Miniature enamelling is something of a lost art. The technique is difficult to master, and the artisans possessing such skills are an increasingly rare breed. The enameller begins by crushing and cleaning the raw enamels to obtain a very fine powder, which is then mixed with essential oils to achieve the colour palette. The enamel is applied with a brush in successive fine layers, each of which is oven-fired at temperatures exceeding 800°C. Grading the colours is a skill that comes only through experience. As the motif takes form, the enameller increases the intensity and the purity of the colours. The final stage involves the famous Geneva technique, in which a transparent enamel coating or flux is applied and fired again and again, so as to give the design its depth. Each piece requires 20 separate firings in the oven, a highly risky process. When complete, however, the enamel image is set forever, and its colours retain their radiance down through the ages.