Though the word is French, cloisonné refers to a form of decorative art usually associated with China or Japan, although it probably originated in Turkey or ancient Mesopotamia. In cloisonné, copper filaments are glued or soldered to a metal surface—gold in the Near East, bronze or copper in China—to create tiny compartments, or cloisons, that are then filled with ground glass blended with metallic oxides to produce colorful enamels. For...Continue Reading