Fashions in Filigree
(Photo Archive)

Filigree jewelry of 1860

The adornment of the native women of New Mexico has undergone a varied change since Colonial times, much the same as the adornment, however, since the beginning of permanent colonization, that which has had little change is filigree jewelry. Filigree jewelry was not the sole adornment of New Mexico women, for jewelry of all kinds, including precious stones, has always been popular with women.

Due to the degree of perfection that the working of gold filigree reached in New Mexico, we are prompted to claim the working of gold filigree as a craft that is distinctly a New Mexico heritage. Filigree workers in New Mexico, whether they had been working with gold or silver, have always been known as plateros or silversmiths. It might be that the working of filigree in silver by the Moors, their perfection of it, and its extensive development has caused the name of plata (silver) to be identified with the working of filigree in Spanish colonial New Mexico.

What is filigree work? Filigree is an ornamental work of fine gold, silver, or even copper or brass wire formed into delicate tracery of scrolls, net work, and floral designs. The metal threads are twisted, curled, plaited, and then united into intricate designs by means of gold or silver solder and borax (until recent times) with the help of the blow pipe. Small grains or guachaporo beads of the same metal are then set in the junction or at intervals to set off the work in finished and beautiful design. This delicate work of scrolls and other designs is protected by a framework of flat wire, thus giving consistency and stability to the piece. Most of what we know about the dress or adornment of the native New Mexican women comes to us through folklore.

The names designated for jewelry then, are identical to those used in New Mexico today. There are earrings of many kinds, aretes and zargillos (eardrops), arracadas (the earring with a pendent), coquetas (the long, dangling earring with jewels), and pendientes which may mean eardrops of any kind, as the name implies. Then there are many styles of necklaces and gold chains. The bejucos or rounded braided chains with a fish attached in the manner of the chains mentioned above were similar to those from Peru, and India.

There were cordones or cords, chains without the fish. The soguilla was a flat braided chain with slides of elaborate bead filigree work attached. The garganton or gargantilla is the flat necklace with the large brooch-like design in floral effects. These are rare and typical of New Mexico workmanship. Stones of red and green were sometimes inset.

Rings are mentioned often. There is the tumbaga, a wide heavy gold circlet with raised leaves of various hues on either side and a stone in the center. This ring, mostly in silver without a gem, is common to the Orient. There are the plain gold rings set with various stones with floral effects of small stones. These were garnets or rubies of minor value, for the more precious stones have never been common to New Mexico. Another ornament graphically named is the tembladera. This exquisite hair pin was of silver with a flower at the tip of a spiral causing the flower to tremble with the movement of the head of the wearer. Gold dots in the center of the flower completed a delicate effect.

There have been many workers of filigree in New Mexico. Workers of note in the 1800's included Rafael Luna (1804-1840), and Antonio Jose Luna (1882-1899), son of Rafael. Jose Rafael Luna and his nephew, Felipe Guzman, continued the family tradition. These craftsmen were all vecinos of Taos, New Mexico. Teodoro Lucero, another nephew of Jose Antonio, and his nephew, Miguel Gonzales, worked in Las Vegas for many years, then moved to Socorro and back to Taos. Juan Antonio Espinosa had a plateria in Wagon Mound, and lived to be over a hundred years of age.

The Lujan's were another family prominent in the history of filigree worker. They worked in New Mexico and in Southern Colorado. Other filigree workers playing their trade in Santa Fe were Eugenio Sena, Mr. Labodie, and Mr. Quintana.

Many former filigree workers, whose sight failed, were to be seen in the 1900's on the streets doing menial work. Needless to say, the attachments which our ancestors had for gold filigree is still with us.