B4 Basse Taille Enamel

I love enamel so I was looking forward to this project. I searched for quite a while before finding a pattern to use under the enamel. This is a very simple pendant and not terribly adventurous and I think this is reflected in the marks.

Design - 2 out of 3.5
Use of technique - 3.5 out of 4.5
Craftsmanship - 2 out of 2

Overall 7.5 marks is just a bit of a scrape through. Most of the comments are pretty negative although they did say, "Image and color work well together." There were some very useful points raised by the assessors, "The piece has basically two layers, which give two shades of blue. A fuller relief would have made better use of the technique. A piece like this should have a metal rim to protect the enamel. A sharp blow to the edge of the panel will cause the enamel to chip." These are useful tips.

The chain passes through a tube on the back. The assessors didn't like the conventional chain either so I think this also added to the low marks.

Here is the project description from the Masters Registry website:-

A panel of at least a square inch that demonstrates the use of bass-taille enameling, either over carving or pressed textures. Basse-taille is a process in which transparent enamels are given luster and shading because of the depth and patterns on the floor of the spaces being filled. This should be a finished object — a box lid, a pendant, a brooch, earrings, etc.