A look at our interns work!

This mini article is from our intern Siyu Hu from her last year at George Brown College. It is a look at one of her projects from her fifth semester of school!

Project- Make production earrings using “champlevé” technique

Enamelling gives me a lot of fun during the jewellery making process. I have an earring design which is using enamel technique. Enamelling needs to use a kiln. Jewel Envy has kiln for enamelling and other equipment to support the whole jewellery making process.

There are many kinds of enamel techniques. “Champlevé” is an enamelling technique in the decorative arts, or an object made by that process, in which troughs or cells are carved, etched, die struck, or cast into the surface of a metal object, and filled with vitreous enamel. The piece is then fired until the enamel fuses, and when cooled the surface of the object is polished. The un-carved portions of the original surface remain visible as a frame for the enamel designs. Let’s take the terrace fields earrings for example to have a look of the whole process:

Text Box: Ø Decide the design — Decide on the design.

图片包含游戏机, 项链

描述已自动生成 — I made a 3D print file for each part.

Text Box: Ø Make 3D print files for every part — I sent the files to a casting house, had a mold made, pulled waxes from the mold.

图片包含游戏机

描述已自动生成 — Next I cast the pieces using the lost wax casting process. I cast them in silver.

Text Box: Ø Sending the files to casting house
Ø Get a cold mound from the casting house
Ø Make wax of the main pieces

图片包含小, 水, 对, 金属

描述已自动生成 — Next I used the champlevé technique to add colour to the pieces. I sanded and both sides to a smooth and even finish.

Text Box: Ø Lost wax casting silver earrings

The final step is to solder the posts on the backside of the earrings. Clean the earrings, polish them, connect the two pieces by bending the ends of the trunk part to go through the half jump ring.

My name is Siyu, you can check out more of my work on Instagram @shjewelleryhuayuan