Portrait engraving for jewellery adds a unique effect to any jewellery item of Silver, Gold or Platinum. Regardless of meaning, our process transforms any item.
In late 2021, one of our returning clients contacted us for help with a new ring design. Our brief involved the addition of a portrait to a brand new signet ring, made in yellow gold.
The signet ring would stand as a memorial ring. Most importantly, the ring would carry a portrait in memory of a late family member. But, to be honest, we were unsure how easy it would be to engrave a photograph onto an item of jewellery.
Most of the engravings added to wedding rings and memorial rings involve laser-engraving an item. Consequently, we need to work with crisp, clear images with plenty of contrast. Some clients provide a personalized photo.
Creating the artwork
To begin with, we needed a clear graphic to engrave onto the new signet ring. Unfortunately, photographs rarely provide enough contrast to ensure a clear photo-engraving.
To achieve the artwork, a series of sketches simplified the photograph to create a suitable drawing to apply to the surface of the ring.
For many of our engravings, I use Procreate on the iPad Pro to sketch and create some of our designs. On this occasion, I created a simple sketch using linework suitable for engraving. The following image shows how the image was simplified.
Types of portrait engravings for jewellery
The above process can be applied to any photograph to create a simple image suitable for engraving. Human portraits and pet portraits make a popular choice. In contrast, we also add fingerprints, refined in a similar way. We use the same process for photo pendants, a popular choice of Mothers Day. In fact, our engravable heart pendant and round pendant designs provide the perfect blank canvas.
Further help and inspiration
For more help and guidance on our engraving services, please contact us at any time or read some of our related articles below.
About Mark Johnson
My name is Mark and I'm founder at Serendipity Diamonds. By day you'll find me working in our showroom—in a variety of roles. My work (which I love) ranges from photographing jewellery, to writing blog posts and helping clients with my colleagues Drina, Emily and Debbie.
