En Resille Enameling

"Hi all, does anyone know what: En R?ille enamelling is? "

To quote from GIA’s “Jewelers’ Manual:” “en resille (ahn-ray-see).
A rare form of decoration, requiring great skill and craftsmanship.
It is a process in which a base of glass or rock crystal has incised
on it fine hairlike lines to form a design. The pattern is lined
with gold; the tiny cells thus formed are filled with soft, low-fire
opaque or translucent enamels. The resulting effect, after firing
and polishing, is not unlike that of a delicately woven net.”

Personal note: I’m not at all familiar with this process, but I know
a fair amount about gem materials, including rock crystal. The
application of heat to any rock or mineral is a risky process and
must be done with extreme care, raising the temperature in small
increments over a long period of time. Cool-down must also be very
slow, usually over a period of 12 or more hours in a closed oven.
Even then, cracks are possible if there are inclusions or other risk
factors. HTH.

Rick Martin

“Email en resille sur verre” is a type of enameling that fuses glass
into gold lined cells carved into a glass base. Erika Speel’s
Dictionary of Enameling is a marvelous resource and I feel it’s a
sound investment for anyone interested in fine enameling and its
history. Two contemporary artists that I can think of have used this
technique, one being Margaret Craver (sp?) and the other Yoshiko
Yamamoto, both from Boston. Margaret Craver was a teacher of Yoshiko’s
and passed her knowledge of this rare technique down to her.
Unfortunately, Ms.Craver is quite old now and I’m not sure if she is
still among the living but Ms.Yamamoto is alive and well and has a
studio. I’m not sure if she’s teaching right now, but the Museum of
Fine Arts in Boston may have some more on that. If I
remember correctly, she taught there at some point. Juliet Gamarci
julietg@excite.com