How does the high-temperature enamel technique give the blue of the Xideng Money Fuwa Mascot Pendant a deep, starry luster?
Publish Time: 2025-12-01
At the intersection of contemporary arts and crafts and souvenir design, the Xideng Money Fuwa Mascot Pendant, with its unique cultural symbolism and exquisite craftsmanship, has become a treasure possessing both emotional value and artistic collectability. The version adorned with blue high-temperature enamel is particularly striking—that blue resembles both the twinkling stars in the night sky and the tranquil ripples of an endless ocean, radiating a mysterious and warm glow as light shifts. This breathtaking visual effect does not originate from ordinary pigments or electroplating coatings, but from the ancient and precise art of high-temperature enamel, the core of which lies in the triple fusion of materials, firing temperature, and craftsmanship.1. Natural Mineral Glazes: The Soul of ColorThe blue glaze used in high-temperature enamel is typically made by grinding silicate substrates such as quartz, feldspar, and borax with metal oxide colorants such as cobalt and copper into an extremely fine powder, then mixing it with pure water. Cobalt blue, due to its extremely high stability and saturation at high temperatures, is the preferred choice for presenting "starry sky blue" or "ocean blue." Unlike chemical dyes, mineral glazes melt into a glassy state in kilns above 800°C. Their color is determined by the crystal structure itself, not by surface adhesion, thus exhibiting a sense of transparency and depth that shines through from the inside out. Multiple layers of glaze can create a gradual visual depth, resembling the natural transition of the night sky from the horizon to the zenith.2. High-Temperature Sintering: Imbuing the Vessel with a Glassy Texture and Eternal LusterAfter the S925 sterling silver base is meticulously sculpted, artisans use extremely fine brushes to fill the predetermined areas with glaze before sending it into a high-temperature kiln. In the intense heat of 800–850°C, the glaze powder melts, flows, and densifies, eventually cooling into a hard, gem-like glass film. This process not only gives the blue a mirror-like high gloss but also, due to the refractive and reflective properties of glass, produces subtle changes in light and shadow under different angles of illumination—appearing calm and serene like the sea when viewed from the front, while revealing subtle starlight when viewed from the side. It is this dynamic interplay of light and shadow that gives the pendant a vibrant life, far beyond what flat printing can achieve.3. Multi-layered application and precise temperature control: achieving a profound artistic conceptionTo achieve a "starry sky-like depth," repeated glazing and firing 3–5 times is often required. Each firing requires precise control of the heating curve and holding time to prevent the underlying glaze from being bleached by high temperatures or the surface from cracking. Experienced enamelers will fine-tune the glaze ratio and thickness based on the results of the previous firing, allowing the blue to deepen from light to dark, from bright to muted, ultimately forming a three-dimensional tone with a sense of space. Especially on the rounded, curved shapes of the Fuwa mascots, the glaze undulates with the shape, allowing light to glide naturally across its surface, further enhancing the flowing imagery of "waves" or "star trails."4. S925 Sterling Silver Base: A Dual Role of Support and ProtectionThe use of S925 sterling silver as the base is not only due to its noble texture and hypoallergenic properties, but also because the white base of silver can best restore the purity and brightness of the blue glaze. Silver's high thermal conductivity also helps the glaze to be heated evenly during firing, reducing color differences. At the same time, the silver base undergoes fine polishing and partial antiquing treatment, creating a contrast between warm and cool tones, and glossy and matte finishes with the enamel blue, giving the overall design more depth and a sense of sophistication.The Xideng Money Fuwa Mascot Pendant is a poetic crystallization of fire and earth, gold and color. Using millennia-old enamel techniques as its brush and minerals as its ink, it paints a wearable starry sky or ocean on a small silver base. Its deep luster is not only pleasing to the eye, but also enduring due to the chemical stability brought about by high-temperature sintering—it never fades and is resistant to the passage of time. For collectors, it is both a warm carrier of Olympic memories and a miniature work of art that can be passed down through generations, quietly telling the eternal dialogue between Eastern craftsmanship and modern aesthetics when worn around the neck or wrist.
