Personalising your Jewellery
There are two main methods of personalising jewellery with names, dates and other marks with significant meaning. These are hand-stamping and engraving. At aujune we hand-stamp all of our personalised pieces. Read on to find out more about these personalised methods, and why we choose to hand-stamp our pieces.
What is the difference between hand-stamping and engraving?
Hand-stamping jewellery is a traditional technique where a metal stamp is used to impress a design or lettering onto a piece of metal, such as a pendant or charm. The steel stamp is held by hand and struck with a brass hammer to create the impression in the metal. As it is done by hand and eye, when a piece is hand-stamped there may be variations in alignment, spacing and depth of the letters - which add to the beauty and uniqueness of the piece.
Engraving jewellery, on the other hand, is a technique where a design or lettering is carved into the surface of a piece of metal either by hand using a tool called a graver or by machine using a laser. When carried out by a machine, as is the case with most larger jewellery brands, the final piece has a ‘perfect’ and very uniform look with precise spacing, depth and alignment. Each piece with that engraving will look identical.
Engraving has a much more modern, clean and uniform look whereas hand-stamped jewellery is more organic.
What can I expect from my handstamped jewellery?
Your hand-stamped jewellery will have an organic look and there will be slight variations in alignment, spacing and depth of the letters. I love this as it adds to the beauty of the piece and makes it truly one-of-a-kind, just like the memories if signifies.
If you prefer a more modern, precise look to your personalisation, engraving may be a better option for you.
Why do you choose to handstamp your jewellery and not engrave it?
I like the organic, vintage and unique look that hand-stamping provides and believe it gives a more timeless, heirloom quality to the piece. Hand-stamping also requires a higher level of craftmanship than machine engraving and I think there’s something extra special about knowing your jewellery has been completely hand-made using traditional techniques, with the care and attention it deserves.
