Stainless Steel Enamel Jewelry
Stainless steel is an ideal base metal for enamel jewelry. The process of enameling creates a protective barrier that prevents air and moisture from reaching the underlying metal, helping it resist rust.
Enameling requires the use of high temperatures to create an incredibly durable coating. With proper care, your enamel jewelry will last a lifetime and retain its vibrant colors.
Hard Enamel
Hard enamel pins use the same type of metal as soft enamel, but they’re polished to create a smooth surface. This process can lead to slightly longer production times and costs but results in a sleek, jewelry-quality aesthetic. This style is commonly used for corporate branding, recognizing employee achievements, supporting charities and organizations, and more.
Soft enamel is different from hard enamel in that it uses recessed sections to create its unique, dimensional look. The raised metal ridges help keep the enamel colors from mixing Custom fashion accessories together, and they also make the pin or coin more durable. If you run your finger along the edge of a soft enamel pin or coin, you’ll feel those recessed sections.
In the pre-production stages, your design is stamped into a metal base and then filled with pantone-matched enamel. Each color is baked in an oven one by one and is then polished down to be flush with the metal border. This process can cause the metal lines in a design to spread or become thicker which is why we recommend using a simpler, less detailed image for soft enamel. But the end result is a beautiful, vibrant pin that is sure to impress! And because it’s made from high-quality materials, your custom pin will last a long time.
Soft Enamel
Enamel jewelry is a charming blend of art, craftsmanship, and radiant colors that has captivated jewelry makers and wearers for centuries. It adds a captivating dimension to any accessory, and the unique details and textures have inspired iconic designs throughout history.
Soft enamel is a variant of the cloisonne process that offers a textured finish with raised and recessed areas that give your design depth and contour. The textured surface also allows for faster manufacturing and less expensive pins than the hard enamel option.
The other benefit of this technique is that the metal plating process can be done before the enamel, which opens up a number of different color options that aren’t available with hard enamel. For instance, if you want your pin to be painted black (which isn’t possible with hard enamel) or rainbow plated, soft enamel is the only way to go.
The main disadvantage of this technique is that it can be damaged easily by harsh chemicals or exposure to heat. This is why you should only use lukewarm water and a soft cloth to clean your enamel jewelry. It’s also a good idea to avoid putting your enamel jewelry through any rough wear, as it can chip or crack over time. This is particularly important for rings, as they’re likely to come into contact with a variety of surfaces, including subway poles and other hard objects.
Champleve
Champleve is a fairly complex enameling technique. Unlike other enameling techniques, which use paint to create a design, champleve uses glass powders to make the enamel. These powders are poured onto a metal base and then heated at a high temperature in a special kiln. The melting of the enamel allows it to take on the form of the design, and the heat also makes it durable.
This is a very difficult and time-consuming technique, but it’s well Enamel Painted Bracelet worth the effort. It gives your jewelry a beautiful rainbow effect, and it’s also very durable. Champleve is the oldest and most traditional of enameling techniques, but it has experienced a number of revivals throughout history. It was a favorite of the great silver designer Edward C. Moore, who incorporated it into the 1,250-piece Mackay service.
Champleve is also the most expensive enameling technique, but it’s worth the cost for those who are serious about their art. It requires a great deal of skill, and it’s essential to have a strong background in saw and solder fabrication as well as etching, enameling, and coldworking. The etchings, carvings, engravings, and chiseling required for the design must be precise in order to achieve beautiful results. The etchings and cuts must be carefully cleaned to ensure that the enamel will not crack or fall off once it has been fired in the kiln. The carved designs are then filled with enamel, much like in cloisonne, and the resulting jewels have a textured finish with vibrant colors.
Guilloche
If you’re a vintage watch lover, you may have seen the swirled engraved background pattern on the dial of a few watches (also known as Guilloche) but didn’t realize it was a special engraving technique. This intricate, sinuous guilloche – pronounced gee-oh-shay – is made with a lathe called a “rose engine” and dates back to the 17th century. It’s also found on decorative objects like paper currency & even Faberge eggs!
This mechanical etching process was so popular that it eventually replaced enamel displays on many watches, though some brands continue to use both techniques. Today, a few luxury watchmakers are still working to preserve the art of guilloche by using machines called rose engines. Other watchmakers have shifted to a contemporary technique known as computer numerical control machining, which stamps guilloche patterns onto a watch face in minutes rather than days. But these machines lack the intangible subtleties of the artisan’s touch that connoisseurs look for in a quality guilloche display.
The guilloche on this Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Elegance watch is especially mesmerizing. When the light hits it just right, it glitters and changes shape in hypnotic ways. It’s also incredibly durable and is the perfect finish to this watch. I’ve personally had mine for over a year now and it looks like new.
