Filigree
Also called openwork, wire work
Filigree is metalwork made from fine twisted or plain wire bent into open patterns and soldered into place. It gives jewelry a lace-like look with a lot of open space in it, and it appears most often on the shoulders and under-galleries of vintage-style rings.
In other words, thin gold or silver wire is curled into scrolls and openwork shapes, so the metal looks like fabric lace.
What it looks like on a piece
Filigree is defined as much by its holes as by its metal. Scrolls, curls, and small openings sit between the wires, and light passes right through the piece, which is what stops it looking heavy despite the amount of detail.
It is usually placed where it will be seen from the side, such as the gallery under a center stone, so the profile views of a ring matter more than usual.
Rendering openwork
Openwork is a shadow problem. Every wire casts a shadow onto the wires behind it and onto the finger position below, and those layered shadows are what give filigree depth. Flat lighting collapses it into a tangle of bright lines with no order.
It also needs the side and three-quarter angles, not just the top-down shot. Our nine images per file cover the profile views for exactly this reason, and the videos let a buyer see the pattern open and close as the ring rotates.
Metal colour changes the effect more than people expect. Yellow gold filigree reads warm and antique, while white gold flattens the shadow contrast and looks cooler and more modern. All three come back from the one file, so you can see the difference before you cast.
Questions about Filigree
Is filigree fragile?
The wires are fine, so filigree needs more care than a plain band. Modern CAD and casting produce stronger filigree than hand-bent wire did.
Which render angles show filigree best?
Side and three-quarter views. Filigree usually sits on the gallery and shoulders, which a top-down image barely sees.