Enameled Jewelry: Hooray For Champleve!

One of the enameling techniques which I learned last year was champleve. I've written about this before, but basically, you engrave or etch a depression into a thick piece of metal and then fill that space with enamel so that the glass and metal are even. The effect is quite beautiful and allows you to display the metal, which often gets hidden when enameling.

Well, I always get very excited when I see enameling techniques used outside of my class. This weekend, my husband and I visited The Cloisters which are by 190th street, but are part of The Metropolitan Museum Of Art. Believe it or not, this was my first time there, even though I've lived in or near the city for almost my entire life. I enjoyed walking around, but was especially happy when I saw some Medieval champleve pieces on display. Of course, I went into full dork mode as I called to Jon, "Look, look, look!" Him: "OK, that's nice." Me: "You don't understand. It's champleve! I know how to do this!"

Yeah, I do know HOW to do champleve, but I wouldn't call myself "skilled." These pieces were amazing and filled with so many intricate details. The designs were so precise, you could barely tell the metal from the glass; the materials wove together perfectly.

I could've stood there staring at the champleve all day, but we wanted to tour the grounds and make sure we got to see all of the exhibits. Still, I'm proud that I know how to do such an old technique -- even if I have a long way to go before I can make such an incredible piece.

Check out my wire wrapped and enamel jewellery at Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations. And check out my novel, REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD, on Amazon.

Photo Gallery: My Top 40 Wire Wrapped And Enamel Jewelry Pieces, Part IV

... And here are my very favorite 10 pieces from my Top 40 Birthday Collection! Be sure to check out Part 1, Part II and Part III, as well as my shops Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

That silver ring with the cut-outs is the first thing I ever made in my metalsmithing class. Honestly, I didn't care for the class all that much, but I do like the ring. The metal necklaces -- the copper and silver squares, the copper heart and the copper squiggle with turquoise beads -- are important to me because I made them in my husband's office on the day that I was let go from my job at the magazine. I wasn't sure what the future held for me, but making these pieces calmed my nerves and made me feel a bit better about my life. Once I sold them, I felt as if my choice to go into jewelry making full time were validated.

The silver wire wrapped chandelier earrings with blue crystals are a favorite of mine because they remind me of the jewelry I saw when I was in Egypt many years ago. Meanwhile, I'm proud of the complex enamel pieces that I made: the cat (who's based on my cat, Maya), the hamsa pendant and the champleve fish necklace with turquoise beads. That hamsa pendant took forever to make, but was finally sold. The champleve necklace represents me learning a new enameling technique.

By far, my favorite piece of all is the copper wire wrapped necklace and earring set, Nefertitit's Kiss. This took me weeks to make, but it was worth it. It was a finalist in the 2012 Firemountain Gems And Beads Jewelry Making Competition and was featured on the poster for a local art fair last fall. I've also sold a few -- always a bonus!

Thank you for celebrating my 40th birthday with me! It's easy to feel younger when you have a passion -- and making jewelry is one of mine.

Silver wire wrapped, copper and enamel champleve earrings with Swarovski crystals

I really like making champleve pieces and as time goes on, I'm getting better at this technique. My most recent creation is this pair of earrings, which are copper, wire wrapped with silver and Swarovski crystals:

The beauty of champleve is that you create an inlaid design that shows off the metal against the enamel. My teacher remarked that these earrings really show a lot of metal, but I like that there's a such a wide "frame" around the enamel portions.

For the enamel, I applied stripes of purple and blue glass. One of my classmates said that it looks as if the copper has been inlaid with opals. That wasn't what I was going for -- I was just experimenting with colors -- but hey, I'm glad that they're pretty!

My one disappointment with these is that I wish they were a little more lightweight. I used 16 gauge copper so they're a bit bulky for my ears, but I know plenty of women who like sturdy statement earrings. And these definitely make a strong statement!

To purchase my jewellery, head to Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Copper wire wrapped enamel rainbow necklace

With practice, I'm getting better at making champleve enameled pieces. When I add the enamel to the grooves, it no longer overflows and the colors have become a lot less wonky. I now know that I need to add a base color (usually white or clear glass) in order for the top layers to come out right -- but I'm also getting the feel for how many coats to add so that the glass surface remains flush with the metal frame.

My latest creation, this copper and enamel rainbow pendant, was actually made as a test strip. When making enamel jewelry, you can never be 100 percent sure how a color will turn out after being fired in the kiln (you are depending on chemical reactions, after all), so we make test strips to get a feel for how colors will look. In this case, I laid out a layer of silver foil beneath the colored glass and wanted to see how the colors looked against the silver. Good thing I did the test because the pink turned yellow and the yellow turned orange! As my teacher pointed out, "cool colors" like purple and blue look great with silver beneath, but for "warm colors," like reds and yellows and pinks, you need gold foil.

Anyway, I liked the rainbow stripe design, especially with the shimmery silver beneath, so I decided to turn this test strip into a necklace. It's simple, but very colorful and I think that the silver undertone adds a complexity to the different hues. I especially like how it looks in the sun when you can see the sparkle in the foil.

I'm always experimenting with projects and have many that don't turn out well -- but sometimes I end up with a happy accident!

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

"Swimming Upstream" copper wire wrapped, turquoise and enamel champleve necklace

I finally finished my latest champleve creation! This one, I call "Swimming Upstream" since it has an abstract fish design that I made from silver cloisonne wire:

I actually began this project last June. After sawing out a rectangle of 16 gauge copper sheet metal, I "burned" a depression into it using acid (a process I recommend NOT doing unless you've been taught and have proper safety supplies). After, I filled the large groove with silver foil and then a few layers of white base enamel. Full disclosure: I burned the enamel a couple of times, which I why I had to add several coats.

Once it came time to lay down the cloisonne wire, I played around with some shapes and came up with this simple, abstract fish design. I liked the way that each fish fit into the next, creating a little pattern. I also love the ocean, so I liked the idea of creating something that had a nautical motif. I used aqua, nitric blue, purple and gem green enamels to create those oceanic colors; the silver foil provides a bit of a shimmery effect, so it looks like the water is rippling behind the fish.

After the pendant was finally completed, I set to work on the chain. I wanted to offset the copper "frame" on the pendant, so I alternated the turquoise bead links with little 18-gauge wire wrapped copper "shell" spirals." I didn't want to make the chain design too complicated because I wanted the pendant to take center stage -- but I think that the wire wrapped design complements the fish.

I have a couple of other champleve enamel pieces that I'm working on, so stay tuned! Meantime, check out my jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Tales From Enameling Class

First, the bad news: The specialty bracelet class which I was planning to take, was cancelled since not enough people signed on for it. But the good news is that my enameling class is back in session. Yay!

I hadn't realized how much I'd missed making enamel jewelry until I had my "enamel emergency" a few weeks ago. That was such a rush job, though, that I didn't really get to enjoy the process (sidenote: the customer for whom I made that pendant liked her piece! Hurrah!). I was happy to return to my class where I could relax, take my time and really work on my enameling skills.

Right now, I'm still working on making champleve pieces. Last semester, I managed to successfully complete champleve earrings, but I want to work on some more complicated designs.

Over the summer, I etched out several pieces of metal and just have to place the enamel. In yesterday's class I put together a champleve pendant that has a cool nautical design; it kind of looks like abstract fish swimming upstream. I placed silver foil on the metal, then covered the foil with a white base... only I burned the first coat and had to apply two additional coats in order to mask it. By the time I set the cloisonne wire and added color, you could hardly see the shimmery foil, but the pendant is still turning out pretty well. I used aqua, deep blue, green and purple to reflect the ocean's colors -- and those hues look good against the copper frame. I still need to plug up a couple of tiny cracks and clean up the metal; once I've done that, I'm going to make a chain with turquoise beads. I should have it finished by next week so I'll post photos. After that, I think I want to continue with a nautical theme and make another pendant that features graphics of shells.

My teacher is anxious to show me some other techniques and this will be a good time to learn them. The fall semester is 13 weeks long and pretty much goes right into the winter semester so I basically have all year to perfect my work. Meantime, I like doing champleve and want to make a few more pieces for my next craft fair, which is in October.

To purchase my jewellery, head to Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Bleeding heart copper champleve enamel earrings

I finally finished my first completed champleve design! Here are my crimson red copper heart earrings, which I made using Victoria Red enamel -- a deep, blood red-colored glass:

Champleve is turning out to be more complicated than I'd thought. You have to keep track of just how long the pieces sit in the acid; otherwise, the ferric chloride will burn right through the back of the metal. Still, you want to create a fairly deep groove so that the enamel has something to fill. As for the enamel, the idea is to fill the groove so that the glass ends up flush with the metal; it shouldn't overflow. It's supposed to look inlaid. So it's taken some practice to get the hang of this. I'm still learning, but I'm getting there and these earrings are cute!

I polished the copper using special metal polishing cloths and made the earring hooks using 20 gauge copper wire. I tried a different method for making the hooks; instead of just closing up the end loop as I usually do, I wire wrapped the bottom of the hook to give it extra security. It didn't take long to do, but the earring wire is a lot stronger.

In my last post I debated whether I should get a kiln, but I've decide to instead rent some studio space for the summer. This way, I don't have to worry about safety and ventilation issues. I'm actually going to use space in the Brooklyn-based jewelry studio where I took last year's summer enamel class. That kiln isn't the best, but it's probably better than what I'd use at home -- and I "know" the kiln so I have an idea of how long to heat pieces. I made some nice pieces there last year so it'll be a good place to work and practice champleve.

Sometimes I'm not sure if people can tell that I'm working and improving, but a friend recently told me that a mutual acquaintance commented to him about my stuff. She told him that she could see that I was getting better and making more complicated pieces. I really appreciate that she's noticed!

The summer has been pretty quiet, but I might be doing a craft fair/fundraising for a local school for kids with Cerebral Palsy. I hope it goes well -- not just for myself, but because it'll be nice to raise a good amount for the charity.

Meantime, check out my jewellery at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Enameling techniques: champleve, working with ferric chloride

Part of the reason why I haven't blogged much lately is because I've been studying a new enameling technique (well, new to me, anyway, since the technique itself goes back to ancient times): champleve.

With champleve, you carve out a design or groove into a piece of metal and then fill that depression with enamel. The piece then looks as if it's been inlaid with the glass and the design has a lot of depth and texture.

There are many ways in which you can carve the piece: you can engrave it, cut out an opening in one piece of metal and then solder it onto a backing (and then have subsequent pieces cast), or, as I'm doing, you can burn the metal with an acid.

Different types of metals require different acids to burn. I've been using copper so ferric chloride is my substance of choice. Silver uses nitric acid, but this substance is extremely dangerous to use, which is why I'm avoiding it. Eventually, I'll have some copper pieces cast in silver or silver plated.

To actually burn out the design is pretty easy. I start with a thick piece of copper -- 16 or 18 gauge -- and apply a resist to all of the areas that I DON'T want to burn. This means that if you want to have a triangle-shaped depression, you cover all of the areas of the metal EXCEPT for that triangle. You can use many things as a resist, but I like nailpolish because it's sticky and stays on for a long time without breaking up. The downside is that it's difficult to draw fine lines with it. A paint pen might be a better choice if you want to create a more exact, detailed design. I make sure to paint all of the necessary areas, including the sides of the metal, with the polish and then cover the back of the metal with some contact paper. I then place the metal FACE DOWN into the acid. Also important: I don't just plop the metal into the acid. I keep it suspended on some flat sponges, which I cut into strips. Whenever I remove my pieces, I use copper tongs -- and I always wear goggles, a surgical mask and latex gloves. Most pieces take at least three hours to get a nice, deep groove.

As I'm sure you've guessed, working with acid is DANGEROUS. Kids, do NOT try this at home. Actually, do not try this at all!!!!! Adults, do not try this without proper safety gear and without first learning the basics. I'm still nervous whenever I have to work with the acid. One wrong spill and you can get seriously hurt.

I keep my acid in a Tupperware container, which obviously will not be reused for food! You can store it and reuse it a few times, though it does eventually lose its effectiveness. You can't just dump it down a drain; I first neutralize it with baking soda. Again, this is serious stuff!!!

Anyway, I've managed to carve out some interesting pieces. Right now, I'm working on a series of heart earrings made on 18 gauge copper:

These aren't yet finished. The enamel needs to be sanded so that it's flush with the metal and the copper needs to be cleaned and polished. But you get the basic idea of how the glass looks against the metal. The toughest part for me, so far, has been figuring out how to apply certain colors. Because the glass is going into a groove, the colors come out much darker than they do when they're simply applied to the copper's surface. I finally figured out that it's best to first apply a coat of white or clear enamel and to then add the layers of color. You also need to heat that first coat for a bit longer than you normally would because again, the enamel is lower down.

Right now, I'm burning a square piece of metal with a square groove that will look sort of like a frame. I'm letting it sit in the acid for longer than usual because I want a very deep depression. I then plan to experiment by working with cloisonne within the groove. Next time, I'll show you a before picture so you can see what the burned-away copper looks like.

Meantime, check out my other jewelry pieces at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Tales from enameling class: new enameling techniques!

This semester of my enameling class is about half over, which is a shame because I'm enjoying myself more than ever! I'm still working on my enameled hamsa pendant and enameled cat figurine, both of which have turned out to be more time consuming than I'd anticipated. That's okay, though, because I'm really enjoying the work.

Right now, I'm busy covering the hamsa pendant with fine silver foil. Silver foil is extremely thin and delicate, but will stick to the enamel when you fire it. When you cover the foil with transparent enamel colors -- especially "cool" colors like blue or green -- it looks luminous and amazing. Since the hamsa is a spiritual object, I want the blocks of color to come out looking shiny, like stained glass.

In order to get the foil to fit into the cloisonne wire pattern which I'd placed on the hamsa, I had to cut the siver into teeny, tiny, itty bitty pieces -- and then carefully place each piece so that it stayed on flat and didn't wrinkle. After three hours of this, I ALMOST have the hamsa covered. I hope to finish during the next class and then finally add the colored enamels. After that, I'll work on the cat, which I'll also finish with a cloisonne design.

I'm kind of bummed because I won't be back in class for about a month. It's all for good reasons: the Y is closed for Passover and then my husband and I are going to Japan. The good news is, I spoke with my teacher and when I return from my trip, I'd like to try my hand and some more complex enameling techniques. I'm especially excited to try champleve, which is a process where you engrave or etch recesses in the metal and fill the "cells" with enamel. The raised portions of the metal kind of frame the enameled areas and the pieces that are made with this technique look absolutely beautiful. You can use acid to burn out the areas that you want to be carved, but frankly, that method scares me a bit! I plan to go old school and learn to engrave the metal with a tool.

With the holidays and my vacation, I'll have to put my enameling adventures on hold, but at least I have some really cool things to look forward to this spring!

You can purchase my jewelry at Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.