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Author Archives: Lillian Jones

Is a teacher and metalsmith in North Carolina, USA. She works both in silver fabrication and enamel. Her imagery is drawn from the geometries of nature, and an interest in illustration.

The Anglo Saxon disk: Granulation on Silver

I’ve returned to the bench after a hiatus, and need to sharpen my skills in granulation.  As I love English history, and all things Game of Thrones, I will make a simplified Anglo Saxon Disk pendant. I start with a fine silver disk, size 1 and 1/8 inch, or about 29 mm.  The thickness of my […]

Basse Taille and Cloisonne Pendant: Part IV

I am now adding the first layers of enamel.  Although I will not photograph all the layers, it will take may 10 layers or so to fill it.  You could pile it in, but it is better to layer thinly, and you can change the colors as you work your image. Enamel on most any […]

Basse Taille and Cloisonne Pendant – Part III

When beginning an enamel, you first must sift a little clear glass onto the base, which will act as an adhesive for the wires. Since my next step is to bend and attach wires for the design, I am here sifting on a thin coating of Bovano #3, the clearest clear I have found. I […]

Basse Taille and Cloisonne Pendant:Part2

Continuing from the last post, I am now going to use the etched plate to create and fine silver base for the enamel. I could use a rolling mill, but that would distort the image. So I will use the hydraulic press instead, which applies pressure directly down and will not stretch the silver. I’ve […]

Basse Taille and Cloisonne: Making a Triskele Pendant, part 1

I want to make a triskele pendant, and have lately been interested in the surface that is under the enamel. For my first step I am going to create a new texture plate for this particular design. I’ll start with some heavy brass sheet. This is about 14 gauge, and I’ll cut a square that […]

Torch Enameling: Cloisonne on Silver Part II

This is the last part of a tutorial on torch enameled cloisonne. In this picture I have picked a color pallet of green and blue and yellow.     And here I’ve filled the cells.   Firing with mapp gas, and a cheap little torch tip from Lowes.   And there it is, filled with […]

Torch Enameling: Cloisonne on Silver

I had a great visit with Patricia White of Grains of Glass, the coolest enamelist’s website out there, and she mentioned that the current trend in enamel is ‘torch firing’. I enamel on silver, and torch firing is super easy and cheap, and can look great. I use propane and butane for this, either of […]

In Search of Shape

My work for the last few years has all been circular. Not that there is anything wrong with that… But my friends Marina, Addison and Bill advised me to look at some other options. So, after seeing a great brooch Bill welded, I decided on this: Kinda goth, but might be interesting made in prissy […]

Granulation with the Ultralite Kiln

I am an enamelist, primarily. As offshoots of this passion I have also played with Jean Stark’s wonderful series of fused link chains, and lately, granulation.   These endeavors have in common the act of fusing fine silver. If it is chain, you are making circles to become links. If it is enamel, I am […]

To Capture Color

One thing about enameling, the color is marvelous. The Color is the point, mostly. But on a bad day, it can be is awful. Color in enamel depends on color combinations, and if you pick the right colors all is well. If not, then your piece goes into the box in the drawer.   It […]