Alghero · Northwest coast

Bottega Filigrana d'Alghero

Maria Cossu · Fourth generation

In the Catalan quarter of Alghero, Maria works at a walnut bench that has outlived three wars. Coral arrives from local waters; gold is drawn into thread so fine it catches light before it catches the eye. Each piece begins as a motif — a four-leaf, a boat, a flower of the caper — then becomes a lattice you can almost breathe through.

How it is made

1. 01Motif drawn freehand on tissue
2. 02Gold wire pulled through successive dies
3. 03Twisted and soldered over a soft flame
4. 04Mediterranean coral set by hand