Helen of Troy

Versatile and delicate, this loop pendant is made up of a lovely vintage cloisonne centerpiece of an unusual antique brown-gray color with an intricate floral design of dark and light blue hues. The bead is surrounded by more teeny little blue vintage cloisonne beads, rusty red, cobalt blue, and irridescent green glass beads. This loop is double-strung with strong nylon coated wire and hanging from a satin cord with golden lobster-claw 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!