Smooth as Glass

Enamelling has been around since the ancient Egyptians, who applied enamel to pottery and stone objects. Everyone was into it actually: the ancient Greeks, Celts, Georgians, Chinese, Romans. I particularly like Chinese-style cloisonné.

Cloisonné is the creation of compartments (cloisons in French), made by laying down thin strips of silver or gold wire onto a base, and thereby creating a pattern or design. It was the Byzantines who first used enamel in imitation of cloisonné inlays of precious stones. These cloisons are filled with powdered glass, which is fired, melts, flows and hardens to a smooth, vitreous coating.

This slick, glassy application of colour is so appealing, especially because the colour is so flat and opaque. Different shades of glass can be blended of course, in an ombré effect, but I much prefer the sleek and graphic look of plain colours.

The enamel necklace and matching earrings I am wearing are vintage 1950s, and so tactile. I love the closely interlocking flowers with their duck-egg blue petals (a pale robin’s egg blue x French blue), and centres made from lemon-tinted pearls.

And to go with the 1950s theme, I’ve bathed these photos in a warm yellow glow in homage to Blumenfeld, one of my favourite photographers of that era. I couldn’t decide if I preferred the grainy effect (top), or the faded version (below). It’s a bit like looking at the world through amber-tinted glasses (where can I get some of those?).