intricate

adjective- "having many complexly interrelating parts or elements : complicated"
eg. intricate machinery, an intricate plot


I use the word "intricate" to describe small, ornate details, especially engraved or sculpted silver, but also lace, embroidery, or thoughtfully paired patterns or colors.

This style of design reminds me of fancy spoons my Grandma kept for special occasions, and jewelry in my mom's top dresser drawer. It reminds me of the Claddaugh ring she gave me when I was younger that I used to wear every day until my finger outgrew it. It reminds me of saint medals and rosaries and special sacred trinkets kept in special sacred place. There is something at once familiar and exceptional about it, and, at the end of the day, I am simply drawn to how it looks.
The beauty and craftsmanship make these pieces so special and so human. You can only imagine how they were made. I have a spoon ring that sent me down an Internet rabbit hole about different silverware patterns, each one named, traceable to who made it.
Intricate pieces are beautiful and functional like a knight's armor. There is no reason for these items to be covered in designs, but they are, because they are just more beautiful that way. There is a hope and an optimism about intricate pieces, a certain superfluousness that exists simply to spark joy. So much of modern design is about minimalism, "chic-ness", and ease of mass production. Modern buildings often feel to me like they've been given the bare minimum required to exist as a structure- no character, no soul, no joyful excess. Old buildings with ornate engravings, weird quirks, personality, feel so much more like home.