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Manufacturing Jewelers Since 1922

Engraving

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(en•grA'ving),
—n.
1. the act or art of a person who or thing that engraves.
2. the art of forming designs by cutting, corrosion by acids, a photographic process, etc., on the surface of a metal plate, block of wood, or the like, for or as for the purpose of taking off impressions or prints of the design so formed.
3. the design engraved.
4. an engraved plate or block.
5. an impression or print from this.

Relief Engraving

Intaglio

Pronunciation: [intal´yO, –täl´–]
Design cut into, etched or engraved in gold & platinum, producing a concave, instead of a convex, effect. It is the reverse of a relief or cameo. The term also designates a gem or stone so cut. Seals and signet rings usually bear intaglio designs, so that when stamped upon wax or other plastic substance the impression is in relief.  .

Cameo

Pronunciation: [kam´EO]

Small relief carving, usually on striated precious or semiprecious stones or on shell. The design, often a portrait head, is commonly cut in the light-colored vein, and the dark one is left as the background. Glass of two colors in layers may be cameo-cut; a famous Roman example is the Portland Vase. The art originated in Asia as a decoration on the reverse side of seals. The Greeks were noted for their exquisite designs and cutting on jewelry and on decorations for jewel caskets, vases, cups, and candelabra. The Romans were adept cutters, and Rome remains a center of experts in this art. The art was revived during the Renaissance, and cameo jewelry was a vogue of the Victorian era.

lap•i•dar•y

(lap'i•der"E),
—n., pl. -dar•ies,
—adj.

—n.
1. Also,lap•i•dist (lap'i•dist).a worker who cuts, polishes, and engraves precious stones.
2. Also,la•pid•ar•ist (lu•pid'ur•ist).an expert in precious stones and the art or techniques used in cutting and engraving them.
3. the art of cutting, polishing, and engraving precious stones.
4. an old book on the lore of gems.

—adj. Also,lap•i•dar•i•an (lap"i•dâr'E•un).
1. of or pertaining to the cutting or engraving of precious stones.
2. characterized by an exactitude and extreme refinement that suggests gem cutting: a lapidary style; lapidary verse.
3. of, pertaining to, or suggestive of inscriptions on stone monuments.

Church & Company
2121 Whitesville Rd. Toms River, NJ 08755

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 Last modified: July 25, 2007