Home and Family

Identity and achievement: We all want to show others that we have them. How do we show identity and achievement? By sporting cloisonne lapel pins and patches, such as military patches. Cloisonne pins are a formal way to show our affiliation. With a pin in our lapel, we can brag about the company we work for, the organization we belong to, or the status we have achieved. Patches are a decorative but inexpensive way to show who we are and what we’ve done in a more casual manner. Important among the patches are military patches, which can express the effort and sacrifice of the wearer.

Cloisonne is an old and beautiful process that was developed in the East. Beautiful artistic pieces can be created using this process. The effect is similar to stained glass but is not transparent. This process is made up of many complicated steps. Cloissone consists of various colors of enamel fired onto a metal base. The different colors or sections of the piece are separated by a thin wall of metal. First the artist creates the metal base in the form of the finished object, for example, a butterfly. Next a silver wire is soldered into place as the separator between the colors. Third, the enamel powder is placed into the separated areas. Various chemicals create enamels of varying colors. After the enamel chemicals are in place, the piece is fired. The intense heat creates the beautiful, shiny enamel. After the firing, the piece is polished, and finally, the piece is gilded or electroplated.

Although this is a complicated process, small lapel pins can be made for a modest cost. However, although the pins are inexpensive, they can be quite beautiful, appearing more valuable than they actually are. This characteristic is a great boon to a company that wants to give a small gift with Wow power. For this reason, cloisonne lapel pins make excellent free gifts or acknowledgments for contributions.

Another use that makes the cloisonne lapel pin valuable is trading at a large event. Swapping pins gives attendees an opening for meeting others and a talking point for conversation. Consider the Olympics. Olympics attendees arrive with a supply of identifying pins that are valuable beyond the bits of metal and enamel. People of greatly disparate cultures are able to get to know one another through the exchange of pins. And then in the years after returning home, going through the collection of pins can bring back precious faces and memories.

To acknowledge identity or achievement in a more casual way, you may prefer to use patches. Embroidered patches are larger than pins and can be sewn or ironed onto casual clothing such as jackets, hats, and vests. Patches can identify places that the wearer has visited, and competitions she has won. A fully festooned vest or jacket can indicate the pride of an active and interesting person.

A special category of patch is the military patch. Again, the meaning and sentiment behind the patch is immeasurably valuable beyond the mere fabric and colored thread. A military patch is a visible piece of patriotism and belonging to a humanitarian cause.

Patches and pins are bits of cotton or metal, but the pride and achievement behind them make them a bargain at twice—no thrice—the price.