Hand Engraving
hand en·grav·ing | ˈhand in-ˈgrā-viŋ
noun
A jewelry technique in which designs are artfully etched into a piece using hand-held tools (scraper, spit stick, scorper, graver) rather than a laser, casting machine, or chemicals
Hand engraving involves sketching and marking designs into a piece of metal by hand using a number of precision hand-held tools, including gravers, scorpers, scrapers, and spit sticks, among others. While there are modern machines that also engrave jewelry, including lasers, chemicals, and casting machines, hand engraving dates back to ancient Egypt and requires an extremely high level of craftsmanship honed over many years in the industry. Because of that experience and the precision of a skilled craftsman, these designs are often finer than those one might find in a cast or machine engraved piece.