Engraved Art: The Metalwork Masters with Extraordinary Engraving Talents

March 23, 2021

By Katerina Perez

8 min read

For centuries, artisans have used a burin to incise a design onto a solid, flat piece of metal. This is the artistic and learned craft of engraving, and can be used to tell stories, enhance beauty and add depth and dimension to precious metals. Like in every craft, there are those who have simply mastered the technique to be able to do beautiful and impeccable engraving and there are also jewellers who have taken traditional engraving to the next level.

Having started my search for inspiring artist engravers, I have come across the works of five talents, each one adapting ancient hand-working techniques to create their own eye-catching portfolios. What makes them different? Either their own distinctive style of engraving, the precision with which they work or the use of unconventional materials. Let’s discover them one by one. 

Engraved amethyst pendant by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

Engraved amethyst pendant by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

Castro Smith @castrosmith

Castro started his journey as a painter and printmaker and they both continue to inspire his jewellery. He draws on history, mythology, flora and fauna to engrave chunky signet rings, dipped in vibrant colours or given a brushed finish. His career began with an engraving apprenticeship in London’s Hatton Garden where he started at the bottom, keeping tools sharp, cleaning the workshop, polishing, filing and, finally, engraving. Learning how to hold and manoeuvre tools correctly took three months and, today, Castro makes his own tools to ensure they are perfectly suited to his exact style. Castro is based in East London and is perhaps best known for his ‘seal engraving’ techniques, whereby a design is engraved in reverse and much deeper than a traditional two-dimensional hand-engraving. His works are infused with other European and Japanese engraving techniques (he studied under renowned professionals in Japan, including Mamoru Nakagawa and Hiroshi Suzuki) too, to ensure each piece is remarkably three-dimensional.

Castro Smith yellow gold signet ring with blue lacquered engravings

Castro Smith yellow gold signet ring with blue lacquered engravings

 Castro Smith ring with a 2.72 carat blue sapphire, 22 smaller sapphires and  blue lacquered engravings in yellow gold

Castro Smith ring with a 2.72 carat blue sapphire, 22 smaller sapphires and blue lacquered engravings in yellow gold

 Castro Smith Octopus ring in yellow gold with purple rhodium engravings

Castro Smith Octopus ring in yellow gold with purple rhodium engravings

 Castro Smith yellow gold signed ring with lacquered floral engraving

Castro Smith yellow gold signed ring with lacquered floral engraving

 Castro Smith yellow gold ring with koi carp engraving

Castro Smith yellow gold ring with koi carp engraving

 Castro Smith ring in 18k white gold with sun engraving for a bespoke commission

Castro Smith ring in 18k white gold with sun engraving for a bespoke commission

 Castro Smith signet ring with upside down crown engravings

Castro Smith signet ring with upside down crown engravings

 Castro Smith Hellsgate 12 ring in silver with black rhodium and 24k yellow gold plate

Castro Smith Hellsgate 12 ring in silver with black rhodium and 24k yellow gold plate

Przemyslaw Beres @beresart

With nearly four decades of experience as a jewellery designer, Przemyslaw Beres has journeyed from Poland to the United States and, finally, to London, all while pursuing his passion for engraving. Przemyslaw is recognised for bold, large and distinctive forms, including symbolic motifs that are carved in reverse and etched around the entire body of a signet ring. He draws inspiration from baroque forms, Greco-Roman sculpture and his own combination of Greek mythology, gothic themes and modern fantasy comics. Throughout his career, Przemyslaw has used the Latin motto “Ars Auro Prior,” meaning “Art More Valuable Than Gold”. It is perhaps this razor-sharp focus that has allowed him to win 14 prestigious industry awards, including coveted Goldsmiths Craft & Design Council accolades.

Przemyslaw Beres hand-engraving in silver

Przemyslaw Beres hand-engraving in silver

 Przemyslaw Beres hand-engraved bumble bee signet ring

Przemyslaw Beres hand-engraved bumble bee signet ring

 Przemyslaw Beres Medusa engraving, carved in reverse, and shown in wax

Przemyslaw Beres Medusa engraving, carved in reverse, and shown in wax

 Przemyslaw Beres signet ring with a hand-engraved macaw design

Przemyslaw Beres signet ring with a hand-engraved macaw design

 Przemyslaw Beres sterling silver 'Gentleman's Code' hand-engraved signet ring

Przemyslaw Beres sterling silver 'Gentleman's Code' hand-engraved signet ring

 Przemyslaw Beres Dragon vs Phoenix hand engraved fable signature ring with seal impression

Przemyslaw Beres Dragon vs Phoenix hand engraved fable signature ring with seal impression

 Przemyslaw Beres Super blood wolf moon signet ring

Przemyslaw Beres Super blood wolf moon signet ring

Firmo & Francesca Fracassi @fracassi.engravers

This father and daughter duo, based in Italy, have moulded their hands to become one with the burin – a tool that, despite its simple appearance, is capable of creating light, shade and artistic realism when combined with a 10x loupe and held in the right grip. Francesca explains that by mastering the burin, she can create points, dashes, and lines to create realistic portrayals of elephants, birds and big cats in deepest black to palest grey. The Fracassi name is now associated with beautiful and feminine works, like gold rings adorned with engraved flowers, and more unusual creations, such as belt buckles, pen-knives and even the case of Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso timepieces.

