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tline3open  Engraving a silver gift

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Author Topic:   Engraving a silver gift
June Martin
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Posts: 1326
Registered: Apr 93

iconnumber posted 04-20-2008 10:43 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for June Martin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
[01-2646]

I put this question out to all of you silverphiles who relish the mystery of deciphering the engravings on old silver to understand the history of the piece.

If you were to commission a piece of silver as a gift to someone such as a wedding present, how much information would you impart on the engraved message? For example, would you spell out full names of both giver and recipient so that if some silver sleuth down the road tries to track down the actual people involved they would have an easier time of it? Or would the use of full names be too much?

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jersey

Posts: 1203
Registered: Feb 2005

iconnumber posted 04-20-2008 11:52 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for jersey     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Hello June!

As much as you would like the all info possible, (I would), I think it comes down to the cost factor, and of course space available on the piece. Right now, I personally am going to be engraving a spoon for my first Grand child, so your post is most mind provoking. Also I would consult with the parents to see what they would like it to say.

Jersey

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FWG

Posts: 845
Registered: Aug 2005

iconnumber posted 04-20-2008 01:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for FWG     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Personally I'd probably be cryptic if it were a personal gift, more expansive and detailed if it were a sort of corporate or public thing.

As a collector, which is more interesting: something like the "Octo Octavo" that had people puzzling all week, or something like "Given to Ethel Mae Killum on the occasion of her retirement with 50 years of service as 2nd assistant librarian, 22 July 1913, etc. etc."? Both have their interests, depends on what catches your fancy as much as anything else. Those long, detailed inscriptions probably become more interesting as more time passes and they becomes records of otherwise neglected data.

I've seen a few examples of trays presented to car dealers with all the salesmen's names engraved - simultaneously sort of tacky and intriguing!

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dragonflywink

Posts: 993
Registered: Dec 2002

iconnumber posted 04-20-2008 02:59 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dragonflywink     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Must confess to liking engravings of almost all kinds, but personally, if I could find a craftsman with the skill - would do a fancy entwined monogram with the couple's initials, can be a work of art in its own right in addition to the personal significance.

~Cheryl

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Dale

Posts: 2132
Registered: Nov 2002

iconnumber posted 04-20-2008 03:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dale     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Here is what can be done with the new laser engraving technology. This is done on stainless steel.

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Dale

Posts: 2132
Registered: Nov 2002

iconnumber posted 04-20-2008 03:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dale     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Another example of laser engraving on flatware. This is on stainless and appears to be a custom job.

The technique uses images supplied by the customer and engraves them directly on the flatware.

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swarter
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Posts: 2920
Registered: May 2003

iconnumber posted 04-20-2008 05:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for swarter     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
For a wedding gift, hand engraving of an inscription is more personal - laser engraving I have seen is rather harsh.

One thing to consider is the size of the piece -- a lengthy inscription or large lettering on a small piece could be disfiguring.

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seaduck

Posts: 350
Registered: Dec 2006

iconnumber posted 04-20-2008 05:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for seaduck     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I remember when a common wedding present from the ushers to the groom was a silver cigarette box with their signatures 'engraved' on the lid. I've never thought much about it....what would that process have been?

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Polly

Posts: 1970
Registered: Nov 2004

iconnumber posted 04-20-2008 08:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Polly     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
After our wedding, my husband and I gave my mom and stepfather a thank-you note engraved on a little silver vase, with very personal references and nicknames. I'm sure it will have any future collectors scratching their heads.

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agleopar

Posts: 850
Registered: Jun 2004

iconnumber posted 04-22-2008 10:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for agleopar     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Seaduck, facsimile engraving is where the engraver traces signatures and then transfers them onto the silver and follows the lines with the graver. Actually quite easy compared to script or roman.

Hi June, I always tell customers that there are no rules like in Granmama's day and to make it as personal as possible given space limitations. That also frees one up to do as they please and down the road this will stand out as original {:~)

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argentum1

Posts: 602
Registered: Apr 2004

iconnumber posted 04-24-2008 08:53 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for argentum1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I would much rather have a manually hand engraved presentation of reverse cyhers. The electromechanical hand held devices cannot match the feel of the hand engraved item. As for lasers I would rather look at an ice cube as to me that is how cold they feel/look. But then I like old things, probably because I am getting to be one of those old things. As to what to engrave. Whatever you want as you are the one paying for it. If you like a crowded field then fine or if you want to be crptic then that too, or is it to, is fine. Got stuck in grammatical issue of to versus too.

[This message has been edited by argentum1 (edited 04-24-2008).]

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June Martin
Forum Master

Posts: 1326
Registered: Apr 93

iconnumber posted 04-27-2008 04:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for June Martin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thank you all so much for your input. Engraving a gift really requires a lot of thought and there sure are a lot of options. I went yesterday to see the Fletcher and Gardiner exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum and wow, talk about engraving!

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ellabee

Posts: 306
Registered: Dec 2007

iconnumber posted 05-10-2008 12:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ellabee     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
re wedding-gift engraved initials:

I've just had one of the most satisfying experiences since becoming interested in silver less than nine months ago -- giving away a piece of the family silver.

What made it especially satisfying was the combination of appropriate engraving, the weight and usefulness of the serving piece, and the fact that it's in a pattern that many find appealing but that I'm not eager to have.

It's a "hotcake lifter" (solid, round blade) in a repousse pattern by Stieff that was a wedding gift to my grandmother in 1917. The engraving, done in an interlocking script style, is of my grandmother's married initials. [Against the apparent convention for engraved monograms, the letters are in the order in which they'd appear in a printed monogram -- first name initial, maiden name initial, married last name initial.]

The bride, my cousin, has the same first name as my grandmother and me and is marrying someone whose last name begins with the same letter as my grandmother's married name. The middle initial is different; my grandmother's silver had a B where my cousin would have a P, but the engraving is so swirly that it's quite possible to persuade yourself that the B is a P. wink

My grandmother legally changed her first name when she was 21 to the name my cousin and I share, so I loved being able to give her a piece from the "original ____".

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June Martin
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Posts: 1326
Registered: Apr 93

iconnumber posted 05-12-2008 03:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for June Martin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What a wonderful coincidence on the initials and how great to pass along a family piece. Hope the bride and groom appreciate the nuances of the gift as well as the beauty and practicality of it.

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