by a foreign guest I received a few years ago, who came to see the work, drank tea in the middle, and the glass full of hot tea was very hot, and to make matters worse, the guest put it down and forgot whose cup it was. With a cup holder, this embarrassment can be avoided.

There is a saying that when almost every metal was first discovered, its earliest function was to decorate the human body. Filigree inlay production technology should serve our lives. In addition to this silver cup holder that you see, we have also developed a series of brooch jewelry, all small things, but very delicate and close to life.

Filigree inlay, based on metals and gemstones, but its price is much more expensive than the price of gold and silver jewelry, because it not only embodies the efforts of the craftsman, but also requires very strict craftsmanship in the processing process, so it produces a very delicate and magnificent filigree work worthy of inheritance.

Let's talk about the filigree process "using gold as a thread and skillfully hand-knitting". If you want to make a finished filigree product, you must master processes such as gold plating, gold melting, gold casting, etc. Draw the gold and silver into 0.15mm, or even 0.05mm filaments, and then use twisting, filling, saving, welding, stacking, blocking, weaving, weaving, wearing and other jargon called cloisonné, arch wire, shingle, braided pigtails, filling the head (filling in the pattern), through layers of technology, in order to be made into jewelry or ornaments.

Tools include scissors, hammers, tweezers, files, etc., because this is a craft where details are paramount, and perfection can only be achieved by being still. Different from the industrial assembly line production method, it is a genuine high-end customization.

With the development of social economy, people's enthusiasm for traditional skills is increasing. Filigree inlay is no longer a luxury exclusively for royals and "local tyrants".

As shown in the ring above, the ring is made of filigree, so that the pale green turquoise Pixiu is no longer monotonous, adding a point of nobility and relieving a point of abruptness.

Copper as a kind of low hardness, good toughness of the metal, become the favorite object of folk filigree inlay enthusiasts, brown bear teeth with copper filigree, with a sense of religious mystery, as if nature and industrial civilization blend with each other, there is also a sense of imprisonment and conquest.

The content of the finished product is no longer limited to court headdresses, nail covers, bracelets, and utensils, but has developed into various accessories, and the main body has also expanded to rubies, topazes, crystals and other cultural toys. It can be said that when you go deep into the homes of ordinary people, every lover of cultural toys can get a "high definition" inlaid with filigree. The above finished products are all made by folk netizens, which are simple and stylish.

Not only in China, but also in international fashion weeks, you can also find filigree inlay elements. For example, the famous female designer Guo Pei released the work at the 2016 autumn and winter Paris haute couture show

This slim-fitting dress, from the headdress to the shoulder pads, from the upper body to the hem of the skirt, most of the lace is out, and the filigree inlay is embellished in it, with a strong sense of metal, and the overall temperament of the model is noble and even arrogant.

In 1958, the golden crown of the Wanli Emperor was unearthed in Dingling, Beijing. The crown weighs 826 grams and is made of 518 gold wires with a diameter of 0.2 mm, with well-proportioned eyelets and a bright appearance without any traces of joints.

The crown is inlaid with two dragon play beads, the posture is vivid, and the thin scales of the dragon body are also made of gold wire. The technique used to make this gold crown is called filigree inlay, which has appeared as early as the Spring and Autumn period, and has always been exclusive to the royal family because the materials used are rare objects such as gold, silver, jewelry, etc.

Due to the different levels of filigree inlaid filaments, the silk used is also divided into silver and gold wires. The basic preparation begins with drawing the strips of gold and silver into filaments. Hand drawing is a centuries-old tradition known as wire drawing.

The special drawing tool is called a drawing plate, on which 40~50 eye holes of different diameters are arranged from thick to thin, and the smallest is thinner than the hair. In the process of thinning the thick wire, the thick wire must pass through each eye hole in sequence from large to small, and cannot be skipped.

Sometimes, in order to be drawn into the desired filament, it has to go through more than a dozen drawing processes. Drawing relies on the strength of the hands, so it is almost entirely done by men.

The single filament pulled out of the drawing plate is only a "plain filament". The surface of the silk is smooth, and it must be processed to make a variety of patterned silk before it can be used, from which the name "filigree" comes from.

The most common, the simplest and most basic filigree is a style made of 2-3 plain silks, and there are nearly 20 kinds of arch wires, slub silks, screws, yard silks, wheat ears silk, phoenix eye silk, twist silk, small braid silk, etc., which are used in the creation of various products.

Filigree inlay due to the use of rare materials, expensive value, history has always been the royal thing, pure gold wire made of jewelry, furnishings and some practical utensils are very common in the court, only in modern times, filigree inlay from the court into the folk. Today, as a continuation of court craftsmanship, pure gold filigree works are rare, and more are silver filigree products.

