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Real enamel is a noble material that requires heating to a very high temperature to be achieved. It is a material that is part of glass and therefore has all its qualities of resistance and inalterability of glass. Few supports allow real enamel to be made: glass, steel, copper and terracotta which allows ceramics to be made. To learn more about real enamel , visit our file.

Often called "cold enamel", many inexpensive jewelry manufacturers play on the general public's ignorance to call "Enamel" paints or resins that do not have the qualities of enamel but cost much less. It is not normally allowed to call an enamel jewel a jewel covered with a vulgar paint, however, this practice is very widespread in particular on the specialist of the jewels of imports like Baye®, Amazon®… as for the silver solid, or gold it is easy to buy in this case a jewel that does not correspond to the description of the seller. to learn more about "Cold Email", click here.

Enamel, this noble material, will not leave you indifferent and you will not resist the flamboyance of our jewelry and our contemporary decorative pieces.

Our know-how goes through the work of copper, gold or silver that is cut, hammered, stamped and then embellished with enamel crystals.

This unique Art of Fire has been practiced in the Limoges region since the Middle Ages. We also find " Limoges enamels " in the largest museums in the world.

Patience and dexterity are essential to create, realize unique, modern and original art enamels with deep and special colors.

Starting from sketches, my clients' wishes, or my inspiration, I create my basic shapes by cutting them out of a sheet of copper. For certain shapes that have become “standard”, I work on cut shapes as a subcontractor. I drill, cut, anneal, pumice, fold,… I prepare the part for the enamelling phase.

The mesh :
On the prepared copper piece, I will, using various techniques, deposit enamel powder (powdered crystal in which metal oxides are added for coloring).

The cooking :

It is at 800 ° that the powders will vitrify, merging with the support, to give the object its shimmering colors and shine. This operation will be repeated as many times as necessary in order to obtain the expected result.

Finishing :
After a few finishing operations, the pieces will naturally find their place in our exhibition, while waiting for your favorite.

Enamel is a glass and more exactly a crystal colored with metallic oxides. First picked with a ladle, the molten enamel is poured in the form of pancakes, crushed and then ground until the formation of fine sand. Rare crystal works still produce ancestral enamel recipes. Grand feu enamels adhere to certain metals under the action of high temperature firing, on average between 750 and 900 ° C for jeweler enamel. The most suitable supports are copper, silver and gold, there is also a tradition on steel. Grand feu enamel has an ornamental vocation in the work of goldsmiths, brassware and jewelery. It is also used in the service of design objects. However, he can free himself from the decorative object and the applied arts to find a good place in purely artistic achievements.

Grand feu enamels are rare in the French landscape even if there are very active basins in Limoges and Morez. In jewelry, enamel experienced its golden age during the Art Nouveau period. Nowadays, so-called "cold enamel" synthetic materials, resins and lacquers are replacing enamels on a massive scale. Of course, these materials have their own plastic interest, they can simplify the manufacturing steps and significantly reduce the cost of production. However, they are very different from hot enamelling work which requires a double skill of goldsmith and glassmaker.

Enamel is a material that offers a wide range of opaque, opal and transparent colors. The colors are brilliant, lead oxide increases the transparency of the material and its refractive index. As an indication, the refractive index of the crystal is around 1.545. By way of comparison, this figure is roughly equivalent to the refractive index of an emerald (1.56 to 1.59). This is why enamel makes it possible to obtain particularly interesting results on precious metals, whether they are abstract or figurative decorations. Transparent enamels feed on the reflecting power of the metals they cover, which further enhances their shine. Handled with care, an enamel piece is durable and will retain its beautiful shine over time and generations.

Enamel is a protected material because it is noble, rare and precious. Some manufacturers usurp their identity to falsely promote their production. To be aware of the characteristics of a real work of enamel , you can consult the 82-223 Decree on Légifrance .

The work of enamel on copper

Raw enamel comes in the form of crystals. These crystals are pounded to obtain a fine powder. This can then be mixed with water or directly deposited on the surface to be covered. My work is done on a base of metal generally in copper, and sometimes in gold, in silver.

Once the plate is ready to receive the enamel, one proceeds to the installation, then to the baking of the powders. Firing, which is between 750 and 850 °, reveals the final colors of the enamel, as well as the intensity of its radiance. The harder enamels are fired at the highest temperature first and the softer enamels at lower temperatures.

Several passes in the oven are therefore necessary to complete the finish. Some very colorful pieces can undergo up to 8 different firing ... to then make room for the bursting and shine of the enamel.

