Hvar lace is valued for its extremely complex patterns and details made of thousands of thin threads. The material from which it is made distinguishes Hvar lace from others. It is made from agave fibers that grow on the island. Agave, also known as a century-old plant, is characterized by thick leaves with spines from which a large amount of fiber is obtained, although they are harvested only during a certain part of the year.

On Hvar island, agave was normally processed to make fibers for ropes and nets. The beauty of this lace lies primarily in the fact that none of it has a template (blueprint), but rather it is a product of the imagination, ability and artistic talent of an individual lacemaker, i.e. each one is unique and gives it its special value.

The motifs are mostly floral, bright and sumptuous.

The process of making agave lace is painstaking and demanding work. From fresh agave leaves, not younger than three years, the spines are removed, the skin is removed and the fibers/threads, thin and strong (from the middle), are extracted from which the fleshy tissue needs to be scraped. The fiber is then washed in water and soapy water, dried, and when it is dry, the rest of the fleshy tissue is scraped off with the nails in order to obtain a completely clean thread. After processing, the threads are white, rather thin, of a certain strength and about one meter long.

According to tradition, Benedictine women do not make lace when there is a bora (north wind) because the cold air makes the threads brittle for work. The jugo (south wind) is preferred, which creates warm, humid conditions where the threads are more flexible and durable.

The lace is not washed or ironed, and is kept under glass so that it is fully protected. It can also be framed. In Croatia, agave lace is made only by nuns in the Benedictine monastery, in the town of Hvar on the island of the same name.