How was it made? Enamelling a brooch | V&A

Enamelling is a highly skilled technique in which coloured glass is fused to a metal base in the heat of a kiln to create glossy, vividly coloured metal objects.

This film shows the creation of an enamelled brooch – from the initial sketch to the final piece. Inspired by 18th-century silk designs, the brooch was made by Jane Short MBE, especially for the V&A’s collection.

The brooch features two different enamelling techniques: champlevé – where enamel is laid into spaces which have been carved out of the metal base, and basse-taille – where transparent enamels are used over an engraved pattern, allowing the pattern to be seen through the glass.

Process for enamelling a brooch:
What is enamel?: 00:00
Design sketch: 00:23
Cutting, shaping and soldering silver sheet metal: 00:27
Transferring the design onto the metal: 00:53
Champlevé: 01:20
Basse-taille: 01:39
Making enamel: 02:09
Applying enamel: 02:38
Firing in a kiln and building up enamel: 02:54
Smoothing the enamel with carborundum stone: 03:44
Polishing with pumice: 03:58
Finished brooch: 04:06

Find out more in our enamels collection: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/ena...

See a more detailed video on champlevé enamelling: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/how-wa...