Technology

There are a lot of types of enamel: cloisonne, champleve, engraving enamel, stained-glass enamel, picturesque enamel, etc. Finift is a glass melt fused onto a base made mostly of gold, silver or copper and fired in a muffle oven. Pictures are painted by fire-resistant paints, which applied several times. New colors are added to each layer in order to get a necessary richness and brightness. The layer should be fired in a muffle oven at temperature of 800 degrees Celsius several times. As the enamel base is fused during firing, the colors melt in the base and after cooling down they become alloyed. The above said short discription of the process of the enameled miniatures performance is an evidence of the work complexity. A little deviation from the work order (even firing a minute longer than necessary) can result in damages of a work even in the final stage, when a miniature is almost ready. What makes the enamel a real jewelry is a gold or silver mounting made by a jeweller. A mounted Russian miniature can be a part of any private collection; it can be put on a table or fireplace or hung on a wall, also it can be a unique jewelry presented as a demonstration of love or friendship.