Blue Enamel Fish Earrings

These blue enamel fish earrings are made with vitreous glass enamel on copper.  Lots of time and care goes to the torch enameling process to make them look this happy. Enamel is durable and doesn’t fade, these fishes have that something to make them a conversation piece.

Enameled Copper shapes are 1 1/2 inches. Handcrafted stainless steel earwires. Total earring length is about 2 1/8 inches (53mm).

Handmade in USA.
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WHAT IS ENAMELED COPPER?

Enameling is glass fused to metal at high heat. Enamels are finely ground glass, like fine sand (or even more finely pulverized and mixed with an oil or adhesive). They may be opaque or transparent; their colors come from the use of various oxides.

For my enameled copper jewelry I start with copper sheet that I draw and cut the shapes from. There are several stages of working with copper after this: shaping, filing, sanding, drilling cleaning. Enamels are applied to the base metal using a variety of techniques. These may include dusting the enamel through a sifter; stencil; use of adhesives to bind the powdered glass for sgraffito, painting, freehand drawing or lettering; silkscreen; and other techniques.

Enameling is characterized by brilliant, non-fading colors, tremendous durability, variety of color effects depending on angle of light, and tremendous versatility. The medium of enameling goes back two thousand years and forms part of the artistic heritage on six continents.

How to care for enameled copper: Enamel is glass, not paint, so it does not fade under ultraviolet light. It is possible to crack or shatter when the substrate is stressed or bent, but modern enamels are relatively chip- and impact-resistant because of good thickness control and thermal expansions well-matched to the metal. (Essentially, avoid dropping your jewelry on a concrete floor!) There is no particular care needed, you can wash it with water and/or wipe it with a cloth if needed.