Lesley Miller

This is not a full description of how to do cloisonné work, because if you do not already know how to do this you can probably find out quite easily elsewhere. However, I feel that Ann gave us a great deal of useful and interesting information which I would like to share with you. So here are the points which I noted down.

The metal which you use should be 0.3 or 0.4mm thick with the same thickness of enamel on each side (i.e. 0.3mm of enamel) for full strength of colour and maximum stability.

Variations in tone can be achieved by engraving the surface of the metal before firing the enamel (use mid or pale tones only for the best effect). Alternatively, use different colours on top of each other (transparent over opaque or over another transparent). Do not mix enamels before firing if you want a smoothly blended effect because you will get a speckled appearance. Instead apply each colour in a separate firing. You can also add colour or deepen tones by adding a little painting enamel in the final firing.

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