Tiger engraving on the back of a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso timepiece by Firmo and Francesca Fracassi

Tiger engraving on the back of a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso timepiece by Firmo and Francesca Fracassi

 A closer look at a tiger engraving on the back of a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso timepiece by Firmo and Francesca Fracassi

A closer look at a tiger engraving on the back of a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso timepiece by Firmo and Francesca Fracassi

 Elephant belt buckle engraved in steel and gold by Firmo Fracassi

Elephant belt buckle engraved in steel and gold by Firmo Fracassi

 Firmo & Francesca Fracassi are masters of using the burin to create realistic engraved images

Firmo & Francesca Fracassi are masters of using the burin to create realistic engraved images

 Engraving on a knife hilt by Firmo Fracassi

Engraving on a knife hilt by Firmo Fracassi

 Roaring leopard engraving by the father-daughter duo Firmo and Francesca Fracassi

Roaring leopard engraving by the father-daughter duo Firmo and Francesca Fracassi

 Swan engraved on a belt buckle by Francesca Fracassi

Swan engraved on a belt buckle by Francesca Fracassi

Joshua Ranger @ j.h.ranger_artworks

Joshua’s route to engraving wasn’t what one might expect. He spent 16 years as a dental technician, which taught him a lot about the gold waxing and casting process (presumably for gold teeth!). In 2015, he began engraving jewellery and creating ‘hobo nickels’ – a kind of engraving art form that encapsulates small works on art on coins – in his spare time to support his family. By 2017, Joshua had decided to dedicate himself to engraving full-time and since then he has been refining his skills and producing miniature scenes, from space travel to mythic beasts, skulls and birds. “What I enjoy most about engraving and making jewellery is the satisfaction of creating a piece of art that can be passed down as an heirloom to be enjoyed for centuries, hopefully… it is also quite relaxing as well,” he says.

Joshua Ranger 'Early Dawn' hand engraved on an 1929 buffalo nickel with inlayed 24k gold and copper

Joshua Ranger 'Early Dawn' hand engraved on an 1929 buffalo nickel with inlayed 24k gold and copper

 Joshua Ranger 'Birth of A.I.' hand-carved 1879 Morgan dollar with inlaid 24k gold, platinum, 18k rose gold, green diamond, peridot, blue sapphire, opal, and garnet

Joshua Ranger 'Birth of A.I.' hand-carved 1879 Morgan dollar with inlaid 24k gold, platinum, 18k rose gold, green diamond, peridot, blue sapphire, opal, and garnet

 Joshua Ranger 'The Trap' hand-engraved on an 1888 Morgan dollar with inlayed 24k gold, 18k green gold, copper, opal, sapphire, and a pearl

Joshua Ranger 'The Trap' hand-engraved on an 1888 Morgan dollar with inlayed 24k gold, 18k green gold, copper, opal, sapphire, and a pearl

 Joshua Ranger 'Ho Bo' hand-carved 1935 buffalo nickel

Joshua Ranger 'Ho Bo' hand-carved 1935 buffalo nickel

 Joshua Ranger ‘Man with bowler hat’ hand-carved on a 1937 buffalo nickel with inlaid 24k gold, 18k rose gold, and silver

Joshua Ranger ‘Man with bowler hat’ hand-carved on a 1937 buffalo nickel with inlaid 24k gold, 18k rose gold, and silver

 Joshua Ranger hand-engraved miniature scene on a coin

Joshua Ranger hand-engraved miniature scene on a coin

 Joshua Ranger Moby Dick inspired coin engraving

Joshua Ranger Moby Dick inspired coin engraving

Nick Noyes @noyesdesigns

When Nick first started making jewellery, he was fueled by a desire to put his personal gemstone collection to good use. Now, more than 10 years later, Nick has immersed himself in making jewellery that combines precious materials, gemstones and ornamental hand-engraving to great effect. Describing engraving as his most “gratifying form of expression,” Nick draws inspiration from nature, Art Deco, antiques and his own family and channels it into pendants that are bursting with detail on all sides. What unites his pieces is a joyful use of colour, whether in the form of gemstones or splashes of enamel.

Bespoke tourmaline pendant with engraved leaf detailing by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

Bespoke tourmaline pendant with engraved leaf detailing by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

 Hand-engraved pendant with a fantasy-cut ametrine by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

Hand-engraved pendant with a fantasy-cut ametrine by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

 hand-engraved design on the reverse of a pendant by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

hand-engraved design on the reverse of a pendant by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

 Hand-engraved pendant with a fantasy-cut ametrine centre stone by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

Hand-engraved pendant with a fantasy-cut ametrine centre stone by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

 Opal and multi-coloured gemstones pendant with engraved setting by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

Opal and multi-coloured gemstones pendant with engraved setting by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

 The reverse of a sapphire pendant that has been hand-engraved by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

The reverse of a sapphire pendant that has been hand-engraved by Nick Noyes of Noyes Designs

Having seen the work of these talented people, I can certainly say that the art of engraving doesn’t only gets passed on to future generations, but it also evolves and takes new heights as a creative medium, don’t you think?

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