The various works are derived from the tiny gold and silver threads. No one has ever counted how many filigree are needed for a work, and it may not be possible to calculate at all. In fact, the tools used to make filigree are some common hammers, pliers, scissors, tweezers, etc. However, these ordinary objects are transformed into exquisite filigree inlays through the minds of the designers and the hands of the artists.

The dazzling and magnificent filigree inlays are all handmade from gold and silver filaments. The completion of a work depends on the eight processes of stacking, blocking, weaving, weaving, pinching, filling, saving and welding, and each process is subdivided into thousands of changes. In terms of the complexity of the process, filigree inlay ranks among the top in the palace craft "Yanjing Eight Uniques".

How did filigree inlay come about through the artist's skillful hand? Taking the base of the Guanyin statue as an example, this most basic flat filigree product also needs to use two processes: pinching and filling. The outer outline of the cloisonné flower is made from a single filigree.

"Pinch" is the jargon, which means Kuma. The outer frame of each petal should be equal in size, and the shape should be vivid and natural. The key point of "filling" is how to make the petals and the outer frame just the right size, obviously, the big one can't get in, and the small one can't be embedded.

Filigree inlay can be divided into two main categories: filigree inlay and inlay. The filigree is made of gold and silver wire on the square inch ornament, and the inlay is to inlay the jewels and diamonds, fine stones and jade on the gold and silver jewelry.

If the essence of filigree inlay lies in the filigree, then the inlay can be the finishing touch. The requirements of the inlay are very high, not only to set well, but also to set flat, but also to inlay, the same gemstone, jadeite, the angle of placement is different, it will directly affect the appearance of pretty. The bowl left on the dragon's body (Fig. 10), known in jargon as a "stone bowl", is a place reserved for the mosaic.

The most common setting method is "edging", also known as "bezel setting". The filigree-inlaid erhu handle is decorated with edging (Fig. 11). To make a "stone bowl", the copper sheet is first pressed to the appropriate thickness, and then the pressed copper sheet is cut into strips and used to form the edge of the bowl. The shape of each stone is different, so the shape of the corresponding "stone bowl" is also different. Sometimes, when a piece is set with hundreds of stones, the bowl and the stone must be numbered separately to avoid misfitting.

The rim and bottom of the bowl are welded together before being welded to the work. Before the advent of welding guns, artists used kerosene lamps, blowing while turning the work in their hands, and if they were not careful, they would inhale a large mouthful of oil and gas, and the degree of hardship can be imagined. Put the stone in the "stone bowl" and press the edge of the stone bowl firmly to the middle to fix the stone. Each special "stone bowl" can wrap the stone just right.

Edging is usually used for ordinary stones, but small and precious stones such as diamonds and rubies will lose their original charm if they are put into a "stone bowl", so the traditional "shovel nail setting" is needed. "Shovel nail setting" is the insertion of stone directly into the work. First of all, the artist should first choose the drill bit according to the size of the gemstone, and put the appropriate small eye in the setting. Then the delicate work of "shovel nail setting" is carried out. Holding the hollow beads at the top, around the 4 corners of the stone, drill extremely tiny, almost invisible beads (called "nails" in Beijing dialect) on the tire, and then use these 4 beads to squeeze the stone in the middle, the jargon is called "squeezing beads".

In this way, the filigree is the bone, and the inlay is decorated. The filigree and inlay complement each other, and together interpret the subtlety of Yanjing's eight uniques.

Filigree inlay, also known as fine gold craftsmanship, is a traditional Chinese handicraft that has been passed down for a long time, mainly used in the production of royal jewelry. It is a combination of the two production techniques of "filigree" and "inlay". The filigree is made of gold, silver and copper as raw materials, and traditional techniques such as pinching, filling, saving, welding, weaving and stacking are adopted. Inlaid with frustration, motium, hammering, stuffing, beating, collapse, squeezing, inlay and other techniques, the metal sheet is made into a tray and melon seed-shaped groove, and then inlaid with pearls and gemstones.

Filigree inlay technology originated from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States period gold and silver wrong craft, in the Ming Dynasty to reach a high level of art, especially weaving, stacking techniques are good, but also commonly used to point cui technology, to achieve a brilliant effect. The extensive use of gemstones and the improvement of the gem setting process are the most important contributions of filigree inlay jewelry to traditional Chinese jewelry in the Ming Dynasty, which has changed the tradition of heavy ornamentation and light gemstones in traditional Chinese jewelry. In the Qing Dynasty, gem resources were gradually depleted, and spot emerald and burnt blue were used to replace the location of gemstones. Nowadays, the filigree inlay process only exists in Beijing and Chengdu, and the filigree inlay process in Beijing is the most complete. Beijing filigree inlay epitomizes the characteristics of Chinese court filigree inlay technology.

