All About Enamel Jewelry
Enamel Jewelry Why do I Love Thee So? Have you ever had enameled jewelry? Has it ever met with disaster?
Has the work of Lalique ever sent you into Victorian romance day dreams? If so, I wrote this for you. First I’ll tell you a little about it.
What is Enameling?
Much in the way that “tooth enamel” is the protective coating over a tooth, “enamel” is a decorative or protective coating that is applied to a metal. It is made up of a glass, paste-like, substance that is adhered to a metal through fusion at very high temperatures.
It starts out in a powder form. The powder form of each color looks like baby powder. You’d never know the vivid colors it creates by looking at the powder.
Translucent vs. Opaque Enameling
Enameled coatings can vary in their color and translucency by the amount of metal oxides contained in the glass, as well as the temperature at which the glassy material was melted and cohered (to come together, form a whole) to the surface.
The higher the temperature at which enamels are fused, the more durable and translucent they are. However, if they are fused at a lower temperature they are generally softer, and as such, more fragile and opaque.
Rene Jules Lalique a glass maker, turned his glass art skill into incredibly delicate jewelry design fantasies. His well known enameling work sells for very high prices among collectors. I love his work. Lalique was renowned for his delicate and dreamy translucent technique.
What’s the History of Enamel Jewelry?
Enameling can be seen on Greek gold jewelry dating back to around the 4th century BC. Since then, it has been used throughout history, by cultures all over the world, because of its colorful and lustrous qualities.
Can It be Fixed?
Each piece of enamel jewelry must be physically evaluated to see what is needed to repair it. The heat necessary to cohere any new material to the metal of your piece of jewelry can effect the nearby colors.
Too much heat in any repair or even in life situation and the enamel peels off. Not good. One client left an enamel ring on her stove top. I didn’t ask why. It was an old-timey stove and with the oven on, the heat radiated upward. Her enamel was damaged.
When you have any repair work done on enamel that involves heat, you’ll probably have to have it re-enameled.
How Many Choices of Color Do I Have?
According to Sinork Agdere, owner of Lord Jewelry in Los Angeles, an expert in the technique of working with this material, he can make over 200 colors of enamel.
He mixes the color powders together to create his color choices.
One of my clients, Ralph, sent in pictures as examples of the colors he wanted on his custom ring. He decided on sky and navy blue enameling in the letters, and am I glad he did! The two colors he chose made his ring look absolutely fantastic.
How Do You Clean Enamel Jewelry?
Use a soft cloth, a gentle soap and warm water. Soak your piece in warm soapy water for five to ten minutes. Using the soft cloth, tease off any noticeable bits of dirt. Rinse thoroughly and dry it gently with a lint free cloth.
Before and After Pictures of an Enamel Jewelry Repair
I issued the “Wear it Don’t Warehouse it” challenge to my client Cameron and she rose to the occasion by challenging me with many wonderfully oddball broken pieces of jewelry from her eccentric jewelry loving aunt.
This lovely two headed lion ring was was missing some of its enameled pieces. She’d never worn it.
This little treasure was one that’d been turned down before by jewelers who said the heat of solder would wreck the enameled areas. Did I mention it needed to be sized? Yep, it did. Not easy.
Men and Enamel Jewelry
Enameling works really well in jewelry design for men. It allows for bold and detailed design.
This executive of a wind power corporation had me make these black cuff links before a big yearly industry conference.
Making An Enamel Ring From a Picture
Enamel Ring Recreated From a Photo
A new client from across the country reached out to me to see if I could make a lost enamel ring again. They had a photo and the idea of lapis blue enamel. The photo was a bit blurry, but we did manage to guess at the pretty botanical design. They loved it.
Do You Love Jewelry?
For true jewelry lovers a beautiful piece of enameled jewelry is just a necessity! If you don’t find one you love, have one custom made! I might know someone who could help you…..
Custom Jeweler,
Calla Gold
I was just reading your rules to designing with vintage diamonds which was spot on and then I saw you wrote about enamel.
This is so great!
I’d be curious to know if any jewelers in training read your blog. You offer so much jewelry knowledge to jewelry lovers like me. Yet I learn too as if I were in your industry. You are a jewelry educator!
Hi Tracey,
I love that you’re getting a lot out of these posts. Happily I have been communicated to by aspiring jewelers and told they follow my blog. I love that.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed my enamel post. I’d been intending to write it for a long time.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla
Enamel jewelry is so gorgeous and interesting to the eye. It invites us to look closer due to its translucence and often its iridescence. It gives richness and depth to color and I just adore it!
