Enameled Jewelry

Enameling is the age old and tough art of making magnificent images out of glass powder finely crushed. The enamellist carries out the painting of the jewel’s surface. This painting is done with crushed glass, and through constant firings and applications. A masterpiece is created out of this procedure. Egypt is said to be the origin of enamels (around 1500 BC). After that, there was no looking back. Since then, the art of enameling has increased by leaps and bounds.

The enameling techniques changed drastically with the passage of time. Today, the ancient methods are being brought back by contemporary artisans and designers. Amongst the various enameling techniques, three most popular are: guilloche, plique-a-jour, and cloisonné.

Guilloche

It’s a French technique used for turning the engine. It engraves complex circular patterns on a metallic surface. Here, the engine-turned surface has a painting of translucent enamel. The enamel color collects the lines engraved, by pooling them, and heightens the pattern making it deep and look like a sculpture.

Plique-a-jour

It’s the toughest of all the enameling techniques. Its origin traces back to the 13th century. The sunlight coming through the windows creates a marvelous and intensive rainbow. When this effect is captured in a tiny jewel, the plique-a-jour enamel is formed. Here, the gaps between bands of metal are filled with enamels of transparent nature, but it does not have the backing of metal.

Cloisonne

It is the first and the foremost method of enamelling. It has the same procedure as that of plique-a-jour, but does have metal backing. It should be noted that Cloisonne came into being first and then the other two techniques were evolved.

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