Art Nouveau Enamel Jewelry

This necklace is made from beads that I took from an old Miram Haskell necklace that had fallen apart. I saw it in an antique store and even though it wasn’t in the greatest shape, I saw potential. So, I deconstructed that, and another necklace to create this design. It’s one of my longest pieces, so it can be worn several different ways. It wraps around the neck up to three times, and can also be worn as a bracelet.
The larger white beads are enameled, a popular technique used by Art Nouveau jewelry designers. Enamel is a glass-like mixture of silica, quartz, borax, feldspar, and lead. Metallic oxides are added to produce different colors and the materials are ground into a fine powder that is then applied to the bead.
Enamel jewelry dates as early as 1800 BCE, where it was discovered in Egyptian tombs. It was made popular by the fact that it could produce a variety of effects in jewelry, and it was durable enough for everyday wear. There are several different enameling techniques, but the most popular is known as cloisonné.
“ For cloisonné, a design is drawn on the article and traced with fine gold wire. This wire forms partitions into which the enamel mixture is poured. Since powdered enamel tends to shrink when fired, several firings are sometimes necessary for each color. After all the colors are fired, the enameling is polished-off even with the top of the wire.” (Bell p. 146).
Enamel jewelry is highly collectible, and can be very expensive. The process to create enamel jewelry requires a lot of time and effort. I have a lot of respect for the artists who use enamel because I know how hard it is to do. Enamel jewelry dates as early as 1800 BCE, where it was discovered in Egyptian tombs. It was also found in burial sites in Northern Greece, where it combined precious and semi-precious stones such as emeralds, amethysts, garnets, and pearls.
The modern use of enamel began around 1920, during the Art Nouveau period. Some of the most famous enamel art was designed by the Evans Case Company, and came in the form of compacts, cigarette cases, and lighters. The company later went on to design some of the most collectible Art Nouveau jewelry in the world.

This necklace is sold.

Reference Sources:
Bell, C. Jeanenne G.G. Answers to Questions About Old Jewelry. 7th ed. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2008.