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Difference between photo-etched and hand-engraved rings
 Most companies producing signet rings today use a process known as photo-etching.
Photo-etching will produce a ring that is fine if all you want is a ring with your arms on it to wear. In most cases, though, photo-etched rings will not produce a correct wax seal. In
photo-etching the ring top is coated with a photo sensitive jell. The design is then projected onto the ring top, producing a mask that is partly resistant to acids. The ring is
then placed into an acid bath and those parts of the ring not coated by the resist are eaten away. Photo-etched rings can have only two levels, those parts that are etched away and
those that are not. Only the simplest of arms can be rendered correctly in three dimensions by using only two levels. There are rules that should be followed when
rendering arms in 3D just as there are when drawing the arms. As an example, a shield with a chevron and three mullets (stars) on the chevron, when correctly correctly rendered
in 3D, is on three levels. First the field then the chevron raised above the field and finally the mullets raised above the level of the chevron
. It's not generally possible to do this by acid etching. The hand engraved rings I make will produce a wax seal that is correctly on three
levels. Additionally, acid etching the design can only produce flat topped impressions. A rampant lion produced by acid etching will look
flat, like a plateau in the shape of a rampant lion. I actually carve an intaglio image of a rampant lion in the ring top so the wax seal show
a rampant lion with his far limbs farther away and the lion rounded in all the places a lion is supposed to be rounded.
Here are examples of some wax seals made from rings I've engraved.
There are some instances where acid-etched rings are superior. If you want small text on the ring top, acid etching will produce tiny text
accurately. It's almost impossible to hand carve a motto with 1/32" letters into a ring top.
Finally check the price. I may be able to produce a ring for you that will make a heraldically correct wax seal for less money than many others charge.
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