About us
The story of enamel
From working in a garage, to selling at Charles Bridge to opening stores around Prague, told by Marketa (the owner and designer of Smaltum).
We’ve been making enamelware for over 20 years…
Enameling is an amazing technique! I have been making jewelry from various materials for my friends and myself ever since I was a teenager. Then I was introduced to enameling (a material similar to glass and porcelain, used for centuries to coat metals) – and I fell in love with it. I started selling my products on the Charles Bridge in Prague.
1990 onwards…
In 1990, my brother and I set up our first kiln in our garage and I began painting enamel mugs as well. (You have got to bake enamel at a very high temperature in special ovens). We started supplying shops in Prague city center and soon after customers from abroad started asking if they can sell our enamelware. How exciting! So the company SMALTUM was born (officially established 1998). Today we have got 5 shops in Prague city center and we also supply shops all over the world. We reckon there are about 1 million mugs with our designs in your homes around the world.
What are we up to now?
I am still in love with enamel. Today I work from our little workshop on new designs. Sometimes just for fun, sometimes something nice comes out of it. I most enjoy those little stories that come back to us: A photo of a happy girl from France, to whom we sent her lost earring or a panicking father from the USA whose kid lost our mug and is refusing to drink from another…When I hear such stories I know that our products bring joy to others as well as me :-)
Markéta NovotnáP.S. Did you know...
...that enamel is known for its chemical stability? This means our products are completely safe to use and children-friendly. You can use our enamelware to cook in on open fire, electro-magnetic induction, gas as well as in the dishwasher. But be careful, the items are made from iron so do not use them in a microwave :-)