INTAGLIO ENGRAVED HARD AND FINE STONES

The tradition of stone engraving is very old and dates back to antiquity. The name intaglio was used then and still is today.

The most commonly used stones for engraving are the hard stones of the agate family (carnelian, sardony, green agate, blue or pink nicolo), jasper (red or blood) or onyx.

Of course we can also engrave lapis lazuli with its deep colour and golden inclusions. This stone is slightly porous and therefore sensitive to acidity, unlike the “hard stones”. It is therefore a stone to be chosen with full knowledge of the facts because it is a little more fragile in everyday life.  

We also engrave synthetic stones such as sapphire, ruby and garnet, which allow us to have transparent stones that are not included and of a uniform colour to enhance the engraving. 

Finally, we engrave on demand fine stones such as aquamarine, peridot, amethyst, pink or green tourmaline, garnet, blue or yellow sapphire, citrine, tanzanite, cordierite, quartz, spinel, topaz…

METALS USED FOR OUR FRAMES

Our jewels in general and our signet rings in particular, are most often made of yellow gold but also of pink or white gold.

The 18 carat gold, whatever its colour, brings both a good mechanical resistance guaranteeing a good ageing and beautiful shades in the three gold colours proposed. 

On request, we can also make signet rings in Silver 925‰ or Platinum 950‰.

Gold

It is, of course, the king of metals and the precious metal par excellence: gold has fascinated men and women for thousands of years and is more than ever an indispensable safe-haven asset, which has also made it less and less accessible over the last few decades.

In its pure state, this beautiful yellow metal is soft in nature and has a rustproof character.

Except for special requests, Agry uses 18-carat gold or 750‰ gold, i.e. 75% pure gold (24 carats) and 25% of an alloy of complementary metals providing a particular colour and strengthening its mechanical properties and durability. 

It is also the gold alloy used for jewellery in France for centuries, unlike other countries or continents that widely use 14-carat gold (580‰) or even 9-carat gold (370‰)

The “recipe” for the different colours of 18 carat gold depends on each workshop but approximately:

Yellow gold consists of 75% pure gold about 12.5% silver and about 12.5% copper.

Rose gold is an alloy of 75% pure gold, about 9% silver and about 16% copper.

White gold is an alloy of 75% pure gold, the remaining 25% being silver and palladium. 

White gold is actually more of a yellow-grey colour and if required, when the customer wants a very white gold, it can be coated with a layer of rhodium, giving it a very “white” colour. As this surface treatment changes over time, it should be renewed in our workshop after a few years (rhodium plating).

The golds known as red, green, blue and violet are not used by our company.

Silver

With its beautiful white lustre and affordable purchase price, silver is the world’s most worked precious metal in jewellery and decoration despite its tendency to oxidise. 

Appreciated for its excellent malleability, silver is also never used completely pure because of its great softness. 

Agry uses exclusively 950‰ Silver, i.e. 95% pure Silver and 5% of an alloy of complementary metals including copper and palladium partially reinforcing its mechanical properties.

Nevertheless, 950‰ Silver remains a metal that will wear and mark significantly faster than Gold or Platinum, in the case of jewellery worn on a daily basis. 

For some cufflinks or brooches, we also use Vermeil, i.e. 950‰ Silver covered with a 24-carat fine Gold plating.

Platinum

Platinum is a precious metal like gold and silver and has a beautiful colour quite similar to that of silver. 

In recent years, due to its high demand by the global industry and low extraction, it has become significantly more expensive to purchase.

While its melting point is particularly high, it is fairly easy to hammer and is abrasion resistant, making it well suited to jewellery. 

It is also used in 950‰ alloys to slightly improve its mechanical properties, mainly by adding copper.

It is also a high density and stainless metal, so it is very suitable for the creation of a signet ring and its engraving.

ORIGINS, HABITS AND CUSTOMS OF THE SIGNET RINGS

The signet ring, also known as a ring or sigil ring, is a ring with a large plate, on which coats of arms or initials are engraved on the reverse side, because according to tradition it should always be able to serve as a seal (from the Latin sigillum) to authenticate the signatory of important documents. The imprint of the coat of arms or the monogram in the wax will therefore be on the right side.

In the digital age, its use as a seal has become a somewhat pointless anachronism, but nonetheless full of symbolism, and keeps alive the tradition and historical meaning of the signet ring itself. 

