Wire-art Christmas Star

Drotárstvo — Slovak wire craft — began in the 18th century when tinkers from the Kysuce and Považie hills walked across Europe mending pots with wire, and grew into an art form that UNESCO added to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2019. This star is made by a contemporary wire artist in the same tradition: a single length of blackened iron wire bent and wrapped into an eight-pointed star with a woven centre, about 12 cm across.

It hangs on a tree, in a window or on a wreath, and unlike glass it survives children and cats. Shipped in a flat rigid box padded so the wire cannot deform in transit; if a point arrives slightly bent, it can be eased straight by hand.

Each piece is hand-made and varies slightly. Comes with a card explaining the craft in Slovak, English and German.