Engraving is that act of creating a permanent mark on an object or surface by using tools to scrape off and extract parts of the material to leave text, images, or other marks on the surface. Engravings have been a part of humanity's long and rich history and have helped preserve the ways of life of those who came before us. Think of them as a moment in time being captured and preserved for generations to come.
We are surrounded by engravings from the moment we enter this world until the day we leave it. When we are born, we will be placed in a hospital ward with our mothers and put in a small bed which will feature hardware that is engraved, right down to the manufacturers branding on the nuts, bolts, and frames. We will see it on plaques around the towns in which we live, on the jewellery that we wear, on the bus stops that we use, and eventually on the gravestone where we are laid to rest. Engraving can capture a moment in time and keep it living long after we are gone.
Think of the wedding ring that you wear each day, on the outside, it is just another ring, but on the inside, there may be a personalised message from your loved one. The trophies and medals we win from school age right into adulthood will contain engraved messages commemorating our achievements, the small tankards we commonly gift to our fathers and grandfathers with their names on them. All of these small engravings help build a story of who we are as individuals and make a lasting imprint which can be passed through the generations,
Engraving may not be permanent, after all, common wear and tear and erosion will eventually wipe away the marks we make on things. Even the tallest mountains become smaller with each passing year, thanks to natures forward march in building and renewing. But engraving does help keep our memories alive much longer than any photograph or trinket does, and it has helped shape us as the dominant species of the planet.
This article is going to run through all of the important milestones of engraving, how it has been performed in the past, and how modern technology has helped changed the way in which engraving is performed. If you hold an interest in engraving, then read on to learn all you ever need to know about this intricate and long-lasting trade.
The worlds earliest known engraving dates back to almost half a million years ago and changed the way we thought about our earliest known ancestors. A shell which was carbon dated was shown to be over 430,000 years old. On this shell was a simple engraving which consisted of a basic Zig Zag pattern. While a Zig Zag may seem like something insignificant, nothing could be further from the truth. It shows us that man's brain development and manual dexterity was evolved enough to know how to make basic tools to add this engraving to a shell.
Our current species is Homo Sapien, which basically translates as ‘wise man’. Our past shows that at some point we co-existed with Neandertals, but for one reason or another they died out. Before our current species, of which we know as humans, we had an earlier ancestor known as Home Erectus. Homo Erectus translates as ‘upright man’ and is now an extinct type of hominin. Homo Erectus ruled the world from 1.9 million years ago up to around 143,000 years ago and they were thought of basic in their brain and dexterity capacities. Homo Erectus looked very different to modern day humans and had a much more apelike appearance to them, however, they are the direct ancestors of all of us on earth today and it appears that our brain capacity started to develop during their reign.
Basic stone tools were made and included axes and small blades. It is thought that a small blade was used to engrave the Zig Zag pattern on the shell found in Indonesia, and those in Indonesia around the time the engraving was made were capable of making rafts to travel the seas.
Fast forward to 37,000 years ago to the Abri Castanet cave in France and we have another example of early Homo Sapien engravings. This engraving is much like those of teenage schoolboys of today which can be found in bus shelters and on walls in many places, however, this example shows that even our early ancestors had an inclination to doodle female genitalia on surfaces. It was a long-held belief that modern humans only entered the European continent 40,000 years ago from Africa, but recent evidence now shows that mankind's birthplace was not Africa at all, but Europe. The discovery of human-like teeth from one of our earliest ancestors dating back 7.2 million years in Bulgaria proves that humans began to evolve in Europe around 200,000 years before the hominids in Africa made their appearance. Of course, it took almost 6.7 million years for us to evolve to have the capacity to be able to engrave.
Ancient Egyptians –More than 160 cave engravings were discovered in southern Egypt and dated back to around 15,000 years ago. The ancient Egyptians were famed for their art and sculptures so it comes as no surprise that the discovery of the cave art happened. The largest of the engravings in the cave measures in at nearly 6 feet wide and is an image of a bull.
The most famous ancient engravings from Egypt are those of the hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphs can be found in all major temples, pyramids, and on sandstone tablets and depicted the language of the people of the time. A mix of over 1000 distinct symbols helped build up a complex language and allowed us to understand much of the past of the Egyptian world. In the 5th century, all of the ancient Pagan temples were closed by the late Roman Empire and the knowledge of the hieroglyphics was lost until this 19th century.
Roman Era – While the Romans were busy persecuting anyone who went against their rule, they developed many beautiful and awe-inspiring engravings, many of which are still being unearthed today. The Romans provide us with many of the things we are so accustomed to today, including underfloor heating, cement, and the modern calendar that we still use. But they also provided us with some detailed and intricate engravings which helped show off their skill and development for the time.
The Romans also engraved bronze and iron die’s to cast their coins in. The engraving was an art form in itself and allowed molten silver and gold to be poured into the die to produce the coins. While the coins were not engraved, the die’s were, and without the die’s there would have been no way to cast the coins in the designs that they carried.
1790 onwards – The history of early 20th-century printing would most likely not have developed without the use of engraving. The printing process itself took inspiration from the 1790’s engraved boxwood block. The History Of quadrupeds was the first illustrated book to be published using engrave boxwood blocks. Between 1850 to 1900, roughly 1200 different books were produced using this type of method. However, with the advent of pen and ink drawings and the modern photographic technology, the use of engraved woodblock soon died out.
