Re-Enameling Vintage Jewellery

Over the years, I have acquired many pieces of vintage jewellery that has some wear to the enamel. Many of these pieces were relegated to my jewellery box, where I could not bring myself to throw away or wear. It wasn’t until I purchased an interesting vintage Christmas brooch that someone had already repainted but in quite a gaudy green, that the idea of re-enameling came to mind. So off I went to the large craft shop in town and edged my way through the men buying small pots of enamel paint for their model soldiers and vehicles.

I now buy my little pots from a local model shop and so far I have been the only woman in there! But do not let this put you off. The enamel pots are not just available in Khaki and army brown but bright gloss colours that are ideal for jewellery. Gather your paints, brushes, kitchen paper and newspaper together first

Clean the jewellery that you want to paint and allow to dry. Use a just damp cotton wool bud for this.

Lay onto a piece of newspaper or a piece of kitchen towel

Make sure you are not smoking as the paint is flammable and use in a well ventilated room

Use small craft paint brushes and wipe after wards on a towel.

When opened, stir the paint well before use and a little goes a long way.

Paint the area and allow to dry, then paint again – gives a good colour that lasts longer

Either match the original paint and you may have to blend different paints to match the colour

Or you can experiment and paint new shades to be slightly more modern

Experiment on some junk jewellery first before going to paint a more expensive piece though

A great way to recycle jewellery that has small chips or the plate has worn. But be careful it can be addictive

Have fun!