What is Engraved?
Engraving is the process of etching and carving out the metal to make intricate designs or even form words or names –similar to sculpting. You’ve probably seen examples with reliefs carved out to make room for the gems, or when there is a message on the inner-ring of the band, like “Tom & Kate” or “Love”. Engravings are the standard for band design that we’ve come to know and expect.
What is Filigree?
While engraving is carving away, filigree is the art of soldering intricate designs and placing them on top (or interweaving) with the band. Many will recognize filigree by one of its more popular designs: The Celtic knot.
So Why Does it Help to Know The Difference?
Let’s say for the sake of argument that both you and your partner work full-time jobs (I know, I sounds crazy, just bear with us) and, along with all of life’s other responsibilities, the both of you have precious little time to implement your wedding ideas (crazy, we know) probably even less when you count in New Jersey and NYC traffic. Even in today’s online market, knowing what you want is the difference between precise verses time-consuming searches. Knowing the subtleties of every craft is also how you can get custom work at a reasonable price and avoid absurd costs.
Let’s say either of you are interested in adding your wedding band on top or interweaving with your engagements rings? The easiest that’s going to be done is with filigree, and you can shop around for specific filigree designs that are smaller than the circumference of your engagement ring to make that happen (and compare filigree-specific pricing).
Also, the exact type of engraving on your ring will influence how the filigree can be applied. The metals need a solid foundation in which to solder into or interweave with –this can either compliment the engraving –like a Celtic knot that flows around the ring but stops short for the “Love” marking engraved into the band, or complicates it: a multi-tiered gem design that won’t fit onto the ring because it already has so many engravings it can’t get a stable base.
If you’d like to know more about custom rings, or are just excited to begin your wedding ring search, Brilliant Earth and Gemvara are good places to start. Happy Hunting!
