As a person who loves jewelry, you probably came across your fair share of enamel jewelry. These beautiful pieces can spruce up your outfit so that you can make a statement.
With that in mind, when you consider buying this kind of jewelry, you must do as much research as possible. We’re here to help, so this guide will tell you something you need to know about enamel jewelry.
WHAT IS ENAMEL JEWELRY?
Enamel is an ornamental coating made by fusing colored powdered glass to the base metal at high temperatures. Enamel coating has been used since ancient times to create beautiful works of art such as vases, bowls, caskets, and jewelry. Throughout time, enamel jewelry received a lot of names, such as painted glass, porcelain enamel, or vitreous enamel.
Making enamel jewelry properly requires great skill and ingenuity, and the enamel techniques that a jeweler uses can determine whether the piece will look nice and glorious or not. The higher the quality of the craft, the greater the value of the piece will be.
WHY GET ENAMEL JEWELRY?
Enamel jewelry has been popular for quite some time. It is a jewelry design that has been going around for ages. However, recently, its popularity has been surging. People love it because it has that vintage look while managing to look fashionable and modern. It’s a piece of jewelry that gives you the best of both worlds.
Enamel jewelry is very often easy to acquire and it’s also affordable. Plus, you can find it in a variety of colors and styles.
You can combine it with your daily outfits, or you may use it as fine jewelry at a cocktail party. It is quite a versatile choice. No matter where you choose to wear this piece, it can add color and style to any neutral outfit.
Moreover, this type of jewelry has a long history. Vintage pieces are very often regarded as collectibles, passed down from generation to generation.
Depending on the jeweler, you can go for a muted, fine design that you can wear to an event. Or you can go for something crazy. For instance, it’s very easy for a jeweler to make an enamel pendant in the shape of a pineapple, pizza – or perhaps pineapple pizza. The array of choices is wide, and you can find a variety of intricate enamel details to buy.
HOW IS ENAMEL JEWELRY MADE?
Enamel is made by fusing colored powdered glass onto the base metal at high temperatures. A variety of metals can be used here. For instance, finer enamel jewelry might use 18k gold. The lower the quality of the metal, the cheaper it will be.
The idea is that you have to use high temperatures (800-1000°C) in order to fuse the powder coating with the base of the metal. Since enamel itself is quite tricky and temperamental, you will need good skills to get it done right.
At first, the color of the enamel might be far from what the jeweler intends for the final product to look like. This is mainly because the heating process can affect the transparency and the colors.
For example, high temperatures can lead to the enamel having vibrant colors in a translucent state. Lower temperatures, on the other hand, will make the enamel look more opaque, with much lower color vibrancy. It will also be more likely to get damaged.
In the end, the final piece depends on what kind of temperature you use, as well as the metal’s oxide content. The higher the temperature, the higher the quality of the jewelry will also be.