Minotaur

Loop pendant made up of vintage cloisonne centerpiece of an unusual rusty cinnamon brown color with an intricate design of dark and light blue and yellow. The bead is surrounded by more vintage cloisonne beads, rusty red, cobalt blue, and turquoise glass beads. This loop is double-strung with strong nylon coated wire and hanging from a satin cord with lobster-claw clasp - a signature piece with a starfish charm on the clasp.

Cloisonne is an enameling technique in which thin wire partitions (called, cloisons) are filled with enamel. This technique is very old, and was practiced in ancient Byzantium and China. First, delicate strips of wire are bent to create a design, then are placed and soldered onto the bead's surface. Next, the spaces are filled with different colored enamels. Finally, the bead is fired and polished several times to produce the desired effect.

This item is available online in my etsy shop!