A History from Cave Paintings to Computers - Engravers

Engravers are skilled workers who specialize in the practice of lettering and design usually on a hard flat surface by etching or cutting grooves into it. These flat surfaces may include silver, gold, steel, glass, hard plastic, and other materials made of metal. Nowadays, engravers have an easier time doing their tasks because of computerized engraving. The designs can be set and engraved using the computer. Most items to engrave are commemorative things such as wedding rings, jewelry, plaques, trophies, medals, and other memorabilia.

Engravers have been around since prehistoric times when humans first learned how to draw on different surfaces. Prehistoric humans documented their daily lives by engraving the walls of caves with pictures of themselves and of animals and things they saw in their lifetime. When humans became civilized and learned how to create and develop different things, engravers also learned how to design flat surfaces to create pictures and images of people and places. Subsequently, engravers learned how to use a burin which is hardened steel that can cut designs into surfaces such as copper plates. Other gravers include the angle tint tool, Florentine liners, flat gravers, and round gravers, among many others.

Computerized engraving still involves the use of mechanical devices such as those found in printing presses, engraving machines that use diamond stylus to cut cells, and laser engraving machines. Computerized engraving involves the use of computers in designing, setting and controlling the whole process that makes it possible to run automatically. This kind of engraving is especially useful for multiple colored printing on hundreds to thousands of materials per minute.

The usual items to engrave include jewelry (rings, necklaces, bracelets, brooch, etc.), glass, precious metals (gold, silver, and copper), metals, printing blocks, textile and hard plastic, among many others. These items are engraved for sentimental purposes, intricate design, reproduction of other forms of art, recording purposes, identification (serial numbers, manufacturer, logo), printing for photographic images, and for artistic expression to name a few. The most common engraved item that anyone owns is a jewelry item such as a wedding band or an engagement ring.