A Look at How Engraving Can Bring a Unique and Meaningful Detail for the Gift of a Ring, Necklace or Charm.
Sunday, February 5th, 2012Many married couples will tell you that it was the small touches that made their wedding day memorable. Small details will often linger in your memory after the taste of the cake and the smell of the flowers has faded away. Couples are using a small touch like custom fine jewelry engraving to make a big impact on their special day and create lasting memories for years to come.
If you want to have your wedding rings engraved you should know that this is one thing you should not do yourself. Just as jewelry casting is best left to the professionals. Engraving something as special as wedding jewelry takes time, patience, experience and a number of specialized tools. Jewelry engravers, especially those working by hand, have likely spent years learning the different properties of precious metals since each metal can take engraving very differently.
There are different ways to engrave jewelry. They include laser engraving and other machine engraving techniques. There is also a hand engraving technique as well. Because laser and machine engraving use computers they can be great for placing text on the inside of rings. This is the technique that is most often used if scribing wedding vows inside of wedding bands.
Remember when you are selecting the style of text to be engraved on a wedding ring that the letters will be quite small. You may want to make sure that the text style you use is plain and easy to read when the letters are very small. There is nothing worse than having people look at the engraved verse on the inside of a ring and not be able to read what it says. Therefore, fluid handwritten styles or intricate calligraphy are best left to items where the letters are larger.
Hand engraving is a different technique. It can be used to produce some beautiful designs but since it can take a great deal of time to master different tools it is best left to the professionals. Hand engraving can often work best on jewelry that is made out of gold. Gold is a very soft metal, especially higher karat gold. Therefore, gold can be a metal which is easier to work with than platinum or silver and therefore may be less expensive to engrave.
If you want to make sure that the engraving will be around for many years to come, consider making sure that the cuts used to engrave the piece are very deep. This allows for some of the metal’s surface to wear away over time but it should not harm the inscription. Deep cuts are a sign of an experienced and capable engraver. If your engraver does not have a large choice in tools this may be a warning sign that they do not have the experience they claim. Experienced engravers like to have a range of tools since different shapes make carving much easier.
One main thing to remember is that engraving is permanent and cannot be changed unless the piece is ground down. There can be problems if you want to change the size of the piece. Stretching will cause the pattern to stretch and warp as well, and cutting and resealing the piece is impossible since the pattern will be harmed and the joins will be obvious.
If you take the time and plan out the piece to be engraved you will be amazed at how touching and memorable the piece can become. Imagine being able to look inside your wedding ring and read your vows as freshly as the day you first exchanged them. Engraving your rings can be one way to express your love and commitment to your partner in a lasting and meaningful way.