A delicate filigree inlay handicrafts, often a combination of a variety of processes, the production process is more complex, first to make a tire type, apply filigree, rhenium, chisel and other processes, and then through welding, made into semi-finished products, and then after pickling, blue (coated with glaze), gold or silver plating, pressurization, inlaid gemstones, etc.

Filigree inlay technology has a prototype as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, the gold and silver mistakes of the Warring States Period, the gold and silver flat off of the Tang Dynasty is its predecessor, and it is now in the Tang Dynasty of the Chinese History Museum in Beijing.

The Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties formed the largest filigree production center in Beijing. The Ming Dynasty reached a high level of art, and the Qing Dynasty had a greater development, and famous products continued to emerge, many of which became court tributes.

Its exquisite skills, beautiful shape, many varieties, with obvious Chinese characteristics and national style, embodies the wisdom and artistic creativity of the Chinese nation. Because the court set up handicraft workshops and handicraft factories, concentrated the country's skilled craftsmen, so that the north and south filigree inlay production skills can be exchanged, and integrate the advantages of ethnic minority arts and crafts, has become an important part of court art. The representative works of filigree inlay include the golden crown of the Wanli Emperor in the Ming Dynasty, the golden Ou Yonggu cup in the Qing Dynasty, the silver hexagonal pot and the golden peach tree bonsai, the gold-inlaid jewelry crown crown, the modern jewelry Temple of Heaven Prayer Hall, the Chinese Century Dragon, etc.

Filigree inlay is the most refined in Beijing. Beijing is the imperial capital of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the metalworking craftsmen at home and abroad are concentrated, the emperor's harem women need a large number of ornaments, and they are extremely extravagant, so in the old Beijing's Dashilar, the flower market and the four archways in the east and west, there are more than 100 gold shops and silver buildings, producing this filigree inlay. Filigree inlays are used for two purposes:

One is a practical product, called "piece work": there are hand mirrors, flower arrangements and a variety of boxes, bottles, cylinders, etc., the shape is small and exquisite; The same species has different shapes, which can be made into flowers, goldfish, mandarin ducks, swans and other shapes. The main body becomes a container, and the shape is decorated or deformed, such as the head and wings of a swan, composed of filigree, and inlaid with jeweled crowns, eyes, etc.

The second is the furnishings, the name of "ornaments". Filigree inlaid ornaments are broadly divided into four traditional categories: furnaces, animals, buildings and people. For example, the pagoda in the building class, the whole body is made of filigree base, the top of the tower is made of precious stones, the plaque is made of ivory, the bell is gilded with copper, and the base is made of filigree covered ink jade as a brick. The delicate craftsmanship of filigree craftsmen is evident everywhere. Filigree inlay into the 21st century has had greater innovations, such as the combination of gold, K gold, silver, and jade, which is more splendid and gorgeous, and also shows more ingenuity of conception.

The traditional Beijing filigree inlaid utensils cover many types, including boxes, plates, bowls, cups, ornaments, tea sets, wine vessels, ruyi, jewelry, etc., and each general direction contains many specific objects, such as jewelry, including hats, headdresses, flat squares, hairpins, bracelets, rings, nail covers, etc. The subject matter is influenced by the court culture, mainly selected dragon, phoenix, ruyi, longevity peach and other representatives of the auspicious and noble shape, different from the folk gold and silver products, the dragon and phoenix are the ancient folk can not use the shape, the golden light, at the expense of the material of the shape makes the Beijing filigree inlay can not be scrupulous cost, there is no concept of size, just to meet the needs of the royal family.

At that time, the gold and silver utensils produced were mainly chisel flowers, which were first hammered into the shape of gold and silver sheets, and then the convex and concave patterns were chiseled with chisels, and the top was surrounded by filigree to form a stone bowl, which was inlaid with various gems and jades, or several kinds of gems and jade were connected with gold and silver wires to make utensils. In the Ming Dynasty, the filigree pickaxe inlay process in the capital of the Ming Dynasty has been full of techniques such as stacking, base, weaving, weaving, weaving, pinching, filling, embedding, chiseling, etc., especially the technical use of weaving and stacking difficulties is very proficient. In the Qing Dynasty, with the increase of social demand, the industry moved towards specialized production, divided into practical work, mosaic work; There are more than 10 small industries such as chisel work, burning blue work, dot cui work, and gold cloaking work.

After the Xinhai Revolution, the court art was scattered among the people, gold shops, silver buildings were opened one after another, according to statistics, there were more than 100, and the filigree inlay industry was extremely prosperous. The filigree inlay in Beijing is generally classified into utensils, architectural shapes, animal shapes, character shapes, and various jewelry. Such as the Forbidden City corner tower, nine dragon walls, bottles, smoke, lions, dragons, "Magu Xianshou", ear clamps, collar pins, cufflinks, rings, bracelets, necklaces, etc. Take a look at the latest chapters of "Dream Claw Book House in the Great Era" and read it for free for the first time.