What is Enamel Jewelry?
Enamel jewelry is a style of jewelry which typically includes vibrant colors, intricate details, and glossy finishes. This style is created by fusing a powdered glass paste to metal using an intense heat process. Different colors can be achieved by combining the paste with different types of minerals. Creating enamel jewelry is a highly skilled craft with origins dating back to antiquity.
A famous example of enamel are the Faberge Eggs created by Peter Faberge which combined guilloche enamel with gemstones and gold. In this blog we’ll explore the history of enamel design, a few of the techniques used to create enamel pieces, and the basic creation process.
The History of Enamel Jewelry
Cloisonné Enamel
Cloisonné Enamel
Enameling has been around since antiquity, with one of the earliest instances being the ancient Egyptians. They used the enamel technique called cloisonné from the French term “cloisons” which means “partitioned areas.”
This technique involves using gold wires to create sections or partitions, like sketching out a design before painting it. Each partition is filled with the desired color and then a heating process is used to attach it to the metal. This was the earliest recorded technique developed and, like the other techniques, is still in use today.
Champlevé Enamel
Champlevé Enamel
The Byzantine Empire was one of the ancient civilizations that invested significantly in the development of enameling. While they continued using the cloisonné technique, they also experimented with a method called champlevé. The term “champleve” means “raised field” or “raised plane” in French.
It is similar to cloisonné in that partitions or sections are created for the enamel paste. However, instead of being separated by gold wires, champlevé uses depressions in which to inlay the enamel. There is also evidence that the Celts first used champlevé in the 3rd century AD to decorate their shields.
Basse-Taille Enamel
During the Renaissance era, there was a flourish of innovation and rediscovery. Enamel as an art form was one of the many styles revisited during this time. Artists experimented with new ways to apply enamel, including a technique called basse-taille, which translates literally to “low-cut.”
This technique involves creating texture on the base metal in the form of engraving, stamping, or etching, and then applying a thin layer of translucent enamel paste to the texture before being fired. This technique is known for creating the illusion of depth, color variation, and dimension.
Guilloché Enamel
The guilloché enamel technique gained popularity during the Georgian era, a period renowned for its opulence and luxury. The guilloché enameling technique uses a mechanical device called a lathe to create precise, intricate, and repetitive patterns on a metal surface.
This technique was time-saving and allowed for greater accuracy and precision in many cases. Its most famous application was on Faberge eggs.
Guilloché Enamel
Plique-à-jour Enamel
Plique-à-jour
The Art Nouveau period emphasized natural and organic forms like flowers, insects, the feminine form, and leaves. The plique-à-jour technique was very popular during this time for its ability to create a stained glass effect with enamel. The term “plique-à-jour” roughly translates to “open to light.”
The same type of partitioned framework is used but the final result has no metal backing on it, creating vibrant designs, hence why it was compared to stained glass. This type of enamel is also considered one of the more fragile types.
Enamel was also popular during the Victorian ages and can be found in a lot of mourning jewelry from that time. Its use has spanned centuries and it is one of the most durable forms of art. Due to the highly versatile style of enamel, it has been applied to a variety of items including clocks, snuffboxes, compacts, vases, canes, teapots, fine art, and jewelry.
How Enamel Jewelry is Made
Enamel jewelry is made using specific ingredients and processes. The first thing needed is a piece on which to apply the enamel. For enamel jewelry, pieces are typically made from copper, silver, and gold.
Crushed, powdered glass is then mixed with purified water to form a paste and applied to the metal base. Heat is then applied to the paste until it hardens, forming a smooth surface.
Different types of minerals can be mixed with the paste before firing to achieve different enamel colors: tin creates white; iron creates black; cobalt and copper create turquoise or blue; uranium and iron create yellow, and copper and gold create pink or red.
A major reason that enameling is considered a highly skilled craft is due to the heating process. The craftsman must use a very precise melting point to adhere the enamel paste to the metal base. If the temperature is too low, the piece would be considered poor quality. If the temperature is too high, the entire piece could melt.
Opacity
One consideration is the opacity of the enamel, which is how much light can pass through it. Enamel can be mixed with opacifiers to make it opaque (no light passes through it) which hides the metal surface beneath. This style of enameling is considered good for painting.
For transparent or translucent enamel, the metal surface beneath is visible. This style of enameling produces rich, jewel-tone colors.
For opalescent enamel, a small amount of an opacifier is added to a transparent paste. This style results in an iridescent visual effect, like opal or moonstone. Different types of overglazes can then be added to the final product with a pen or brush for different effects.
Why Enamel Jewelry is Still Relevant Today
Enamel jewelry has captured admiration for centuries in devotional and decorative pieces alike. Beyond its ability to be vibrant and have varying levels of opacity, it is one of the more durable forms of jewelry design available. It showcases skilled craftsmanship in the form of wearable art. It is reminiscent of antiquity and the reverence for beauty that brought this practice to modern times. Enamel jewelry may have evolved and adapted to modern styles, but it continues to infuse contemporary wardrobes with character and vitality.
Shop enamel jewelry or create your own custom design enamel jewelry at Jewelry By Designs .
