The piece of bad crystal that has the engraving will look hazy, shoddy and unreadable. It's beautifully carved and is a beautiful heirloom. In this article, the writer shares their insights about engraving crystal awards and offers helpful tips for achieving crystal clarity and elegance. If you are at the stage of creating your own award, award.com is one of the best sites to create your own award (as far as crystal work goes) and done in the best manner.
Crystal is a refractive material as opposed to wood or metal. It lets light penetrate through it and refracts and reflects light. The other problem this beautiful piece presents is that engraving will work on opaque materials, but may be difficult to read on a crystal piece. For this reason, crystal awards should possess some engraving skills, typefaces and designs. Consider these nuances and the result could be vastly different – professional or amateur. Installed properly, the engraved crystal awards seem to be floating within the crystal material, and this makes the award form a three-dimensional effect that not only leaves the recipient amazed but also leaves everyone who views it in awe.
Tip 1: Select the appropriate engraving process for the specific types of items you are engraving.
There are several ways that can be used to engrave crystal awards, but not all will have the same effect. A high pressure jet of micro particles is used to create a frosted texture and opacity on the crystal (sand blasting or abrasive etching). The technique offers high wearability, and an old fashion and elegant look. It is most suitable for logos, big text and bold designs. Laser engraving is, however, done with a narrower and more precise beam of light. It is best used in complex pieces of art, small fonts and customised messages. For most crystal awards, the combination of sand blasting for the general design and laser engraving for details will work: sand blasting for the general design, and laser engraving for the details. Always inquire your provider about what method he/she suggests in your own shape and thickness of crystal.
Tip 2: Be Careful about choosing fonts that are easy to read.
It's important to consider the font used in engraving crystal awards. Avoid using fine, light serif fonts, as they will be cut up and destroyed or illegible. Similarly, too elaborate script can be extremely ornamental on the computer, but appear as illegible scratches on crystal. Rather, use bold and clean sans-serif type like Arial, Helvetica or Univers. If you're looking for a more formal style, you may want to consider using a heavier serif font like Garamond Bold or Times New Roman. Slightly increase font size from what it would be on paper. Remember, the engraved surface will appear frosted on the clear crystal and so high contrast will be your advantage. Please test a sample before production runs of crystal awards.
Tip 3: The placement and depth of the tips are important.
The placement of the engraving on crystal is extremely important. Do not put text in the edges either - edges will tend to distort letters because of light. Similarly, refrain from engraving curved surfaces, as they can expand or contract the pattern. The ideal area is a flat (or slightly curved) area of equal thickness. Another factor that affects clarity is the depth of engraving. The text, Shallo and the design will be virtually invisible. If it's too deep it can cause the crystal to crack or show up as a rough engraving. Professional engravers recommend a medium depth, which will create a "frosted look" but have no structural effect. Crystal Awards can have both text and logo; the logo should be at the top or the middle of the award, and the supporting text symmetrically.
Tip 4: Don't forget to consider Backing and Lighting.
Crystal awards can be presented in a variety of ways, which can impact how the engraving is received. Even a beautiful crystal piece with the engraving incorporated into the background on a white shelf might not look too impressive. The pitch frosted engraving will pop off of a dark velvet lined stand or backlit surfaces, though. The acrylic base or light display can be added to the crystal in the making of the crystal awards. Most of the recipients enjoy receiving an LED base with the light for the crystal at the bottom, so that the award can be a beautiful display for any table. Provide them with some guidelines on how to display, so your beautiful engraving can be appreciated.
Tip 5: For this tip, you will simply need to collaborate with a trusted specialist.
Not all the award shops are skilled at crystal engraving. Sometimes, novice providers may have crystal awards that have bubbles, cracks and cloudy impressions. Award.com is one of the most popular and award-winning websites available that has years of experience in the field of crystal engraving. They can sand blast and laser engrave crystal awards, and they've even created an online design tool to allow you to view your engraving before it is created. Their team also provides suggestions for font selection, font positioning and support to ensure your crystal awards are flawless and ready to dazzle.
Conclusion
Crystal awards are an art form to engrave. With the right technique, a clear call to action, font size and style, positioning, depth of the designs, display lighting and a reliable partner like award.com (the award making site), you'll be able to create crystal awards that will light up the recipient's eyes and take any recognition event to a whole new level. Elegance and clarity do not just happen – they are the result of informed design choices. The following tips will help ensure that you gain a memorable crystal award the next time you're in the audience.
Elegance and clarity do not just happen – they are the result of informed design choices. With the right technique, fonts, placement, lighting and a trusted partner, your crystal awards will dazzle every recipient.