Jeweller, metalsmith, enameller
The word champlevé comes from the French term meaning "raised field", or "sunken field with a raised border". The form of the technique demonstrated here requires the metal to be engraved* to form shallow recesses into which the enamel is placed.
( * Other methods of creating the required recesses are die stamping, casting, etching, repoussé and double-panel construction i.e. a pierced top panel fused or soldered to an unpierced base panel.)
Some of the earliest examples of champlevé come from the Celtic period. The technique has been used widely by many enamellers through the centuries, and continues to be used generally for a variety of modern commercial work.
There are some variations in different methods within the champlevé technique, namely Basse Taille, in which the engraving is given a variety of depths to reflect a specific design, picture, pattern or motif, and Engine Turning, which refers to highly decorative machine patterning cut into the surface of the metal once the recesses have been cut.
Silver and gold are the preferred metals for the engraved techniques as they are softer to carve away. This example shows the design created in silver.
For this design silver sheet 1.5mm thick was used. At this thickness the metal does not need counter enamel and is thick enough not to warp. Before engraving a piece, the metal has to be marked out in order to set the design.
Firstly the metal is painted with white acrylic ink, which is left to dry. When the ink is dry the design is traced onto the metal with a pencil. The pencil line is then scribed over more accurately with a metal scriber and the ink is washed off, leaving the design scribed into the metal.
There are various methods of transferring the design onto the metal - this one allows the design to be seen more easily. White ink is useful as it takes the pencil marks well, making the design clearer to see than if you had just traced straight onto the metal.
Marking out
Once the design has been set the piece is engraved. There are several different engravers that can be used for a variety of tasks - four basic engraving tools are used to cut away sections for enamel - namely a half-round, a narrow flat, a wide flat and a spitstick.
The design is started with a half-round engraver which is used to cut and mark out the design. Then the flat engravers - one wide, one narrow dependant on the design - are used to carve away the recessed sections required. This is repeated. The half round cuts the depth again, then the flat engravers cut down to the depth required, normally to a depth of 0.2mm or 0.3mm depending upon the design requirements.
In this design I have cut away again with the half round engraver to add detail. The final cuts are made to outline the side walls of the piece using the spitstick engraver. This sharpens the design and gives it definition.
Once the design is cut, each area is called a "cell" - typically each cell would carry a separate colour.
Graver types
Graver uses
Holding work
Gravers # 2
Finished
Once the piece is fully engraved it is cleaned chemically to remove any oxides and grease from the metal. It is important to have both the metal and the enamel as clean and free from impurities as possible.
The enamel is ground with a pestle and mortar into a wet paste of evenly-sized particles, and then washed thoroughly in distilled water to clean away any impurities. The enamel, suspended in water, is then transferred to small covered storage dishes.
Traditionally the enamel is placed into the metal recesses with an old fashioned quill. The quill carries the enamel well and can be cut to a variety of shapes for different cuts of recess, i.e. fine points for small cells, wider broad quills for larger cells. ( A fine paint brush could also be used to apply enamel, if preferred )
Once the enamel has filled all the cells the piece is lightly tapped to expel any trapped air and then dried to remove all the moisture. It is then fired.
The enamel has to be applied in thin layers - a piece like this would typically take three firings to fill the cells with enamel.
Inlaying
Once enough enamel has been fired to slightly over-fill the cells the surface is ground down with a carborundum stone ( or diagrit papers ) so that the enamel is flush with the surface of the metal.
The carborundum stone is always used with water and the piece is brushed under running water to remove any residue from the stoning process. It's then fired to re-glaze the enamel.
The final stage is finishing the metal edges, which are generally polished. Typically I tend to hand finish by burnishing and hand polishing with leather. Finishing can also be accomplished by lapping on a felt wheel using a slurry of powdered pumice.
However, as a finish on my own pieces I prefer engraving the metal edges. This adds texture and highlights to a design, and if I'm honest, its a lot quicker for me to do than polishing !
Stoning
Finished
Stages
Comparison
First attempt
