Award Pins

There are many kinds of lapel pins, and all of them usually represent a particular company, group, organization, or achievement. Award pins are one of those trinkets that factor very high in the self-esteem of the person being awarded, but costs so little to manufacture. These award pins motivate an individual to work better, and it represents a reward for a job well done.

Kinds of Lapel Pins

The most expensive and highest quality pins are the Cloisonné Pins. These are closely followed by the Imitation Cloisonné Pins, the Die struck soft enamel pins, photo-etched lapel pins, and photo-etched pins fitted with an epoxy overlay. The base metal used in the making of the lapel pin can be from copper to bronze and even iron. Each type of pin has its own advantages and disadvantages. Some of the obvious considerations are quality, cost, size and shape of the lapel pin design, the number of colors on etched on the lapel pin, and the durability of the lapel pin itself. If you require help in finding out which type of lapel pin to choose, you should consult with a reputable company for advice to clearly specify each variety of lapel pin. Often a well established lapel pin company can save you a lot of time, as well as money.

What is Cloissone?
Cloisonné is considered as one of the world's fine arts; and is often utilized in making quality custom lapel pins, and the artistry may also be seen on expensive vases and decorative items. Various lapel manufacturing companies have been using Cloisonné for decades to produce exceptional quality lapel pins, the artistry further being refined in the passing of the years. Modern technology has also developed a similar process for manufacturing Imitation Cloisonné lapel pins that are quite difficult to distinguish from the traditionally made Cloisonné.

Cloisonné, is also known as cloisonné enamel, it is the decorative fine art of applying enamel of varying colors on the surface of a copper or bronze base which is then fired, resulting in a brightly colored work of art. This artistic technique was brought into China from the West and reached its pinnacle of perfection as a result of the concerted efforts and artistic prowess of Chinese artisans. Chinese cloisonné eventually became the worldwide standard by which to measure the quality of any Cloisonne piece, and the appraisal of its perfect beauty.

The practice of the art of Cloisonne, dates back to over 1000 years, and is well-known traditional enamelware. It is often referred to as the "Blue of Jingtai" as the color blue is the dominant color used for enameling, and the art of cloisonné became very much widespread during the reign of Jingtai (1450--1456) in the Ming dynasty. Due to the brilliant color and intricate splendid designs, cloisonné has been highly appraised at homes and in many countries abroad. With regard to the delicate making of cloisonné, it involves a tedious number of steps, and quite elaborate, delicate, and complicated processes. This involves base-hammering, soldering, enamel firing, enamel-filling, polishing and gilding.