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Decorative Elements in Jewelry: Cloisonee, Rhinestones and Lampwork Beads

Cloisonne is an enameling technique used for jewelry making.  Artists take a piece of metal, usually copper although bronze and silver are used as well,  and then create separate areas called cloisons with thin metal wire.   The small wire filigree cloisons are soldered to the base metal.  They are then filled with enamel and the subjected to extreme heat to adhere the metal permanently to the enamel.   The final product is polished smooth, creating a beautiful, shiny, multi-colored effect.  Creating cloisonné jewelry takes steady hands and close attention to detail.  The thin metal wire is used to made intricate designs and the enamel is carefully concocted with a mortar and pestle: fine powders are ground and purified to create vibrant colors to be place in the intricate wire designs.  The enamel is poured into the cloisons with small droppers or tiny brushes.

 

Cloisonne was first employed as an artistic process in ancient Egypt.  The first examples of cloisonné were made from bronze and glass.  These products date back to as late as 1800 BC.  The Chinese used Cloisonne prolifically to embellish weapons, vases, and dishes.  They often used gemstones like turquoise and jade as glazes to fill the cloisons.  The height of cloissone production occurred during the Ming dynasty in the 15th century.

 

Today, jewelers employ cloisonné to create beautiful pieces of jewelry.  Cloisonne beads form vivid bracelets and necklaces.  Cloisanne pendants make for eye-catching pieces.  You can find cloisonné in cuff bracelets, earrings, barrettes, broaches, and pins.  The process of cloisonné calls for each piece to be completely unique, each with an individual design and color scheme.

 

 

The gemstone part of a true rhinestone is a form of rock crystal, which is a type of quartz. Rhinestones are quartz within a metal setting. The crystal is glued to a foil which is then in turn placed in a metal setting.  The idea of the rhinestone was invented by a French jewelry name George Frederic Straw.  He gave crystals a metal backing in order to ensure that the stone’s reflective qualities were directed out of the front of the stone.  Rhinestones are meant to be shiny baubles, worn to glam up any outfit.

 

Rhinestones were a huge fashion trend in the 1940s.  Daniel Swarovski came up with a way to cut rock crystals to appear like beautiful gemstones, and rhinestones were suddenly able to be created in mass quantities.   Rhinestones were popular as jewelry and also adorned evening gowns and headpieces.  Vintage rhinestones can be quite expensive, ranging anywhere from $50-$1000.

 

Today’s rhinestones are most often made of acrylic, though some manufacturer’s still use rock crystal.  Glass can also be glued into a foil setting to create a rhinestone.  Acrylic and glass rhinestones scratch easily, and should be treated with care to increase their lifespan.  Rhinestones with rock crystal can actually yellow over time due to the adhesive that glues them to the foil; there is nothing to be done for them except to replace the rhinestone.

 

Today, rhinestones are most commonly found in costume jewelry.  Necklaces, bracelets, and even wedding tiaras boast shiny rhinestones. Rhinestones are a fun way to glitter and shine at a fraction of the price of diamonds.

 

 

Lampwork beads are glass beads formed with a torch.  Artisans use the extreme heat to mold glass into the shape of their bead, add designs in different colors and shapes onto the beads, and then anneal the beads in a kiln.  Adding detail to small beads is achieve through using a thin glass rod and a torch; this process is called flameworking.  Annealing is the term for cooling the glass down slowly.  This makes sure the beads are sturdy and durable.  The entire process calls for attention to detail and no two beads are created the same.

 

The ancient Egyptians melted glass to form beads 5000 years ago.  The Romans were the first to use a kiln and blowpipes to add intricate designs to their glass beads.  The title “lampwork” is derived from the use of oil lamp flames and blowpipes to heat glass.  The advent of the blowtorch made creating glass beads much easier, faster, and safer.

 

Italy popularized lampwork beads in the 13th.  Today, many jewelers boast that they include Murano or Venetian beads in their jewelry designs.  Today, creating lampwork beads is considered an art form.  Artisans create glass beads one at a time.   Retailers have also figured out a way to mass produce lampwork beads.  Beads are cut in factories; however, even this industrial process doesn’t eliminate the unique qualities or each individual bead.

 

Lampwork beads are used to create beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. They come in vibrant colors and display exquisite, intricate glass patterns. They are strung with other lampwork beads or mixed and matched with metals, crystals, stones, or gold and silver beads.

 

If you want to purchase beaded jewelry designs made of cloisonee, rhinestones  and lampwork Beads, Delusha Retails is the right place for you.

About the Author

Deana Esmail is the founder of Delusha Retail. She is known with her beaded jewelry designs and handmade beaded jewelry that is truly fashionable and trendy in all ages. A true fashionista with a twist. She has run the NYC marathon, won awards for her lighting designs in Paris and is a mother of two boys. Born in raised in Denver, Colorado; Deana now lives and works in Valencia, Spain. “Work takes me on travels around the world, so I guess my style is a blend of all the cultures I have had the fortune to experience.”

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