definition, properties and historical background – EMAYLUM ITALIA (2024)

Porcelain enamel is an inorganic and vitreous coating used on metals for protective, functional and decorative purposes. After applying enamel to the base surface, vitrification firing is carried out at a very high temperature. This procedure triggers chemical and physical reactions between the two surfaces which create a new material combining the properties of glass (hygiene and hardness) and those of the metal surface base (resistance, formability and lightness). Rarely the combination of two different materials gives such brilliant and versatile results, both in terms of aesthetics and performance. For this reason porcelain enamel has always registered increasing growth, in parallel with the search for new applications and formulae, complying to ever increasing strict requirements.

Definition of enamel from the website of CISP.

An enamelled object is as fascinating as a jewel and attracts in the same way, because it is perceived like a crystal or a gemstone.It offers a wide palette of bright colours. Enamel has very ancient and noble origins, but it’s the child of fire and earth. It was born to enrich the monochromatic look of gold and it shares the same durability as this precious metal.

Enamel is unique because:

A brief history of enamel

For a fuller version of the history of enamel, we suggest you read thisfrom the website of enamel art association C.K.I. Italia.

Enamel was born in the Myceanaean culture, maybe on the island of Cyprus, c. 3500 years ago, and rapidly spread in the next few centuries in the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East. Initially, it was used for decorative purposes in application on gold and exclusively for prestigious objects such as sceptres, rings or jewels. Centuries later, it was with the Celts, Barbarians and Romans that enamel was used on bronze to produce everyday objects, such as pots or knives for the army. In the Middle Age, under the influence of Christianity, enamel enjoyed its golden age in the Byzantine and Carolingian Empires. Around 1200 AD, golden copper was the favourite base metal and enamel art was used for religious works, produced by different European schools, such as reliquaries, dove-shaped reliquaries etc. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, enamelling reached its peak with techniques akin to oil painting, thanks particularly to the School of Limoges in France and to many experiments.

From the 1760s onwards, enamel became one of the protagonists of industrial design thanks to its aesthetic and physical-chemical properties. Enamel was rapidly used for the protection of cast iron pots, tubes, bathtubes, stoves, advertisem*nt panels etc and still is one of the most important materials in the industry today.

definition, properties and historical background – EMAYLUM ITALIA (1) definition, properties and historical background – EMAYLUM ITALIA (2)

It is this industrial tradition that inspires the activity and engagement of Emaylum Italia s.r.l., with the target to exhalt all the technical and esthetic-perceptive properties that the customers can find in our products.

For more info on the history of enamelling, we suggest you to give a look at the website of C.K.I. Italy, an association dedicated to enamel art.

For more info on technical enamelling, we suggest you to consult the website of CISP.

definition, properties and historical background – EMAYLUM ITALIA (2024)

FAQs

What is the history of enamel? ›

True enameling began in the 5th century B.C.E. with the Greeks, who included inlays of enamel glaze into some sculptures. Enamel as an art form is seen across many ages and cultures, the Celts in the 3rd century, Byzantium, Renaissance Italy, 13th-century China, 16th to 17th-century Japan, and Limoges, France.

What is the definition of enamel in chemistry? ›

Enamel refers to a glassy, vitreous and usually opaque substance that is used in protective or decorative coating on metal, glass or ceramic ware. Enamel could be used in varnishes, paints and coatings. After drying, it produces a hard and glossy finish—an enamel-like surface that has a bright luster.

What is enamel jewelry? ›

Enamel refers to a coating applied to the metal of a piece of jewelry. It is applied as a paste or powder and then heated to extremely high temperatures of more than 1500 degrees to fuse the metals with the powder, creating a colorful coating that would not be possible with metals alone.

What was enamel made of? ›

Enamel is comprised of the mineral calcium phosphate, arranged in a crystal structure known as hydroxyapatite. Sea shells are made from calcium carbonate. (So are pearls, for that matter.) Both teeth and sea shells are more complex than they might first appear.

What are some interesting facts about enamel? ›

Tooth enamel is the hardest tissue that the body produces–even harder than bone! It is also one of the hardest substances found on earth, second only to diamonds.

What is the simple definition of enamel? ›

enamel in American English

1. a glassy, colored, opaque substance fused to surfaces of metals, glass, and pottery as an ornamental or protective coating. 2. any smooth, hard, glossy coating or surface like enamel.

Is enamel made of metal? ›

And what is enamel made of? The enamelling process involves fusing tiny glass particles with heat to form a solid layer of colour onto a variety of different metals, such as copper, sterling silver, fine silver and 18ct or 22ct gold.

What does enamel look like? ›

It is a very hard, white to off-white, highly mineralised substance that acts as a barrier to protect the tooth but can become susceptible to degradation, especially by acids from food and drink. In rare circ*mstances enamel fails to form, leaving the underlying dentin exposed on the surface.

Is enamel stronger than diamond? ›

After diamonds, tooth enamel is the second hardest compound in the world. The hardest substance in the body is tooth enamel, your teeth's natural defence system. The only naturally occurring substance harder than tooth enamel is diamond. Tooth enamel is the hard white substance covering the crown of a tooth.

What is vintage enamel? ›

Enamelware was the first mass-produced American kitchenware. Production began in the 1870s, and continued through the 1930s. Items such as pots, kettles baking tins, and ladles were stamped from thin sheets of iron, steel, or aluminum, then coated with enamel, which was fused to the metal in a very hot oven.

Is enamel harder than gold? ›

Tooth enamel was also found to be harder than limestone and most shells containing calcite. It was also harder than gold, silver, copper pennies, platinum, and even iron, according to the Moh's scale.

What is the history of enamel jewelry? ›

Although the exact origins are unknown, the art of enameling has been practiced since ancient times. Excavations on Cyprus – in the Mediterranean – in the 1950s unearthed the earliest known examples of cloisonné enameled jewelry, dating from the 13th and 11th century BC.

What is the first formed enamel? ›

Enamel formation (Amelogenesis): Enamel formation starts immediately after the first layer of dentin is laid down by the odontoblasts. The cells from the inner enamel epithelium differentiate into ameloblasts. These are columnar cells attached to the stratum intermedium via ita base.

When did enamelware start? ›

The history of enamel starts as far back as over 5 thousand years ago. Ancient civilizations used enamel to cover their earthenware and jewelry. The form of enamelware that is currently used, and that we all know, dates back to 1760 in Germany.

Who is the founder of enamel? ›

ENAMEL Copenhagen is a Danish jewelry brand founded in 2012 by designer Marie Rantzau. Marie´s love for jewelry started when she traveled around the world and found unique jewelry materials of which she designed the first collections.

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