Meenakari Style Jewelry from Silgo
The word ‘enamel’ comes from Old High German smelzen, meaning ‘to smelt’. Enamel is a decorative coating applied to metal. The enamel powder is fused to the metal at high temperatures. The initial colors of the enamel powder undergo change, giving vivid colors as a result of the high-temperature fusion process.
The temperature of the fusion process as well as the metal oxide content of the enamel decides the resulting color’s transparency as well as intensity. While lower temperatures yield softer, more opaque enamel, higher temperatures give more durable, translucent enamel.
History
Starting from the ancient Egyptians, all major civilizations have been in contact with the art of enameling. Persia was a center of this art. China perfected a specialized technique, known by the term ‘cloisonne’.
In fin de siècle Europe and America, as part of the Art Nouveau movement, enamel jewelry gained a lot of impetus and credence. Faberge, Stubbs, Lalique, and Feuillatre are only a handful of eminent names that brought enamel jewelry to the forefront of public consciousness, making it ‘in fashion’. They were aided by the fact that enamel offers a way to feature vibrant color in jewelry, minus the use of precious stones. Fashionable techniques developed in France included Plique a’ Jour (glimpse of day), Champleve (raised field), and Basse Taille (low cut).
Minakari, Persia
Minakari – as distinct from meenakari -was developed in the most florid phase of Iranian history. This art migrated to India in the times of the Mughals. Understood as miniature of fire, Minakari in Iran/ Persia was the art of painting, coloring, ornamenting metal surfaces by fusing brilliant colors onto them. Mina is the feminine form of Minoo, ‘Heaven’ in Persian. Persian dynasts helped the acceptance of sterling silver as a preferred base for minakari. It was seen that the enamel melts and sticks best to sterling silver.
Enamel is therefore the color-brimmed result of fusing powdered glass to a substrate -silver- by firing, usually in the range 750-850 degree Celsius. Melting, the powder flows and hardens, forming a smooth, durable vitreous coating on the silver.
Process: The silver substrate is chosen and shaped. Being the base of the enamel, the silver body is covered with a white glaze using a dipping technique. Then heating at 750-degree Celsius follows. The body is then recoated with a higher quality glaze and heated again. This is repeated 3-4 times. The enamel glaze is made of silicon, magnesium, potassium, lead, precious stones, feldspar, kaolin, zirconium, boric acid, and tin. Now the glazed and heated metal body is ready for any exercise in creativity.
Once the painting is finished, enamel plates are sent back to the furnace, to be heated at 600 degree Celsius.
The criteria include selection of the best sterling silver, decoration, standard heating. Not the least, the talent of the artist is vitally important here. Imperfect heating (or, for that matter, imperfect silver) can lead to the result being riddled with faults.
Meenakari, India
Raja Man Singh of Amber was instrumental in the migration of several expert enamellers from Lahore to Jaipur, nearly 400 years ago. Famous centers of silver meenakari include Udaipur, Nathdwara, and Bikaner. Silgo definitely benefits from the fact that our craftsmen all hail from the most relevant regions. Important centers outside Rajasthan include Delhi and Benaras. Jaipur itself has had a hoary tradition of a related art-form - kundan jewelry – absolutely a quality which Silgo has turned to its advantage in the manufacture of meenakari style jewelry.
Process: The production process as practiced by our craftsmen involves the use of sterling silver as the base for meenakari, as well as tools such as the Salai (etching instrument), mortar and pestle, kiln, metal palette, Kalam/Taqva (for applying enamel), forceps, scrubbing brush, Takala ( for applying colors), agate stone for brushing/smoothing, and brass dye.
The process here has much in common with the one developed in Iran. The Chhatera (artisan) engraves the Salai pattern onto the silver object using steel. In order to secure the enamel and increase the play of light and shade in the finished product, surfaces of the depressed pattern are serrated. Designs being now etched onto the surface, walls/grooves are created, enabling the holding of color.
Colors are applied by the Meenakar (enameller), starting with those most capable of resisting fire. White, green, red, blue -is the rule of succession. Onto grooves the color is now applied.
Interestingly, each color lends itself to firing as per its own characteristics. At range 750-850 degree Celsius, a given color is melted, eventually spreading onto the groove. Heat resistant colors are applied first, re-fired with each successive additional color.
Towards completion, the meena, finely ground, is mixed with water. Itra (rose oil) aids the congealing of the enamel. Water having been soaked by a cotton wick; the jewelry article is realized by firing in an electric kiln.
Silgo employs best-perfected techniques to bring your avant-garde couture to fulsome, fullest fruition.