A signet ring features a design engraved in metal or stone from ancient Egypt to the present day. These motifs have evolved from hieroglyphic cartouches to mythological representations, effigies of princes and symbols. The Middle Ages saw the advent of coats of arms and the science of heraldry to differentiate combatants on the battlefield. Finally, from the 19th century onwards, monograms became very popular with people who wished to wear a signet ring without having a coat of arms.

Contrary to popular belief, anyone, whether or not they are descended from a noble family, has the right to wear a signet ring with arms. This also explains why many ancient coats of arms represent tools or everyday objects linked to a family’s professional activity and why there is a rich history of coats of arms for trades and corporations. 

Concerning the rules of representation of the coat of arms for the Nobility, only the descendants in agnatic line of a noble family could carry stamped coats of arms i.e. with the crown indicating the title of Nobility but this rule is not always respected anymore.  

Wearing the signet ring in France: 

The historical tradition was that men wore the signet ring on the right little finger, except for the “chief of name and arms” – i.e. the eldest – of the family, who wore it on the left ring finger, with the wedding ring. 

For women, the signet ring is traditionally worn on the left little finger. 

According to historical codes, the arms on the signet rings of members of noble families are represented differently:

  • For men, married or not, they are in a shaped, straight or even oval shield depending on the family traditions with the title if applicable.
  • For unmarried women, the arms are those of the father in a lozenge.
  • For women without nobility who are married to a noble man, the arms are those of the husband, sometimes in an oval shape when those of the husband are in a straight shield with the addition of the husband’s title if applicable.
  • For noblewomen, married to a nobleman, the two arms are in two side-by-side ovals with the husband’s crown as a stamp. 

However, this historical practice is no longer strictly adhered to in modern society and it is common to see the signet ring on the left ring finger of many men, whether they are the senior men or not.

The southern European countries of Italy, Spain and Portugal have long had the same habits and customs for wearing the signet ring as in France. But their respective coats of arms are recognisable by the shape of the shields and the composition of the arms.

In England, the signet ring often bears the crest instead of the shield. The signet ring is usually worn on the left little finger by both men and women.

In Belgium and the Netherlands, traditionally there is no difference between men and women in the wearing of the signet ring. The bearers of the family name wear the signet ring on the left little finger because the ring finger is used exclusively for the wedding ring.

In the Germanic countries of the Holy Roman Empire, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, the signet ring is usually worn on the left ring finger. It is also worn on the right little finger in much rarer cases.

Finally, the signet ring can be worn in two ways but without any obligation to link its personal situation to the way of wearing it:

  • in “baise-main”, i.e. with the design facing the nail, theoretically synonymous with the person being free;
  • in “battle”, i.e. the pattern facing the wearer, theoretically synonymous with the person’s heart being taken, or more simply as a sign of courtesy and modesty.

Nowadays, the desire to wear a signet ring is never trivial. Both a piece of jewellery and a seal, the signet ring is also a unique and totally personal object that accompanies the life of its owner, beyond time and fashion. 

The wearing of an engraved signet ring is either guided by tradition and filiation by perpetuating the history of a family, a club or a brotherhood or by the desire to have a unique and totally personal object made, subtly showing traits of your personality and opening the way to a transmission to the following generations.

APPLICATIONS OF HAND ENGRAVING

Although the art of engraving dates back to ancient times, it is still very much alive today and takes many forms.

First of all, engraving should not be confused with chiselling, the former consisting of hollowing out the metal using tools or acid, the latter of deforming it by hammering, using chisels of various shapes.

There are many different engraving techniques, which are used depending on the desired result. 

These different aspects of engraving are related and use techniques that are sometimes similar, requiring precision, rigour and creativity.

The engraver’s hand must master its tools and reproduce the subject, which may be a monogram, a coat of arms, a text in a particular alphabet, a symbol, an ornamental motif, etc., in great detail.

Meticulous preparatory drawings are necessary in order to place all the details, shadows and lights which, optically, will give the illusion of volume to the chosen subject. These drawings allow for possible adjustments, before moving on to the engraving itself.

ENGRAVING AND STATIONERY

The general principle of engraving for printing is to cut into the metal, reproducing the chosen motif or text. 

