Technology/Equipment Grant

Last winter I attended a 9-week jewelry class at Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco. One of the topics we studied was hand engraving and carving, an art that goes back (on metal) to the 1st Millennium B.C.E. Although it is a time-consuming process, I loved it. The finished pieces can be quite beautiful, but I also became enamored with the history of engraving, the origins of which can be traced back to the invention of the printing process. The tools are also unique and wonderful; they have not changed in 2000 years. The points themselves can be studied, as small variations in a point can lead to dramatic differences in the finished piece. I would like to buy a power-assisted hand engraver kit that would let me hand engrave and carve without the physical toll and time needed to do classic hand engraving and carving. I have a combination of tendinitis and elbow problems, and the kit would allow me to develop my work for many years to come. I intend for the art of engraving to be a major part of my jewelry-making repertoire. The power-assisted engraver will allow this to happen, will allow me to explore my artistic vision without restrictions. Therefore, if I'm still engraving years down the road, then that will mean the engraver did its job, and allowed me to continue creatively exploring this wonderful discipline in spite of some physical limitations.