Enameling is the art of fusing powdered colored glass to a metal base. Cloisonné is a further refinement in which wire cells divide the different colors. The melting of the enamel requires a temperature of 1450°. However, with the inclusion of silver wire (on a copper base), you must not exceed 1500° or your wires will dissolve. Since there are a dozen or more firings per piece, this is an important factor. In order to best control the placement of the colors when filling the cells, it is standard practice to pack the powdered glass damp--that is to say, mixed with distilled water and inlaid with a small trowel or a dental pick. After the glass is brought up to the tops of the ribbon-like wire in successive firings, the entire piece is ground down until the surface is smooth, and refired for gloss. These pieces retail from $200.00 and are usually done as custom orders.

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