Journal

Everyone was sad at Engravers Guild this week to hear that Tiger Woods will not participate in California for the upcoming golf tournament. He is a legend of the game, and his absence is sorely missed.

However, we are pleased that his following in the sport is no more diminished, as demonstrated by the current auction of an inscribed putter by Tiger Woods for the princely sum of 20,000 USD on Ebay.

The replica golf club, to commemorate Tiger Woods’ record-breaking victory at the 1997 Masters in Augusta, has the sportsman’s signature engraved on the sole and comes with the putter rack containing a certificate of authenticity.

Described by the seller as “new” and “unopened”, there were 270 putters made, matching the number of strokes Woods took to win his first green jacket on those Georgia fairways.

The listing follows a sale last year of one of Tiger’s old putters which went under the hammer for 29,000 USD. Though it was never his first choice of club on the green, the association it had with one of the sport’s most famous faces was enough.

Bought new and straight off the shelf, though, the same club could be owned for 150 USD.

While this price difference may seem extreme at first, at Engravers Guild we understand the importance of the story behind the object – the source of the real value for the item.

All of the personalised gifts we deliver each day are designed to put the story front and foremost. We know that it is the personalisation in the message that makes our engraved cufflinks, personalised fragrances and engraved bracelets so special.

So if you are looking to give something that will be kept for many years to come, be sure to visit EngraversGuild.co.uk, where you will find the most beautiful gifts because they are the most personal gifts.

As Theresa May leads her Party Conference here in the UK as the first female Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher, nostalgia was high for memorabilia from the Iron Lady on the other side of the Atlantic.

Christie’s New York, the famed art seller, has been auctioning items that were owned by President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy.

One of the first lots to come under the hammer was a personalised gift from the former British PM.

A pair of silver cups which carry the initials R and N were presented to the presidential couple from Mrs Thatcher and her husband Denis, engraved with the message “With love from Margaret and Denis Thatcher”.

Having carried an estimate of 2,000 USD, the engraved gift surpassed all expectations and was finally sold for 52,000.

Indeed, it wasn’t the only personalised item that started a bidding frenzy.

A set of bar napkins, monogrammed with the words “Reagan’s Bar” sold for 7,500 USD above a high estimate of 400 USD, and a needlepoint cushion from 1984, inscribed with the slogan “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” sold for 71,250 USD over a high estimate of 1,500 USD.

In total, 5 million USD were spent by collectors buying a piece of presidential history, exceeding the predicted sales of no more than 2 million USD.

But what was clear, is that it was the items that were personally marked and with stories behind them that captured the imagination of buyers the most.

Whether it was engraved cufflinks for Mr Reagan, or personalised bracelets for the First Lady, anything that could be distinguished as unique to the respected couple was avidly contested by hungry bidders.

At Engravers Guild, all of our engraved gifts are designed to be something that is truly unique, and special to the recipient. As we approach Christmas this year, we are expanding our collection, so that there is something that appeals to every taste.

So as you buy for your loved ones this season, buy wisely… because what you choose may end up in an auction house in years to come!

As the destination for personalised gifts in the UK, we have to do our bit for the international quest to find the true owner of an engraved ring.

Thanks to an engraving, a worldwide search has been launched for the owner of a wedding ring.

The gold band was found on a road in Perth, Australia, inscribed with the name ‘Gabrielle’ and the wedding date ‘28.5.55’.

With husband and wife having been united now 61 years ago, the hunt is on the re-unite the owner with the ring once again.

A social media campaign has been set up by the wife of the finder of the ring, Stephanie Lee, to find the rightful home of the treasured possession.

The plea for the owner can be found on Facebook, and it has already been shared over 1,000 times. Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the rightful owner should get in touch over the social platform.

As a test, for when someone steps forward to claim the gold band, there is one further engraving on the ring which has not been disclosed to the public, and which must be recited by whoever wants to claim the prize.

At Engravers Guild, we always say how an engraving makes a gift unique and will always stand the test of time. We hope that the engraving helps find the rightful owner of this item, as we hope any of our engraved cufflinks, engraved bracelets, or engraved necklaces would also find their way home too.

At Engravers Guild, we are avid followers of various Awards Seasons from around the world. Any award which is really worthy of its name should be personalised for the winner, and we keenly follow the emotions of the recipients when they pick up their famous prizes.

Many a time we have followed Hollywood legends, sports stars and local heroes as they collect a prize finished with their own name, recognising their individual achievement.

However, today, we have to pay homage to the actions of actress Sarah Paulson. When winning her Emmy at the awards ceremony last night, she really underlined the significance that an engraving can hold.

Ms Paulson picked up her award for best actress in a limited series for her portrayal of lead prosecutor Marcia Clark in The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

The actress was committed to correcting the media’s hard depiction of Ms Clark during the trial period, and invited her as her plus-one for the Emmy evening.

When accepting the Award, Ms Paulson paid respect to the courtroom prosecutor, but it was the gesture later that night which caught the attention of the world’s media and perhaps said more than any spoken words could.

At the Governor’s Ball, the winners take their famous Golden Lady statues to be engraved in a restricted enclosure. But the actress negotiated to have Ms Clark accompany her, and proceeded to have the award engraved with her friend’s name alongside her own.

