Robert Madison Home is proud to carry a collection of Cloisonne. Cloisonne is what some have called jewelry for your home. Below is a description of how Cloisonne is made, and some pictures of the Cloisonne we have in the store.
Cloisonne, an ancient metalworking technique, is a multi-step enamel process used to produce jewelry, vases, and other decorative items.
Artists take metal and form it into the shape they want to use. Paper and pencil are then used to transfer the design they are going to use to the object. Metal partitions are applied to act as color seperators. These partitions are held in place by a soldering past. The piece is then heated and the partitions are permanently affixed to the object. The piece is then cooled to allow for the application of the color. Frit (glass crushed to a powder) in a water-based paste is painted into the partitions using an annotated pattern. When the frit has dried firing in an oven melts the frit onto the metal. Several repetitions of the process are used to ensure that the coatings are the same height as the partitions. 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.
