Tutorial Transcript

Hello today I have the honour to be at a jeweller's house in Bourg-en-Bresse, a jeweller named Jeanvoine. This jeweller is very special because he makes enamels from the Bresse region. So I have the honour to be today with Elodie who will show us how we make these Bressans enamels, a very special jewel for the region of La Bresse, so let’s go. Hello. Hello. But what are you doing? So I am making Bressans enamels. It's an old gem that is traditionally made in Bourg-en-Bresse, so it looks like this. It is an enamelled jewel with a gold decor over it. So basically it dates from the 19th century mainly where it is sold a little around the world. I hear that the Queen of England has some. So today we are again much more local and on a more human scale but we kept the same way of doing, the same tools but we just cleaned a lot and made it a little more modern to please a bigger number of people. It's a jewel that almost died because it's too old and we tried to remodel it to please everyone today. So we enamel on a base of fine silver so that's where I'm going to spread my enamel powders. They look like this. So I’m going to spread my powder as evenly as possible. So my only tool is the quill, we did not find anything better, we kept the same tools as back in the time. Once my enamel is put everywhere and that I have the right amount everywhere, I will evaporate the water that is in it and I will go to the oven at 860 degrees, which is the melting point glass at this temperature. My enamel is basically like this, after cooking it will be like that. After cooking. It will have the appearance of vitrified glass and translucent. Which is the specificity of enamels. It is therefore the gold decoration that is put on top. So all those little golden paillons. So here is my treasure box. It's all hand made. Cut into thin gold leaves. That's why my paillons will always remain bright despite cooking. The only thing that is imposed on me. The only characteristics is the rosette in the center, the fact that there is a symmetry. So I will even put my rosette in the center. And after that I will make my symmetry all around. So have you already decided in advance what symmetry it will have? Have you already made a drawing? So not necessarily because suddenly our goal in Bressan enamels is to make unique pieces. I put my rosette and I build my symmetry without really knowing where I go, trying each time to find new ways to arrange them. Because, therefore, all our hallmarks have been passed on to us. There may be a hundred different ways which leaves us an infinite potential. It will soon be  cooked, I must not forget it. It's soon over. So how long does it take? It's still random. A few minutes ago, it depends on the colours, it depends on the stages, sometimes a few minutes, one or two minutes. In all, I even put it five times in the oven. Five times in the oven. Because in the first place, the base is silver so to reinforce it I put enamel on both sides. So I'm going to put a ‘counter enamel’ that I'm going to cook. After, there is my colour that will cook or my decor and after the last step is the small red and white beads that you see on it. So we see that on my base, on my little rosette it's like small partitions. And the goal. I'm going to make balls. With my pen. I make small balls of powder. That I  arrange on my rosette. By trying to make them all the same size. Once I have made all my pearls I will go back to the oven and it will give that impression of hung up golden pearls. So these are not quite pearls? No it's also balls of enamel powder. That's it, it's cooked. Super. And that's after cooking. Cooking, how did it cook, for how many minutes? 3, 2, 3 minutes is something random. It is through experience that we know if it is cooked or not. Ok. Very beautiful, it is very very beautiful. It is very beautiful. So I'm going to show you what is being done today, quite modern things, quite purified but at the origin. I'll let you come here. Thank you. That's what was originally done. So more loaded with a lot of enamels. Even if we kept the same way of doing things... ...we have modernised a lot of this. Super. It's really beautiful. Thank you so much. That's it. Goodbye, see you soon. And kiss kiss.

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