Seal Engraved

Celebrate your family with a traditional keepsake…

An engraved seal can be the best way to permanently mark your family’s crest in a treasured metal for you and your family to treasure forever. At John W. Thompson and Son in Sydney we use traditional engraving methods to engrave seals into your rings or other metal keepsakes.

The history of the precious family seal…

A seal was traditionally a device used for making an impression in wax, clay, paper, or some other medium, including an embossment on paper, and with the seal the impression was therefore made. Its original purpose was to authenticate a document, whether that was an envelope, letter, or the cover of a container or package holding valuables or other objects.

Seals were used in the earliest of civilisations and by the beginning of the 12th century they had been universally adopted. Traditionally seals were hand engraved in much the same way as they are today and during the reign of King Edward III, figures of every kind (architectural, heraldic and many others) began to appear.

The method we use at John W. Thompson and Son to engrave your seal…

You may wish to engrave your seal on custom signet rings, cufflinks or any precious metal that is important to you. At John W. Thompson and Son we will carve your crest or coat of arms onto your desired Signet Ring, creating a negative. From this we can then create a positive three-dimensional impression in a wax seal. Seals are always engraved in reverse. This is the traditional way, so that the wax impression comes out positive when stamped. We believe in using traditional methods to keep the authentic engraving techniques alive. With John W. Thompson and Son you can rest assured knowing that your seal engraving is functional and traditional.

John W. Thompson and Son have engraves seals for everyone…

Know that your family seal is in good hands when you let John W. Thompson and Son engrave your family’s crest. John has engraved the stationery for most of the Royal Family on copperplate printing plates (intaglio engraving). He has also crafted a hand engraved signet ring for the Prince of Wales and enjoyed the patronage of many high profile Australians.

John W. Thompson completed a five-year apprenticeship with Messrs William Day (Engravers) Ltd at the Angel, Islington, London, in the 1960’s. He was the last apprentice in his craft to be taken on anywhere in the United Kingdom. John then undertook further training at the Central School of Arts and Crafts as well as the London School of Print. He is passionate about engraving, keeping family tradition alive and you can see this passion displayed in his work.

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