Jeweler's Enameling Workshop

June 1, 2016

Enameling is a process in which glass powder, often colored, is fused to a metal surface using kiln or torch firing. Warg, an expert metalsmith, has extensive experience with enameling techniques, and this work provides an introduction to the process. An expansive overview provides everything from the chemistry behind enameling to tools and supplies and enameling safety to wet-packing techniques such as cloisonne and champleve. This is followed by a series of projects in increasing levels of difficulty, starting with a pair of simple enameled copper earrings and progressing through a basic cloisonne pendant, a small series of pieces using copper washers (available from a hardware store), and finishing with intricate champleve designs and a bracelet requiring advanced metalworking skills. Full lists of tools and materials are provided with each project, as are step-by-step instructions. There are photographs of the more complex steps, but visual learners may prefer Warg's DVD Basic Jewelry Enameling: Torch Fired Tutorial, which covers much of the same ground. Enameling isn't a skill that one picks up casually--it uses a lot of specialty supplies, and pieces must be torch- or kiln-fired, a process that requires a safe, well-ventilated working space. VERDICT Jewelrymakers with metalworking experience may find enameling a natural extension of their repertoire of techniques, and there's enough information and projects here to get started.

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