Hi Lisa,
Thank you so much for sharing your enthusiasm for enamel. I’m fascinated by it as well.
Calla Gold
I lost my Son a few months ago and was wondering if you could mix ashes with the enamel glaze to make something special?
thank you and you have an awesome site.
Mark
Hello Mark,
I’m so sorry for your loss. In the past I have made memorial jewelry. One recent piece was a heart cast in two pieces of gold. I filled the inner part of the heart with ashes and soldered the two halves together. My client wears it daily.
I will check for you if we can mix ashes with enamel powder for you. That is an innovative idea.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla
Hello Mark, I can have a small amount of your son’s ashes combined in the enamel. The really important issue is that the jewelry made to hold the enamel must be made specifically. When an element not normally in enamel is introduced it can make the enamel slightly less cooperative in its behavior. That makes the piece of jewelry holding the enamel and its recesses more important to the success of the enamel’s longevity on that piece of jewelry. I custom make pieces of jewelry to create the recessed spaces for enamel. Did you have a design in mind? Your… Read more »
Thank you for this information. I love enamel jewelry and own a few pieces made in low carat gold. I have never had the nerve to have them sized. I think I wrote to you about them. I collect all kinds of jewelry fine and costume but I love enamel so much I even like the very inexpensive pieces done on stainless steel. Anyway, I have a sweet little 3/4 carat heart shaped diamond. It is beautifully cut and very plump and rounded and I never wear it. I would love to have it set in an enamel ring. I… Read more »
Hi Kathy,
Your idea sounds lovely. Your idea could probably be made in 14kt if you wanted. Do you have a picture you’d like to show me of your idea?
I’ll email you privately.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla
Hi, I have pictures of a ring from the 1820’s I would like replicated. It is made up of gold, seed pearl and enamel. Everyone I have talked to thinks it can’t been done. Could I send you the pictures and get your opinion?
Hello Bryan,
I’d be delighted to see the pictures and see if that was a project I could create for you. I have replicated stolen, damaged and just too darned old rings many times and I like a good challenge! Email me at calla@callagoldjewelry.com. If I don’t respond call me for me other email address.
Your Replicating Jeweler,
Calla
I saw this ad for a jewelry set I wanted to buy: 10K yellow gold 16″ NECKLACE AND EARRINGS WITH GLASS ENAMEL RED HEARTS.
Description: Metal Purity: 10k Material: Enamel/10k gold
Would you say this jewelry is gold plated with enamel. Or is takling about the red hearts are topped with enamel. Does enamel get mixed with 10K?
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for asking. The red enamel would be on top of the 10kt gold. It is separate from the gold, like a coating. So the major part of the jewelry piece is the gold.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla
hi
i was reading about repairing enamel jewelery. my mother in law lent me her set of david webb. i accidentaly dropped the ring on the side walk and the ring has enamel loss on both sides. do you know where i can get it fixed in nyc? the cost involved?
thanks
Hi Martha, What a bummer that it happened to break on both sides. I don’t know what area you live in. You could Google enamel ring repair and see what comes up in your area. If there are not experts in the area you could consider mailing it to me for repair. If you’d like to send me pictures of the damage, use my callagold@gmail.com email as it seldom goes to spam. Let me know if you do email me and don’t get a response. Do you hear me second guessing and not trusting technology? Yep, just when it seems… Read more »
hello
i’ve got a ring with black enamel over 14kt gold with diamonds. would cleaning it with a dilute solution of windex be ok and not damage the enamel? thanks kimberly ruth
Hello Kimberly Ruth,
Your windex solution should definitely be gentle enough to clean your black enamel.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla Gold
I am looking at a piece of Jewlery to buy on line. It is a gold madona metal with pale enamal over it. The owner does not see any marks on the piece to tell if it is real gold, 10kt, 18kt or 24kt.
My question to you is, can you put enamal over something that was not real gold?
Thank you, Arden
Hello Arden,
Enamel is created over non-gold metals more often than over gold.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla
Hello. Do you seal your enamel pieces? What do you use? Thanks much
Hello Laurie,
We do not use a sealant on our enamel. The baked on nature of it has its own hard surface. It’s pretty non-porous and sturdy all on its own.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla