What is cloisonné?
– Cloisonné, an ancient metalworking technique, is a multi-step enamel process used to produce jewelry, vases, and other decorative items. (The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné.) First, the artist forms metal (such as copper, bronze, or silver) into the shape of the finished object. Frit (glass crushed to a powder) in a water-based paste is painted into the partitions using an annotated pattern similar to the “paint by numbers” craft technique. After the frit has dried, firing in an oven melts it onto the metal. Several repetitions of the process may ensue to build up the coatings to the height of the partitions. Various colors and transparencies may be used in combination within a single partition to obtain the desired artistic effect. The glass and a portion of the cloisons are ground and polished to form an even and smooth surface. The exposed metal is electroplated with a thin film of gold to prevent corrosion and to give a pleasing appearance.
Cloisonné is an enameling technique using thin, flat wires to form a design. MAGICK cloisonné uses 24k gold wires, individually cut and meticulously bent with tweezers. The wires are fused to a fine silver disk that is engraved to reflect light. Using magnifiers, each “cell” (cloison in French) created by those wires is filled with different colors of enamel to create a shaded effect. The color is thus built up in up to ten thin layers – each layer being fired in a 1450° F kiln until it reaches its melting point and fuses to the previous layer. These repeated firings produce the spectacular brilliance of color for which MAGICK is known. The resulting gem is cut, polished and set in gold. The jewelry is extremely durable with hardness around 6, and can be repaired if damaged. The brilliant color will last forever.
