Often times, engraving on jewelry can multiply the price of the jewelry several times over. Good engraving skills can give more value to the jewelry. There are actually many different ways to engrave jewelry, and jewelers can choose the method of engraving jewelry that suits their needs. If you want to know which engraving method is more suitable for the piece you are creating, then you need to read this article today.
What exactly is engraving?
Engraving is the process of using an engraving tool to leave marks on the surface of an object so that the surface forms a special pattern. When engraving an object, you can feel where and to what extent the surface has been damaged. In addition, the marks made by engraving are actually permanent and the precision that can be achieved is very high. The precision that a good engraver can achieve with his work is something that you can hardly imagine.
Although the engraving process has now reached a very advanced level and the technology has spread to numerous jewelers. Many patterns can be designed with the help of computers, and then the patterns are reproduced onto the jewelry with the help of special high-precision instruments. Due to the precision of the computer, each engraved piece is almost identical, so merchants can rest assured that the mass production.
About the different types of engraving in jewelry
1. Rotary engraving
What is known as rotary engraving is the use of a small drill bit to carve a pattern into the surface of the metal. Virtually all hand engraving is done with rotary engraving tools. However, there are now jewelers who use jewelry engraving machines to complete the engraving.
Although traditional rotary engraving is capable of engraving finer answers. But it still exists some indisputable shortcomings. That is the rotary engraving out of the depth of the pattern can only be limited by the length of the engraving tool. In addition, if the head of the engraving tool is worn out, it is also necessary to replace. Moreover, rotary engraving takes the longest average time compared to other engraving techniques.
Traditional engraving techniques also have special requirements for the materials to be engraved. Rotary engraving cannot be used to engrave materials that are particularly sensitive to pressure and temperature. Jewelry made of plastic or glass cannot be engraved, as these materials are too fragile for traditional engraving tools.
2. Laser engraving
Laser engraving is based on the principle that a strong laser beam is used to illuminate the engraved material, and the irradiated material will be eroded away to eventually form the pattern you want. Before engraving, you can trace out the pattern you want on a computer, and then the machine will reproduce your design on the jewelry.
The advantage of laser engraving is obvious, that is, no matter how complicated your design is and how thin the lines are. Laser engraving can reproduce it because the intensity and diameter of the laser can be adjusted according to your needs. The diameter of the laser can be used to adjust the thickness of the engraved lines, while the intensity of the laser can be used to adjust the depth of the engraved pattern.
Unlike rotary engraving mentioned above, laser engraving involves a wider range of engraving materials. Laser engraving can be used on any material that is sensitive to the external environment, and you can even draw on paper (although this material will not be used to make jewelry). However, there is no doubt that laser engraving can be used to engrave any material.
Since laser engraving does not require a lot of engraving accessories, they need to be replaced as soon as they wear out.
What are the materials that can be engraved?
1. Metals
Metal is one of the most common materials used for engraving, ranging from soft to hard metals. The type of metal engraved by hand is more limited, and rotary engraving is difficult to engrave metal that is too hard.
2. Gemstones
As far as current technology is concerned, rotary engraving is currently not well suited for engraving on gemstones. If engraving on gemstones is necessary, laser engraving is the most suitable method. On the one hand, the precision of laser engraving is very high, and on the other hand, engraving gemstones by hand is actually very risky. Moreover, there are some gemstones that can only be engraved with a strong laser, such as diamonds. The hardness of diamonds is one of the highest in nature, so it’s almost impossible to get a carving knife to engrave a design on a diamond.
3. Glass
It is also possible to engrave patterns on colored glass, so nowadays there are a lot of jewelers who like to use colored glass beads to make some glass pendants with special colors. However, the traditional rotary engraving method is not suitable for engraving such material as glass. Because glass is too fragile, it is easy to break because of too much force. Laser engraving, on the other hand, can easily cut the glass while maintaining the finish of the piece.
4. Plastic
You may find it hard to imagine why plastic is still used to make jewelry. But in fact, there is a lot of children’s jewelry that is made from plastic. Nowadays, a lot of children’s jewelry is made of plastic throughout. However, traditional rotary engraving is not the same as engraving plastic, as the drill bit may generate heat as it rotates, which will most likely melt the plastic and ruin your original design.