The History of Enamel Gold Jewellery

If you are a connoisseur of art and jewellery, you must have heard about enamel gold jewellery. This jewellery showcases an amazing combination of vibrant colours, unique luster, and metals, making it highly eye-catching. No wonder its popularity is on the rise. It can be made in different ornamental shapes, like necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets.
When you buy gold, go for the well-crafted enamel variety because of its outstanding features and aesthetics. A lot of skill and expertise are involved in making enamel jewellery. The trick is always buying from a trusted seller who provides top-notch jewellery, such as Al Romaizan Gold & Jewellery.
Let’s see what enamel gold jewellery is in reality.
What is Enamel Gold Jewellery?
Jewellery that transcends time and style across various centuries is what enamel gold jewellery is all about. Enamelling is a process where you get a decorative coating by sticking coloured powdered glass to a base metal of decent quality at very high temperatures. Throughout time, enamel jewellery received a lot of names, such as painted glass, porcelain enamel, or vitreous enamel.
- A jeweller can use multiple enamel techniques to make a valuable jewellery item. The skill level of the jeweller determines whether the piece will look lovely and glorious. The higher the quality of the craft, the greater the piece’s value will be.
- The biggest advantage of enamelling is that it adds colour to a jewellery item without using gems. So, no need to buy gemstones when you can get your hands on the latest enamel gold jewellery designs.
- With higher temperatures, you get translucent enamel with vivid colours. This is superior-quality enamel. At the same time, lower temperatures may produce opaque enamel with lower colour vibrancy. Such enamel will have a greater chance of getting damaged.
- The final look of the enamel jewellery depends on two factors:
- The temperature intensity.
- The oxide content of the base metal.
History of Enamel Gold Jewellery
Remarkably, enamel jewellery has been around for a long time, with a history that can be traced back to the ancient Persian Empire. The Persians developed a technique called Meenakari, allowing them to craft vibrant, colourful enamel jewellery. This enamel jewellery technique is famous in India as a sought-after jewellery variety.
- Many major ancient civilizations employed the enamelling process, including China, Egypt, Rome, and Greek. Each of these regions developed its style of enamelling differently from the others.
- The techniques kept changing with spectacular results, from the cloisonné enamel in the Byzantine Empire to the champlevé gold jewellery enamel favoured by artisans in France and Germany in the 13th century.
- Ronde Boss in the 15th century, Painted enamel in the late 15th century, and later enamel photography in the 19th century were new techniques.
- Plique à jour in the early 20th century made enamel jewellery popular. Famous French designers created beautiful pieces in new styles. Plique à jour in French means “letting in daylight.” The reason is that gold jewellery made with plique à jour gives a luminous quality as, in most cases, light can penetrate the piece from the front and back. It gives almost a stained-glass background to the jewellery item. The Art Nouveau period saw the rise of this enamel method, and it is still popular to make collector-standard items.
- By the 20th century, a new trend emerged. The mass manufacturing process was established for producing enamelled items, replacing the handmade techniques of jewellery artisans.
Pay Attention while Buying Enamel Jewelry
When purchasing enamel gold jewellery, you should look for two distinct factors.
1- The jewellery itself
Try to buy the best enamel gold jewellery for gifting or purchasing purposes. The key is to look for enamel items heated at temperatures, which produces the best quality enamel. You will get a piece excellent in colour and lustre, free of chips or cracks.
On the other hand, avoid low-quality enamel finish in your jewellery as it is not long-lasting. The colours will more likely fade or change over time.
2- The seller
Select a trustworthy jewellery seller. Past customer reviews and a proven track record can help you make the right choice. Al Romaizan Gold & Jewellery has a stellar reputation and decades of experience as a successful enamel gold jewellery seller. You cannot go wrong with their excellent customer service and high-quality items.
Remember, prices that are just too low to be true and a seller that doesn’t answer your questions to your total satisfaction are big red flags. You should avoid buying from such shady individuals or companies, sticking with reputable sellers.
When you buy gold pieces with enameling, choosing top-notch quality jewellery items for resale or collection purposes is better. Nearly all the gold jewellery enamelling techniques are in use in modern times. It depends on what kind of stuff you want to buy. Al Romaizan Gold & Jewellery offers you an ample designer collection in this regard; you can shop here to get just the right enamel gold jewellery.