The 1900’s saw the appearance of the typewriter, which had the alphabet engrave onto its small print parts. The engraved letters, numbers, and characters allowed text to be written manually before reaching the printing press. Wooden stamps were also engraved and were often used to deal letters with wax. The engraved stamps left a unique and personalised mark from the sender. Engraved stampers were also created for official business and many of these are still used today in government offices, post offices, and businesses.
Today's Tech – The modern world of engraving has marched forwards at a fast pace. In the past, engravers were skilled tradesmen who operated in small stores, such as the type where you get keys cut. With the moving forwards of time and the introduction of laser technology, the face of engraving has rapidly changed. What used to take several hours to achieve can now be done in a matter of seconds and the size, design, and intricacy know no bounds.
15 years ago, it would have been thought of as impossible to etch an engraving in the centre of a sealed glass block, but the lasers of today can produce a perfect copy of a photograph or produce a 3D image inside of one. Just about any type of material can be engraved, from leather and concrete to diamonds and metal. The section below will detail the most common types of engraving performed on certain materials.
Stone – In the past, some would have been engraved using small precision chisels and mallets. Today stone is engraved using lasers, which can imprint any given design onto the surface area. Stone engraving will never go out of fashion, largely to a rather morbid subject which is death. Gravestones are produced around the world every day to commemorate and help us remember our loved ones. While lasers have taken over much of the lasering of today, gravestones are still hand engraved as a sign of respect.
Other stones which are engraved tend to be precious and semi-precious ones such as diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. It is not uncommon to see someone's initials laser engraved on too many gems nowadays and loved ones place both of their initials on them as a symbol of eternal love. Commemorative plaques on buildings and pavements are also often engraved with a date and the name and occasion when placed.
Wood – Wood engraving is as popular as ever and can be found on just about every type of wood. Furniture is often intricately engraved with a luxurious finish, decorative items are engraved with the details of the manufacturer, and even doors can have the house number or name engraved on them instead of adding metal hardware.
Metal – Metal is probably the most commonly engraved type of material and creates a lasting imprint of our thoughts, desires, and successes. Wedding rings are often engraved using laser technology and carry secret messages of love and desire to the wearer. Trophies and medals celebrate our wins and losses and help mark special occasions. Hardware and fixtures and fittings will have the make, model, or brand laser engraved on to them, and many luxury silver trays, cups, and bowls feature delicate and detailed hand engraving.
When it comes to metal, the engraving opportunities are endless and the only barrier to how much can be done is the mind of the person who requests it. Lasers have opened up a whole new world of artistic opportunities and what once would have been a standard metal tray can now feature the faces of your loved ones, the paw marks of your pets, and even a perfect copy of a child's handwriting.
Glass – Engraving glass used to be a stressful and delicate procedure that took time and concentration. One slip of the hand could result in broken glass, and the need to start over from the beginning. Laser engraving has again changed the way in which we engrave. In the past, it would have taken days to engrave details on to a set of drinking glasses or a dining set, but today it can be done in a matter of minutes and in a personalised style.
Every type of glass surface can be engraved be it 1 mm thin or as thick as a brick. The 3rd year wedding anniversary gift used to be leather, but with the advent of laser engraving, glass is now standard and it is common to present the couple with an engraved glass or crystal piece.
Lasers – Lasers don’t need to be expensive. In fact, it is possible to buy them online from marketplaces such as Amazon quite cheaply. A laser engraver connects to a computer and a file is fed to it. The image or text is then given set parameters and the laser does all of the rest for you.
Rotary drill – A rotary drill is ideal for engraving and takes many different accessories to help you achieve your manual engravings with ease. A drill such as the Dremmel 3000 is a great starting point for those new to engraving.
Mallet & Chisel– For obvious reasons, a mallet and chisel will not suffice for work on delicate materials such as glass. However, for stone and metal engraving these tools are a must. Regardless of how tough a material may be, the might of the mallet and chisel makes quick work of tough materials.
Pin Vice – A pin vice attached to the drill bits and burs used for engraving and are a good choice for those who need to take extra care with delicate materials. A pin vice is also a great choice for children or those who don’t want to use an electric drill.
Burrs – Burrs are the bits which attach to drill and pin vices and come in all shapes and sizes. Sharp tips allow for fine detail to be engraved, while diamond ball burrs give a cloudy finish to specific areas as required. No engravers toolkit will be complete without burrs as they are what perform the engraving process.
Polishers - Lastly, every engraver will have access to polishers. Much like burrs, these attach to electric drills and give a high finish and shine to metal and glass surfaces to help highlight the detail and beauty of the engraving.
It looks like for now, yes, engraving is very much here to stay. It is still used around the world on a daily basis to mark and celebrate important milestones in our lives. Sure, the way we engrave is ever changing and the advent of modern tech such as laser engraving has replaced the need for much of the manual engraving that was used in the past, but regardless of this, we still love to make our mark on things and lay claim to them by personalising them with our own thoughts and words.
Without engraving, many of the things that we know about today would have been lost in the realms of history. Luckily, some of the oldest engravings we know of today are still in place and able to show us the lives of our earliest ancestors. Unlike paintings and written words, engraving is designed to last thousands of years and is seen as a permanent mark of the people of the time. Who knows? Maybe in 500 years time, a ring of yours may be discovered and lead to the people of the future to look up who you were and help bring your memory alive once more.
Our team can provide professional advice on the best laser marking or laser engraving solution for your project.
