Kosovar Filigree

Filigree - twisting and soldering fine silver wire into openwork patterns - has been practised in Prizren for centuries, brought along Ottoman trade routes and refined into a local tradition of extreme delicacy. Workshops in the old town still make jewellery, decorative boxes, filigree eagles and the traditional pieces used in Kosovar weddings, with craftsmen working the wire under lamps at benches that have not changed much in generations. Visitors can watch the process, which is slow and absorbing, and buy directly from the maker, which is both cheaper and more meaningful than buying elsewhere.

What you actually see

• Prizren's filigree workshops - craftsmen working silver wire at the bench.
• Traditional wedding pieces - the ornaments used in Kosovar ceremonies.
• Buying at source - jewellery and boxes directly from makers.
• Prizren's old town - the Ottoman quarter the craft belongs to.

When to go

Workshops operate year round, generally weekday and Saturday daytime hours. Prizren is at its liveliest in summer, particularly during the Dokufest documentary film festival in August, when the whole old town fills.

Honest expectations

Not everything sold as filigree in tourist shops is handmade locally - machine-made and imported pieces circulate. Going into an actual workshop and watching the work is the way to be sure. Prices reflect real labour: a fine piece takes many hours. Some workshops are small family operations with irregular hours.

Nearby

Prizren's Sinan Pasha mosque, the fortress above town and the Sharr mountains.