Enamel jewellery is metal jewellery decorated with coloured coatings. There are two main kinds: fired enamel, which is powdered glass fused onto metal at high temperature, and cold enamel, a coloured resin that cures at room temperature or with low heat.
Most fashion and imitation jewellery uses cold enamel. It allows bright colours at low cost on brass and alloy, while fired enamel is mostly found in fine and higher-priced pieces.
The two kinds compared
- Fired (vitreous) enamel: hard, glossy and colour-stable, but brittle if bent and expensive to produce.
- Cold enamel: flexible in colour and cheap, but softer, so it can scratch, chip, fade or yellow over time.
- Use in Indian jewellery: meenakari is the best-known enamel style, and imitation meenakari is usually cold enamel.
What to check
- Even colour with no bubbles, streaks or overflow onto metal.
- Fully cured surface that does not mark with light pressure.
- Colour match between batches against an approved sample.
- Lead content: coloured coatings must be included in lead testing for markets such as the US and EU.
Care and description
Tell customers to keep enamel pieces away from perfume, cleaning products and long exposure to strong sunlight. Describe cold enamel as enamel-effect or enamel paint, not fired enamel.
What this means for a buyer
Enamel adds colour and value at a low cost, but durability depends on the type. Specify which you want and test samples for wear. See how to compare quotes, since two quotes may assume different enamels.
Creston & Co works for buyers only, for a fixed fee agreed in writing. We check finish against approved samples in Rajkot, have samples tested at NABL-accredited labs and supervise packing. Ask for a free sourcing review.