A Look at How Engraving Can Easily Bring a Memorable and Meaningful Fine Detail to the Present of a Ring, Necklace or Charm.
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012Have you heard about the new hot trend in wedding rings? Couples are using fine jewelry engraving to carve their vows into the wedding rings on their fingers. This beautiful and personal touch makes reliving your vows easy in a beautiful and classy way. If you think you might be interested in doing this as well, read on for information about jewelry engraving so that you can be sure to get the results you want.
Since jewelry engraving needs precision, it can be a great idea to allow a professional to complete the work, as well as the jewelry casting, but there is no reason that you cannot help by designing the pattern. One tip for creating a usable jewelry pattern is to use a piece of guide paper that is the same size as your piece. That way you can be sure that the pattern is the proper size and proportion to be transferred to your jewelry piece.
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 of items is an art which takes years to master. There are a huge range of different tools that vary in size and shape. The range of tools is needed so that a hand engraver can reproduce different shapes much more easily than with a limited range of tools. Many hand engravers will tell you that the preferred metal to work with is one that is softer such as gold. Gold can be easier to work with than platinum or other harder metals but the engraving may wear off over time. Deeper cuts made into the surface of the metal can help counter act that.
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.
