History

• The cloisonné technique is believed to have begun in ancient Egypt. Sometime around the 14th century, the technique reached China through missionaries. Already in possession of casting and glass productions techniques, the Chinese quickly refined the basic technique into a high art.
  
  Cloisonné is a French word meaning "to be compartmentalized or separated." The term cloisonné is used to identify the technique as well as the finished products (cloisonné beads, cloisonné vase).
  
  

Technique

• The technique is extremely labor intensive and does not lend itself well to automation. The process has many stages; a single cloisonné bead can take up to four hours to produce.
  
  First, wire is applied to the bead's surface to form the outlines of the pattern. Then, richly colored, powdered enamel is applied to the sections and then the bead is fired. Generally, four layers of the enamel are laid and fired before the bead is polished and finished.
  
  

Uses

• These lovely beads are most popularly used for personal adornment, jewelry, hair clips, and clothing accents being the most frequently found. However, these beads can be used for a variety of things such as embellishments for lamp shades, curtains, planters and candles. They also make beautiful holiday decorations, bookmarks, wind chimes and wind spinners.
  
  

Caring for Cloisonné Beads

• Cloisonné beads are a glass enamel bead. They can shatter, chip and crack if dropped or banged. A soft cloth or piece of leather covering over a hard work space is advisable.
  
  Using fingers to string them is preferable to using tools such as tweezers or pliers. Pad tools with cotton or bits of soft fabric or leather if you use them to hold the beads.
  
  Separator bars and spacer beads are often used to protect cloisonné beads from other harder or sharp-shaped beads when strung together.
  
  Do not use harsh chemicals to clean cloisonné beads, and take care if using a silver or gold cleaner to clean any metal surrounding the bead, as it will eat away the enamel of the cloisonné beads.
  
  When storing anything with cloisonné beads on it, you will want to keep it carefully wrapped in a soft cloth or piece of leather to protect the beads and prevent scratches.