Sterling Silver Cigarette Case, Hand Engravings and Blue Fire Enamel Salimbeni

Rectangular cigarette case with rounded corners in 925/1000 sterling silver with Baroque style hand engravings and blue fire enamel. Size cm. 5,8 x 9 x 1,2 Weight gr. 165. Realized in 1978 in Florence in the seat of the Salimbeni company, designed by Salimbeni Franco and completely handmade by artisan artists with high thickness plate and big reinforcements suitable to support numerous firings of enamelling at about 800° C. and with manual engraving of talented artisan artists to create the enamelled volutes of the baroque design. About enameling There are about 700 different colors of enamel, but in practical use today is limited to about two hundred. However, the layering of different colors allows an almost infinite range of combinations and nuances that can degrade, even on the same object, the darker shades to lighter ones, and vice versa. The object that you want to realize that may then be covered with enamel, must be built not just taking care of details in relation to the subsequent application of powdered glass.Assuming the case that it should be silver, care should be taken that the sheets have a thickness such as to withstand the high temperature “cooking” of the enamel which is not too far from the melting point of silver.Even the title of the metal must be chosen depending on the type of enamel to be applied, because some colors have made different color depending on the greater or lesser quantity of the alloy contained in the metal. The welds must also be such as to prevent deformation of the object exposed to the temperature of repeated firings for the liquefaction of the different colors of the enamel. The larger, finally, is the object and the surface to be coated, the greater effort and attention will be needed to ensure that no record distortions and depressions of the sheets treated. The surfaces to be coated must be surrounded by a step at a slight angle, which can contain the liquid glaze.Typically you use to dig the plate to create usable space, while other times you fillet weld around the plate to be enamelled. Very nice especially the hand-engraved reproducing landscapes, architecture, paintings from the Renaissance period.Finally, before moving on to the stage of enamel, each object must be cleaned with brushes and pickling acids with special care because, especially working the silver, not all the metal oxide glazes turn out to be compatible with the oxide of silver, for which it is necessary to eliminate it completely or at least with extreme care to avoid direct contact with the metal of certain colors, interposing a layer of transparent enamel. Another very effective technique is called enamel “en ronde bosse”, suitable to be applied to the enamel surfaces in the round, such as figurines, eggs etc.. This technique is particularly difficult and delicate because the glass part is still fluid, at high temperature, must be made to adhere to non-planar surfaces, and it takes great skill and attention to ensure that it does not coli downwards, or solidify second different thicknesses, resulting in shades unwanted color.