Jewelry Store Laser-Engraving vs Etched-Engraving

If you run or are thinking of running a jewelry store, you should offer a free engraving service to your customers. Once you've learned the process, it should only take you a couple minutes from start to finish. By giving out free jewelry engravings to paying customers, you'll naturally draw more people into your store; thus, resulting in greater sales and greater profits. Here, we'll take a closer look at laser vs etched-engraving and reveal which one comes out on top as the winner.

Etched-Engraving

In the past, nearly all jewelry engraving was done using this method. As the name suggests, it involves "etching" the words, letters, numbers or phrases into a piece of jewelry. Most jewelry stores who participate in etched-engraving use a large diamond-tipped needle that's hooked up to a machine to create engraving. The needle essentially digs out a small portion of the jewelry, leaving behind a clean etched design. Etched-engraving is incredibly cheap, effective and fast. The only real downside to this method is that you'll have to frequently replace the diamond-tipped needle in order for it to work properly. If the diamond begins to wear down, it may not produce a smooth engraving.

Laser-Engraving

On the other side of the fence is laser-engraving. Instead of using a diamond-tipped needle like etched-engraving, it's done with a laser device. The device sends a concentrated beam of high-heat energy directly the ring or jewelry's surface. By using a computer program, the jeweler can tell the laser where to engrave.

One of the differences that you'll notice is that laser-engraving doesn't leave an indention behind like etched-engraving. Instead of digging into the surface of the jewelry, it creates the engraving by using high heat, essentially burning it. This is why most pieces of laser-engraved jewelry have dark engravings that are more prominent than etched-engraved jewelry.

Hopefully, this will give you a better understanding on the two different types of jewelry engravings. While the end result for both methods is quite similar, there are some notable differences that shouldn't be overlooked. For starters, etched-engraving creates a small groove in the jewelry, while laser-engraving burns the surface. I recommend offering both of these engraving techniques to customers, as some people prefer laser and others prefer etching. Be sure to discuss the different methods with your customers ahead of time so they are fully aware of what the engraving will look like.