Enamel Work
Enamel is a form of glass and enamelling is the process of fusing it to metal with heat. The earliest known example of enamelled jewellery is a set of Mycenaean beads which date back to 1450BC. Constructed using the champleve method, they are made from blue enamel fused to decorative gold beads. During the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, the Greeks employed a dipped enamelling technique which involved heating a piece of metal, immersing it in molten glass and then shaping it into jewellery. The Romans also used champleve enamelling to decorate bronze medallions and brooches.
Byzantine enamel work, which was highly ornate and characterized by its use of bright, pure colours, had a great influence on the jewellery of the 5th and 10th centuries. At this time, cloisonne enamelling was widely used. This technique superseded the relatively crude champleve method and allowed for greater intricacy on much smaller pieces. Earrings depicting a bird design were typical of the period, as were medallion pendants and bracelets decorated with enamel.
During the 12th and 13th century, Limoges became the principle centre for the enamelling industry. During the 14th century, further refinements to techniques appeared, with email en ronde bosse or encrusted enamelling. This process of layering enamel in high relief was widely used during the Renaissance by artist craftsmen such as Hans Holbein the Younger who made jewellery for Henry VIII. The 18th century brought
Battersea enamelled ware — white enamelled copper plaques decorated in coloured grisaille with portrait or flower motifs.
Most Art Nouveau enamel jewellery emanates from France with Rene Lalique as its finest creator. The jewellery of this period is characterized by its use of flowing lines, swirling curves, dragonflies, nude females and creeping vines. These motifs were displayed on brooches, pendants and necklaces and drew on the vivid colours used in Japanese enamel.
Using enamels
There are three types of enamel — opaque, transparent and opalescent. You can either buy enamel in lump form or as ready-ground grains. Enamel will last for tens of years in its lump form and can be ground as required the ideal consistency is of granulated sugar. To obtain the correct consistency you must first grind the grains underwater with a pestle and mortar for about one minute — this process also purifies the enamel and removes any contaminating particles. Carefully pour off the cloudy water and repeat the rinsing process until the water runs clear and you achieve grains of an equal size this may take 10-12 rinses. Put the ground enamel into a clean ceramic saucer, cover it with a piece of paper and dry it under a lamp or beside a kiln. Store the dried granules in an airtight container out of direct sunlight.
Preparation
The first step for all enamelling techniques is to clean the metal base (enamel will not adhere to an oxidized or greasy surface). First, anneal the metal, then cool it and immerse it in cold water. Put it into a pickling solution of 81/2fl.oz (250m1) vinegar to one dessertspoon of salt for 10 minutes. Remove the clean metal with tweezers and rinse it under running water — do not touch the clean metal with your fingers as you may deposit grease on the surface.
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