Enameling is the art of colorings or decorating
a metal surface by attaching or fusing pieces
of different mineral substances, over it.
Enameling is considered the most alluring
and technical of all metal decorations.
In the past enameling was only done on gold,
but presently it is done other metals like
silver, copper etc
The art of decorating metal with enameling
or Meenakari was alien to India and was
introduced by the Mughals. Raja Man Singh
of Amber brought Meenakari to Rajasthan
at the turn of the 16th century. Man Singh
brought skillful minakars from the Mughal
palace at Lahore and established them in
Jaipur, which became the center of Meenakari.
The technique of Meenakari requires a high
degree of skill and application. The piece
of metal on which meenakari is to be done
is fixed on a lac stick. Delicate designs
of flowers, birds, fish etc are etched or
engraved on it. This leads to the creation
of walls or grooves, to hold color. Enamel
dust of required color is then poured into
the grooves and each color is fired individually.
The heat of the furnace melts the color
and the coloured liquid gets spread equally
into the groove. This process is repeated
with each colour.
As each color is individually fired, colors,
which are most heat resistant, are applied
first, as they are re-fired with each additional
color. As a rule, white is the first color
applied, and red the last.
After the last color has been fired, the
object is cooled and burnished or polished
with agate. The depth of the grooves filled
with different colors determines the play
of light.
Both Silver and Gold can be used as a base
for meenakari. A limited number of colors,
like gold, blue, green and yellow, stick
to silver, whereas all available colors
can be applied to gold, making it the preferred
medium of enamellers.
The meenakar often works with a team of
craftsmen. As meenakari is generally done
on the reverse side of kundan jewellery,
the meenakar has to work with the goldsmith,
the engraver or ghaaria, the designer or
chitteria and jadiya who applies the gems
on the kundan or gold. The finished produced
is a marvel of the expertise of these different
craftsmen and their techniques.
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