Enamel has been used to decorate metal since medieval times, creating elaborate designs on copper, silver and other metals. Enameled pieces for home use were rare before the 1800s. Around 1880, a few artists on the East Coast made plaques picturing nature to decorate a metal box or lid for a bowl. These pieces by artists like Gertrude Twitchel sell for thousands of dollars today. Enameled metal bowls and ashtrays were favored gifts. Modern jewelry, vases, desk sets and even large wall plaques were made in art schools. Colorful geometric designs, flower forms and imaginative modern creatures were favored. Artists...

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