Cloisonné, an ancient form of decoration, can look stunning in modern jewelry design. The term cloisonné applies to the technique and to the resulting decoration. You have probably seen cloisonné before, especially as beads and small art objects. It is a very eye-catching material. It looks like precious metal or gilt alternating with a shiny, colorful, glassy substance resembling porcelain or enamel. (COPYRIGHT: I'm so sorry to have to put this here, but I've had trouble with online content theft. Readers are welcome to print my articles for their personal use, but I do not allow my text or photos to be copied to anyone's online site. No one may use my content without written permission from me.)
You could regard cloisonné as a form of metalwork. It also requires knowledge working with enamel. According to Wikipedia, cloisonné starts with a metal object, such as a bead. You solder raised metal strips (perhaps wires for tiny objects) on its surface to create compartments, which you then fill with a powder made of colored enamel. You fire the object in a kiln to harden the enamel within the compartments [1].
Fortunately, for the modern jewelry maker, you do not have to know how to do all this. Cloisonné beads and charms are plentiful and reasonably priced. You can find them on eBay or at almost all online jewelry supply stores as well as at your local bead shop. One of my favorite types of cloisonné charms is the segmented fish commonly found in Chinese imports shops. Its head, body, and tail are made of metal-and-enamel scales that attach individually, permitting the movement of the piece like a real fish.
Most cloisonné is put together with copper because it's cheap and easy to work with [2]. With that in mind, your cloisonné charms and beads will pair well with copper wire fittings and copper beads. Gold or gold-plated fittings and wire are also a good aesthetic choice because the warm glow of copper and metal complement each other. However, you can also pair cloisonné beads and charms with silver for a high-contrast look.
One of the best things about cloisonné is the range of colors found in the enamel. A typical cloisonné bead the size of pea might be decorated with pink and white flowers on a blue-green background (see the public domain photo above, courtesy of Wikipedia). With such a range of colors, you can match the bead with several differently colored cords, beads, and charms to work with a color theme. Cloisonné is widely associated with Asian art and jewelry, especially Chinese, and you can work cloisonné items into a variety of Asian-themed earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.
References:
1. Cloisonné, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloisonne, retrieved from Wikipedia 8/23/11.
2. ibid
