Engraving

Engraving cuts a groove into metal, so the mark is permanent. Hand engravers do it with a burin, a hardened steel tool. On jewellery, the usual job is lettering on a pendant or inside an engagement or wedding ring.

The inside of a band is a common spot because the words are private to the wearer. Common choices are a name or both names, a wedding date, or a short phrase that matters to the couple.

The habit is old. The V&A holds an English gold posy ring made between 1500 and 1600, engraved inside with I am yours KS and with sprigs on the outside. By 1430 engraved love rings were known as posies, and they often seem to have been declarations of love rather than formal betrothal or marriage rings.

All three remove metal, but they do it differently, and a jeweller may offer one, two or all three. Ask which method is used for your piece and ask to see an example on a similar ring.

Hand engraving survives mainly in specialist trades, jewellery among them, while much commercial engraving is now done by milling or other machines. Machine engraving follows a digital design, guided by a computer. Laser engraving uses a focused beam to remove microscopic layers of material. Metals are harder to engrave by laser than some materials because they reflect much of the light and conduct heat away, which is why fibre lasers, whose wavelength metals absorb more readily, are better suited to them.

Keep it shorter than you first imagine. There is not much room inside a ring, and the number of characters that fit depends on the width of the band, the shape of its interior and the method. A wide band holds more than a narrow one. Ask the jeweller for the practical limit for your band rather than relying on a general number.

A few choices make a difference:

• Wording. Names, initials, a date or a short phrase read best. Check spelling and date format twice.
• Font. Plain, open letterforms tend to stay legible when small. Script and ornate fonts can be harder to read at a small size, and thin hairlines are the part most likely to blur.
• Handwriting or a fingerprint. Because machine and laser engraving follow a digital file, a scan of handwriting or a fingerprint can in principle be reproduced. Ask whether the jeweller does this, and see a proof first, since very fine lines may not hold.
• Placement. The inside of a band may already carry a quality mark. Ask where your lettering will sit.

Ask for a proof or a clear description of the layout before any metal is cut. Engraving is permanent, and removing it means taking metal off the band.

Check how the engraving will interact with the band's shape. A comfort-fit band has a curved interior, so lettering sits on a curve rather than a flat. If you might later change the ring size, ask whether the engraving can be kept or redone.

For a new piece, the custom jewellery design and wedding bands services are the places to raise engraving, and a showroom visit lets you see a sample.

None of this is the same as a laser inscription, the tiny report number etched on a diamond's girdle. A report number laser inscription is one of the features of GIA's natural diamond reports. It identifies a stone, while ring engraving is lettering that makes a band personal.