The art of enamelling, the magic of fire

As I create my creations, I rediscover every day "the magic of fire" which, for a few seconds more or less in the oven, accentuates the nuances, reveals the structures, exacerbates the colors ... Each creation affirms its uniqueness. You have to approach this passion like a child who plays with the material, the fire and the spirit that animate me.

It is therefore in Fontenay-le-Comte, in Vendée, between Sables d'Olonne and La Rochelle that I set up my workshop for creating enamels. From contemporary to Celtic or medieval inspirations, from painting to jewelry, my creations are unique in the diversity of shapes and colors inspired by the noble art of enamel.

I also exhibit my creations occasionally on Christmas markets, during medieval festivals or heritage days.

In Egypt and Greece, from the 6th century BC, the goldsmith's work is enhanced with glass paste. The Celts, in the 3rd century, fired enamel on a bronze support, in hollow molded cavities. In the Middle Ages, enamel flourished in the West, the monastic workshops for the most part, practiced cloisonné on gold. Towards the 10th century and until the present day, copper replaced gold and enamelling is developing particularly thanks to the School of Limoges. Enamel is a mixture of silica, potash, soda, minium which is more like crystal than glass. The manufacture of these jewels is entirely artisanal. The jewel is first worked on copper then several firing of the order of 700 ° to 900 ° are necessary in order to obtain this very particular shine. The intensity of the colors is then enhanced by the work of gold which remains the final touch.

THE TECHNIQUES

Enamel is a mixture of silica, minium, potash and soda. By melting these different components at high temperature, after grinding, a colorless powder is obtained, called a “flux” which, by its nature, is more similar to crystal than to glass. The coloring of the flux is obtained by adding powdered metal oxides. The art of the enameller consists in fixing the enamel powder on its metal support by successive firing of the order of 800 degrees. Various metals, gold, silver, bronze, copper can constitute the support of any enameled part.

THE CHAMPLEVÉ ENAMEL (from: raise the field)

Cavities are dug in the thickness of the metal using chisels and stalls. The wet powdered enamel is deposited there and undergoes rapid cooking. The color is then surrounded by the metal that the tool spared, hence the name “saving size” which also applies to this technique. Increasingly fine sanding will first remove the excess enamel and then give the metal the necessary polish. An electrolytic gilding gives the piece its final appearance and makes it unalterable. A variant of this method, called pseudo-champlevé, consists of fixing a pierced and perforated enamel plate on a second plate, which serves as its background. The cavities will be filled using the classic champlevée technique

CLOISONNE ENAMEL

The effect obtained is similar to champlevé and is sometimes confused with it, but the technique is very different. Thin metal strips (gold, silver, copper) are fixed by soldering on a plate. These determine a multitude of cells which are filled with enamel and which often constitute the lines of the drawing.

LOW-SIZE ENAMEL

The support plate is finely worked or "guilloche" by engraving, hammering or chasing. It is then covered with translucent opalescent enamels which will allow mysterious and shimmering games of transparency.

PAINTED ENAMEL

The plate, convex beforehand to avoid deformations, is covered with flux on these two faces. It undergoes a first firing. The back will thus be protected from the attacks of time, and the place prepared to receive the decoration. The latter is obtained by the superposition of many layers of colored enamel, deposited with a spatula, fixed by as many firing. Vitrifiable colors, ground fine enough to be handled with a brush, allow certain details to be enhanced. Likewise, the interposition of thin sheets of gold or silver called "spangles" gives the color a particular brilliance.

PLIC ENAMELS

The plate is pierced right through and thus "openwork". The enamel is housed in these openings and the effect obtained is then comparable to that of stained glass but on much smaller formats, however. Many jewels are in "plique-à-jour"

with enamel, it's always a bit of a surprise. “You can have a multitude of effects by adjusting the cooking times and temperatures,” says the designer. Even if we cannot totally control the final rendering. "

Consequently, all the pieces are unique. “I always have an idea of what it will look like, but I have already been ordered lost parts and it is impossible to remake them exactly the same. "

I create jewelry in enamels on copper, according to the following different stages: creation of the design of each piece, cutting the copper, hammering and shaping, double-sided enamelling, high temperature firing, mounting earrings, rings, pendants or necklaces, bracelets or cuffs.

Copper enameling is an ancestral technique. It consists in depositing on copper (or other metals) various minerals which, by melting at very high temperature, become vitrified to give remarkable artistic effects. I play with colors, shapes and firing, so I create a range of unique and original pieces of jewelry.