The engraving is done upside down, with the printing process turning it right side up. Once the engraving is complete, the surface of the metal is inked, then the excess is wiped off, only the fine grooves retain the necessary ink which will be applied to the paper, under the pressure of the cylinder or press.

  • If the motif is engraved in the hollow, the printing ink will be slightly raised (for example on a business card).
  • If the motif is engraved in relief, the printing will be in slight relief (or gold leaf in the case of a gilding iron on leather).

For engravings related to personalised stationery and books, the materials used are copper, wood (more specifically for ex libris), steel or bronze, with which prints, gilding tools, blocks for stamping letterhead, plates for business cards, invitations or ex libris are made…

Intaglio” engraving is done with a burin on thin copper plates. Another way of doing this is to etch with acid on the support, which has been varnished beforehand. The motif to be reproduced is then traced with a point, thus scratching the varnish and exposing the metal in the desired places.

Successive bites of acid are then made until the desired effect is obtained. This technique is called “eau forte”.

Stamp engraving is carried out on steel and is specially adapted to paper for correspondence, whether for a simple address, a coat of arms or a specially created monogram. It is possible to print in several colours, superimposing them exactly. In this case, one block per colour must be engraved, and an additional block for the final embossing, which will give the whole its relief, highlighting the finest details. 

Relief” engraving allows the engraving of gilding irons for art bookbinding, fixing gold leaf on the leather, which reproduces the delicate contours of coats of arms, decorative fleurons, or elegant monograms…

For engravings related to personalised stationery and books, the materials used are copper, wood (more specifically for ex libris), steel or bronze, with which we make prints, gilding tools, blocks for stamping letterheads, plates for business cards, invitations or ex libris…

Intaglio” engraving is done with a burin on thin copper plates. Another way of doing this is to etch with acid on the support, which has been varnished beforehand. The motif to be reproduced is then traced with a point, thus scratching the varnish and exposing the metal in the desired places.

Successive bites of acid are then made until the desired effect is obtained. This technique is called “eau forte”.

Stamp engraving is carried out on steel and is specially adapted to paper for correspondence, whether for a simple address, a coat of arms or a specially created monogram. It is possible to print in several colours, superimposing them exactly. In this case, one block per colour must be engraved, and an additional block for the final embossing, which will give the whole its relief, highlighting the finest details. 

Relief” engraving allows the engraving of gilding irons for art bookbinding, fixing gold leaves on the leather, which reproduce the delicate contours of coats of arms, decorative fleurons, or elegant monograms…

JEWELLERY ENGRAVING

Other applications of engraving include jewellery. 

Signet rings, for example, can be decorated with coats of arms, personalised monograms or any other symbol that will be engraved in reverse (since a signet ring is originally a seal).

On yellow, pink or white gold, platinum, silver, precious stones, semi-precious stones or hard stones, the effects obtained are very varied.

Gold, platinum or silver are hollowed out by successive removal of metal shavings, with scythes and chisels, a long and meticulous work.

Certain repetitive elements frequent in heraldry, such as stars, crescents, ermine spots and fleurs-de-lis, are struck with hardened steel punches, which the engraver has engraved in relief.

Heraldic engraving on stones is done by hand, by carefully abrading the stone with drills that slowly cut into the stone.

The result is a highly detailed, raised wax impression, like a tiny bas-relief. 

Baptismal medals, wedding rings or other jewellery can also be engraved on request with names, dates, initials or dedications…

ORNEMENTAL ENGRAVING

Ornamental engraving, especially on silverware, is done with a burin, but this time on the right side, since the motif must be looked at and not printed. This is what is known as a “readable” engraving. An additional difficulty for the engraver is the curve of the objects.

Only by hand engraving can the concave or convex curves of the silverware be followed. 

The fact of personalising the pieces of silverware by decorating them with coats of arms, monograms surmounted or not by crowns, decorative motifs, flowers, plants, animals… thus gives them a unique character…

Here again, preliminary drawings meeting the client’s requirements are essential, in a style that must be in harmony with that of the object, helping to determine the location of the motif.

Hunting trophies, paintings or collectors’ items are also accompanied by customised engraved cartouches.

So many other ideas, still to be found, can be enhanced and made more beautiful by one or other of the techniques presented above, using the multiform art of engraving, which is thousands of years old and still contemporary.