Porcelain (Cloisonne) has been in use as fine jewelry dating as far back as the hierarchy of ancient China. The blend of gold and silver with porcelain in the forms of bracelets, rings
and necklaces were eventually used to created cloisonne lapel pins. Although they were called other things such as broaches and pendants, they were quite simply lapel pins which were very popular and very sought after.
The Cloisonne jewelry, lapel pins and pendants are very durable due to the fact that the glass as well as the metals used are resistant and impervious to the elements and also the test of time. Cloisonne jewelry was very popular because you could not scratch the surface of the design.
When glass was the newly discovered material in ancient China thousands of years ago due to the use of fire and many varieties of stone and crystals, a wide variety of colors was achieved.
When producing these items the design is stamped or in ancient times cast into the metal. Gold, silver or brass and the recessed areas were then filled by hand with colored glass (porcelain) powder, hot-fired at 1,600-1,900 degrees, and then ground and polished by hand to create a beautiful, rich finish.
Eventually the designing of jewelry was taken another step further with the use of enamel paints. Once the lapel pins or jewelry was created and polished an artist would paint the surface of the glass and create miniature masterpieces of art within the jewelry. When enamel paints were used on the surface of the porcelain it was easier to control due to the smooth surfaces as opposed to metals such as gold or silver.
When you want a high quality lapel pin with a high perceived value and are on a semi-limited
budget, cloisonne pins are true pieces of jewelry that can be given to a customer
or association that insists on jewelry quality.