A die is cut to the image of your design. The raised metal lines create indentations in between which are then hand-filled with the enamel colors. Once all the colors have been laid into the pin, it is fired to melt the soft enamel. This process is similar to a porcelain pin, but once it is fired, you can feel the ridges of the metal with the tip of your finger rather than it being completely smooth as in a porcelain pin.