What is black enamel jewelry?

Black enamel jewelry was trendy during the Victorian period, and black enamel was popular with designers of Victorian mourning jewelry. Enameling is one of the oldest forms of surface decoration, used to add color to jewelry without having to rely on gemstones. Evidence of enameling goes back to ancient Greece. Monochromatic enameling is also called grisaille, and it begins with a piece of metal jewelry. An artisan applies a thin coating of black powdered glass and then paints a design over top. After that, the maker adds more layers of powdered glass to darken the color and offset the painted image. The finished piece then gets fired at an extremely high temperature to set the enamel. Explore a selection of black enamel jewelry on 1stDibs.