Gold Hat Ornament with Pale Yellow Sapphire

Wire twisting is a hallmark of Ming filigree work. First, a gold wire is passed through a hole drilled in one object and then inserted into a perforation in another object. Next, the wire is twisted to secure the objects together.

This hat ornament is set with seven gems on a three-tiered gold base. The bottom layer is a lotus flower in full bloom. There is a small hole between each pair of petals used to sew the ornament to the top of a hat. The middle layer is an eight-petaled lotus. The top layer uses the twisted-wire method to secure a highly-transparent, pale-yellow sapphire to the base. The gold wires are secured at the bottom of the gold base.