cloisonné jewelry
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The Art of Cloisonné Jewelry
Have you ever looked closely at a piece of cloisonné jewelry, and wondered how it was made? Read on...
Cloisonné, the technique of applying richly colored enamel to partitions separated by raised wire applied to the surface, is most commonly associated with the Chinese.
Starting around the 14th century, the Chinese refined this into high art, producing cloisonné jewelry, among other items.
The process takes many stages; first, the wire is applied to the surface to form the outlines of the desired pattern. Then richly colored enamels are applied to the sections and fired, repeating this several times. The fired piece is then polished and finished.
This process is very labor intensive, as it does not lend itself well to mechanization.
Cloisonné beads are especially beautiful, and create very elegant cloisonné jewelry pieces.
Even though the cloisonné pattern itself is very intricate and detailed, the effect when used in cloisonné jewelry is very elegant and restrained, not at all busy.
Cloisonné jewelry is usually made with gold toned metals, although occasionally you can find cloisonné with silver.
It is best complemented with pearls, jade, lapis lazuli, and onyx.
Traditional colors for cloisonné jewelry are chinese red, brilliant blue, emerald green, and glossy black.
Traditional cloisonné bead shapes include eggs, tubes, rounds, and animal shapes of elephants, turtles, and butterflies.
I have an extensive inventory of cloisonné beads and cloisonné jewelry, and am constantly searching for more. Cloisonné jewelry has always been among my most favorite styles.
black cloisonné and peridot necklace
