Engaging with colour

One of my pleasures in jewellery making is finding different ways of adding colour. Today I am featuring kiln enamel, the process of sifting or wet laying (painting) very finely ground glass onto the surface of a metal (usually copper or silver) and then firing it in a kiln to around 800 degrees centigrade for a couple of minutes. As the piece cools down on the marble slab, the stunning colours appear. It's an exciting and immediate way to add vibrant colour with swift results. Further layers can be added and re-fired to build up images and textures. I run regular courses at Rainbow Glass Studios, the next one takes place on Saturday 20th May 2017. If you are interested to explore these ancient techniques, take a look at www.jewelleryboat.com for more details. I'd love to teach you how!