Finifft is the Old Russian name for enamel, and it comes from the Greek finiftis, which means shiny. Enamel (from French email) - a strong vitreous coating applied to a metal base (steel, copper, silver, gold leaf), made by special paints on a base of glass, with the addition of various metal oxides and fixed by firing at a temperature of 780-900 degrees Celsius.

Art enamel has always been valued at the level of precious stones, and today it is recognized by leading art historians as a painting of the XXI century. The unique character of enamel miniatures is due to the high pictorial skill of the artist and extremely complex, labor-intensive process of their production.

The history of the craft in the city of Rostov Veliky dates back more than 200 years.  Rostov finifft is considered to be the best in Russia. Painting on enamel almost forever preserves purity, luster and transparency of color. Unlike other types of painting, it isn't affected by light, temperature and humidity fluctuations, or pollution. 

The finished look of finifti, as a jewelry piece, is given by the frame, which is woven by a master jeweler.  Here, the elegant miniature enamel painting is perfectly combined with fine filigree. See the pictures of the pin from the rear.  Filigree (scan) is one of the oldest types of artistic metalwork. The name filigree comes from two Latin words - "filum" (thread) and "granum" (grain). The word scan means to twist, to twist. The twisted wire is supplemented with granum (small balls), making the piece even more beautiful.