Prickly Pear Cactus Cloisonné Enamel Sterling Silver Ring-Size 8

Prickly Pear Cactus Cloisonné Enamel Sterling Silver Ring

This beautiful ring features an cloisonné enamel "stone" set in sterling silver. The cloisonné cactus is made first on a base of Silver  then set into the handmade silver ring the just like a stone would. This ring is one of a kind and made from sterling silver, copper, and vitreous enamel glass using a technique call cloisonné enamel. The cactus colored with green with orange flower set against a light blue and  brown background.

The ring is size 8 and 1 1/4 ” in diameter.

How Cloisonné Enamel is Made

Cloisonné is an ancient art form that has been used to make jewelry for thousands of years. Every artist uses slightly different techniques when making an enamel piece. This is a little bit about how I make mine.

All of my Cloisonné enamel pieces are torch fired and based off a hand drawn designs.

I replicate each line of my drawn design by bending fine silver wire by hand and with tweezers. After the wires are bent to match my drawing.  I create the base by hand sawing out  and doming a piece of silver.

After firing several layers of vitreous enamel—ground up glass— to the back of the piece and one to the front, I carefully place the bent wires into the silver base and fire them in place.  Next I add vitreous enamel in between the wires. The glass is then melted  to the silver using a torch and heating the glass to around 1,400 degrees F. I repeat the process between 10 to 20 times, which builds layers until the glass is even with the silver frame. Then I grind, smooth and polish it until it shines.

The process is very time consuming and can take days or weeks depending on the size of the piece. But the end result is worth every hour and will last a life time or two if treated right.