Enamel For Jewelry | Enamels For Gold and Silver 

Enamel is also known as vitreous enamel, porcelain and painted glass in the jewelry and decorative work industry. The word enamel is said to have originated from the High German word ‘smelzan’ which translates to ‘smelt.’

How is enamel for jewelry used?

In the world of jewelry designing, enamel is a decorative coating applied to metals. Starting off as a powder, with a texture similar to that of baby powder, it is then fused with metal under extreme heat. Enamels are found in a variety of different colors but the preliminary colors do not represent the evocative hues that are ultimately formed – these colors are a result of the extreme heat fusion process the material is subjected to.

The metal oxide contents of each enamel and the temperature at which the fusion occurs regulate the intensity and transparency of the colors formed. In general, pellucid and long-lasting enamel can be yielded at higher temperatures whereas more delicate and opaque enamel are yielded at lower temperatures.

What is cold enamel?

So, you might wonder, what exactly are cold enamels. Simple.Cold enamels are pigmented epoxy resins that give the same effect as enamels without the use of extreme heat. Additionally, their effects can also be applied to a wider range of materials in comparison to regular enamels.

Where to find cold enamel supplies

At Alex Makina, you can find a range of cold enamelling supplies for use in cold enamel jewelry. Do check our website for more details.

Hazards of enameling

Some of the more important hazards when enameling jewelry would be extreme dust conditions, the size of the enamel fragments used, the radiations of the kiln and the various opportunities to burn yourself. Apart from that, chemical elements are a potential hazard as older enamels contain multiple toxic chemicals.

What metals should you use withenamel for jewelry making?

Gold is one of the most suitable metals for enameling. It is easy to formulate enamels with gold as it lacks substantial solubility in hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen on top of having a medium-high melting point, an average coefficient of expansion and a low elasticity modulus. Silver, copper, zinc, platinum and nickel are some of the more common metals that gold is most often combined with as it assists in decreasing its cost and increases its hardness. Usually, most alloys used for enamels feature silver, copper and platinum.

Enamel jewelry techniques

Torch fire

In the current jewelry industry, torch fired enamel is one of the hottest ongoing trends. Torch fired enamel takes multiple, complex jewelry designing techniques and compresses it into a much simpler, less expensive procedure with as good, or some would say even better results. The main idea behind torch fired enamel is to not only control the outcome but to do so with the precision that any artist would insist on.

The extremely high demand in the torch fire enamel technique has led to the finding and development of enamelling that could go hand in hand with both torch and kiln firing. The world of enamelling is constantly changing as more and more enamellers are thinking outside the box towards other areassuch as using rubber stamps, stencils, and many more.

Pencil

Who would’ve thought something as simple as a pencil could work on enamel, but surprisingly, it does work well. All it takes is a bit of prior preparation on the surface so the graphite sticks to it this shouldn’t be too complicated whatsoever. It is recommended that you use some etching cream or stone the surface before drawing. Worst case scenario, if you don’t like your first attempt, or second attempt or well, even your third attempt you can wipe it all off and restart from scratch like nothing ever happened. This is believed to be one of the easiest ways to add graphic components to your design, which you could then transfer over into your metalwork if you wish to do so.

What is cold enamel?

As aforementioned cold enamels are pigmented epoxy resins that give the same effect as enamels without the use of extreme heat conditions. Also, their effects can be applied to a wider range of materials in comparison to regular enamels.

How to do enamel jewelry?

There are several techniques to do enamel jewelry. The right method will depend on your final requirements and available toolset.

How to clean enamel jewelry?

Cleaning enamel jewelry isn’t as complicated as one would imagine. Just wipe the jewelry with a microfiber cloth now and then. If you see some smut lying around, use some distilled water along with a toothbrush to remove it. If it refuses to budge, you may opt for diluted ammonia or a mild glass cleaner along with a soft toothbrush.

How to enamel silver?

Sterling silver needs to be alloyed with extreme precision so that no less than 92% of the content is silver.