Intro to Cloisonné Jewelry Techniques

Saturday and Sunday, May 25-26, 2024

10 AM - 5 PM (Please bring a brown bag lunch)

$295 + $45 Materials Fee (for 2 sessions)

Ages 13 and up

Located in the Painting/Drawing Studio adjacent to Ceramics Studio

Imagine and create jewel-like art by working with beautiful vitreous (glass) enamel colors fired on fine silver!

Cloisonné on fine silver is an ancient technique for decorating fine silver objects with colored vitreous (glass) enamel. The colors are separated by thin strips of fine silver wire and fired in the kiln at 1450 degrees for 1 ½ minutes. Many layers of color can be built up with individual firings.

Fine silver does not oxidize when heated and it is a joy to work with. Ribbons of fine silver are shaped and fused to the first layer of fired clear enamel. Enamel colors are wet packed in the cloisons with a fine sable brush and fired one layer at a time. Because the colors of the enamel are transparent, you build up beautiful shades and blended colors, similar to the effect of watercolor painting.

The enamel kiln is courtesy of a grant by the Enamellist Society.

About the Instructor:

Anita Selinger has an art education degree from New York University and a jewelry design degree from Fashion Institute of Technology. For 45 years she has supported herself using modelmaking, enameling, and fabrication skills to create one-of-a-kind custom orders and limited-edition jewelry. Teaching for 40 years has been a great pleasure for her as she treasures the enthusiasm of her students as they create. Her workshops include wax modeling and enameling taught in her studio in Santa Rosa, the Crafts Students League in NYC, Chimera Arts in Sebastopol, and the Mendocino Art Center.