The Art of Enamelling
$15.99 - 22ct Gold Plated Ladybird Brooch - 28mm.
Technically speaking, enamel in it's simplest form, means fusing powdered glass to a metal backing at high heat. This leads people to believe that enamel jewels are not as valuable as gemstone jewelry. They couldn't be more wrong. It is the skill and workmanship required which makes enamels costly, and to be valued as highly as gemstones. Fine enamels have, and continue to have, a long and honored place in the art of jewlery making.
Enamels, when they were first developed, provided bright, durable colours that were much easier to fashion than gem stones. Enameling was used in tiaras, neckbands and brooches in the Gothic, Renaissance, and Art Nouveau periods.
Today, the ability to create fine enamelwork is considered "rare". Fine antique enameled pieces are often considered as valuable as those containing fine gems - sometimes even more so. This is due to the meticulous craftmanship, where human skill and artistry are everything.
$22.99 - Dragonfly Brooch - Rhodium Plated - 47mm |
 $33.49 Dragonfly Brooch-Silver/turquoise(40mm) |
Rhodium Plated Dragonfly Brooch
Silver Dragonfly Brooch
Plique-a-jour enameling. (Glimpse of Day)
Ribbons of precious gold and silver filigree wire are fused with specially formulated glass to create breathtaking jewelry, and objets d'art, as well as scale miniature stained glass windows, lamps, and panels for use by dollhouse collectors and enthusiasts,
The appearance of plique-a-jour enamels readily brings to mind the skilled craftsmanship of great Art Nouveau jewelers and artists such as Rene Lalique, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Peter Carl Faberge.
Considered a technical "tour de force" in enameling, this most beautiful and most difficult of enameling techniques - plique-a-jour, - is sometimes referred to as "backless cloisonné" because of the appearance of the fine silver or gold filigree wire "veins" running through areas of transparent and translucent glass (vitreous) enamel.
$47.99 Basse Taille Heart Necklace - Sterling Silver - 18" chain 
Basse Taille (Low Cut)
This is a technique where the silver surface is engraved so that the metal has a pattern etched into it. The design is then covered with translucent enamel, creating texture and dimension in the piece. The sterling silver base gives added brilliance to the applied enamel colours.