How is enamel jewelry made? And how to clean your jewelry with colored nail polish? Here’s how it is done and what colored enamel is: learn the techniques used in the goldsmith’s art ♦ ︎
Jewelery with enamel, colored jewelery, jewelery with an ancient tradition. Enamel jewelry is colorful, vibrant, and even refined when crafted by skilled craftsmen. This technique, in fact, requires great care and a lot of patience. Do you know how jewels are made with colored enamels? If you want to know more, read this article, which will reveal the different techniques used to make a jewel with enamel. In fact, there is not a single way to obtain enameled jewels.
How it’s made. Enamel is a colored coating that has been used in jewelry for centuries. It consists in the fusion of colored glass on the metal of the jewel, of course only on the part to be colored. The enamel is crushed with a special mortar until the glass is reduced to a powder. At this point it is applied to the metal, gold or silver, but also to steel. To get the right effect, the jewel is heated to a temperature of up to 900 degrees centigrade. This heat melts the glass powder, which has turned into enamel. The jewel is then left to cool slowly.
The cloisonné technique. The most famous technique is called cloisonné. In jewels made with this technique they have the contours of the ornamental motif composed of gold threads, which are then welded to the surface of the jewel. These threads serve to delimit the hollow spaces (in French cloison) that accommodate the melted enamel. Each space has a defined color and the jewel ends up with a geometric design.
Champlevé. The champlevé technique involves an incision of the surface to be filled with the melted enamel. Engraving is obtained by digging the metal with a burin. The colored glaze will be poured into these cavities. In practice, this form of enamelling consists in depositing different colors in cavities previously excavated in the surface of the metal.
The cathedral. The technique called a cathedral is also known as “a day”. In this case the areas to be glazed are perforated, that is, they do not have a base. The enamel adheres to the internal walls of the cavity obtained with the tunnel. But color is not used in this technique: the enamel is transparent to create reflections and plays of light. It was widely used with the Art Nouveau style.
How to clean enamel jewels without damaging them?
Use a dry, soft-bristled toothbrush. Use the toothbrush to remove any debris, crumbs or dirt that has stuck to the jewelry, but don’t scrub too hard. If that’s not enough, one of the classic and rather surprising grandmother’s tips is to use breadcrumbs. Bread can be effective, in fact, when used as a swab that removes dirt like a pencil eraser would. Of course, after using the bread, remove the crumbs with the toothbrush, you have to gently dry the jewel with a soft cloth.
Enamel is a resistant material, but since it is something that is applied to metal, with too vigorous cleaning there is the risk of causing scratches or, worse, damaging the enamel. To clean cloisonné enamel it is best to use a microfiber cloth. Last remedy for stubborn dirt: use warm distilled water with a few drops of detergent. Someone recommends diluting a spoonful of ammonia in a cup of water, but you have to be very careful not to damage the colored surface.
