Jewellery and precious metal crafts

This form of craft has its roots far into the past, in fact, from the archaeological finds, you can deduce that the inhabitants used jewellery even during the pre-nuragh era, as sacred symbols, sacrificial gifts, or simply to wear.
Today, the intriguing and complex art of Sardinian jewellery, can be admired not only through the windows of the jewellers' where these objects are proudly displayed but also during the folk festivals where they are a fundamental part of the local folk costumes which vary from one area of the island to another. To take into consideration is the difference between everyday costume and that which is saved scrupulously for festivals.

Various types of jewellery

Buttons: buttons were and are still used as part of the Sardinian costume, to close the cuffs and collars of men's shirts and for women's corsets. Originally, they were hand-made in silver, then in gold, initially used only for wedding dress but nowadays for all festival costumes.

 Brooches: are used to fix the shawl to the head or to close the blouse of the woman's costume. The brooches of certain costumes are not only a simple metalworking but a real work of art such as the "ispilla de conca" of Dorgali, "s'agule" of Lotzorai and many others.

Amulets: lthe production of these objects have characterised many zones of the island, and in some areas are still manufactured thanks to the strong beliefs of the local inhabitants. The black stone believed to have the power to protect against evil, spheres of obsidian or fossilised wood in the form of a pendant to protect against curses, or shells are the most common amulets.

Materials used
In ancient times copper and silver were used, subsequently swapped for gold and coral. These constitute the materials most commonly used today by the many jewellers found throughout Sardinia and it is important to cite those of Dorgali for their use of filigree and those of Alghero, Bosa and Carloforte for their use of coral.