On a night which dazzles with dresses, egos, jokes, celebrity and gossip, we’re delighted that it was the simple finish of an engraving with dominated newspaper headlines the next day, and we’re delighted that it helped bring light to a worthy issue.

While not all of us may be collecting awards in Los Angeles from the Emmys, we can all express something special with a personalised gift. Our engraved cufflinks, engraved necklaces and engraved bracelets are all designed specially so that the sentiment of the gift is what matters most.

As the England football team regroups after a rather shaky start to its World Cup qualifying campaign, we here at Engravers Guild have identified the cause of England’s woes – the football manager isn’t wearing any engraved cufflinks.

After our disappointing summer performances, we decided to put our best investigative reporter on the case to understand where we went wrong, and where Wales went right. Needless to say, we quickly discovered the secret.

Before the Wales team set off to cross the English Channel for France 2016, its manager, Chris Coleman, was presented with a keepsake which would change the course of Welsh football history for ever.

Swansea University commissioned a pair of personalised cufflinks for the man in charge of leading the country to victory which, like all engraved cufflinks from Engravers Guild, were made in sterling silver.

Most important, though, were the carefully considered words which the cufflinks bore: “Gwlad Gwlad” and “Together Stronger”.

Those four words carried the Dragons all the way to the semi finals, and turned the players into national heroes. Commended for playing as a single team throughout the tournament, the prophecy of the engraved cufflinks was made true.

So for England’s World Cup 2018 participation, Engravers Guild promises to do the same for Sam Allardyce and his merry bunch of men.

Should the England team make it to the World Cup Finals in Russia for 2018, then we will be pleased to present the England manager with personalised cufflinks that feature some carefully chosen words.

Should anyone have any bright ideas over what those words should be, then do get in touch. We’d love to hear your ideas on our Contact page. Given how the England team is playing now, those words better be quite remarkable…

There is no tennis player that Engravers Guild looks out for more keenly – apart from Any Murray – than Roger Federer.

His dominance has made an indelible impression on the game, and he has been a champion of bespoke finish and customisation that we entirely applaud.

His all-white outfits in Wimbledon finals defined a new style and elegance for sport, while his famous ‘RF’ initials helped take personalisation mainstream.

So it was sad when the 17 time major winner announced he would be sitting out of the US Open this year. However, his presence will still be strongly felt at Flushing Meadows.

The tournament has marked the launch of Roger’s new tennis racket, available to the public for the first time – and it is a racket that we take pleasure in endorsing.

Instead of adding the logo detail on top of the frame’s paint job, as is customary, Wilson uses lasers to engrave it in silver underneath the frame.

Using technology that Engravers Guild deploys in the customisation of some of our products, the engraving sets this tennis racket apart from the competition.

Our (second) favourite tennis player said: “I was pushing [Wilson] to be more confident, and almost put nothing on the racquet”.

From all at Engravers Guild, we say to you Mr Federer, “Hear. Hear”.

All of our personalised gifts, such as our engraved cufflinks, are cleanly designed, to let the style and sophistication of the bespoke engraving speak for itself as well.

As Team GB charges to second place in the medals table, the nation has been treated to image after image of medal ceremonies.

An Olympic medal is the crowning achievement for any athlete during their career – so here at Engravers Guild, we thought you might be interested to know why exactly these Olympic medals are so special.

To start with the value… it’s worth noting that gold medals are not solid gold. Each medal awarded to the winner in Rio is made of sterling silver, and plated with six grams of 24 carat gold.

Based on current values of gold and silver, each gold medal is worth approximately £431. Should it have been entirely gold, the value would be nearer £17,000.

No surprise that it is not since 1912, when the Games were in Sweden, were the winners’ medals made this way.

But of course, the real value of any medal is what it represents. And the engraving designs are where the real significance comes through – for they depict victory.

The reverse of the award remains unchanged since the Athens Olympics in 2004, when Greek couture jeweller Elena Votsi chose Nike, the winged goddess of victory, to be carved on the back.

And for Rio, engraving makes the medals even more personal, with the name of the event for which the medal was won being engraved by laser along the outside edge.

The story behind the medals is important as well. Rio strived to deliver the most sustainable Games, and the silver used has been recycled from household items, while the gold is free from mercury.

At Engravers Guild, we take the same approach to our personalised gifts and personalised cufflinks. Each item we despatch has been individually engraved, with the bespoke inscription and gift card belying the story behind the present.

Congratulations to Andy Murray on an historic second trophy at the home of the All England Club.

While Britain’s No.1 tennis player was the undisputed star of last Sunday, here at Engravers Guild we also want to pay homage to the heroes behind the scenes – and, in particular, the engraver.

The winner’s trophy and the runner-up’s plate are just two of 44 trophies, plates and salvers that need engraving on the ultimate day at Wimbledon… and it’s no easy job.

Having been carried out on court for presentations, serenading and photo posing, the awards are then brought in to the engravers’ workshop for the names of their new owners to be inscribed.

From start to finish, the process takes 20 minutes, all to the pressure of waiting photographers and a celebrating winner to have their moment with the trophy again.

Emmet Smith, the engraver for the famous tournament, says: “It is a massive privilege to handle a trophy with so much heritage”. He gives his craft a care and attention that is befitting when making a permanent record of a moment.

Engravers Guild takes the same approach. Each gift that is wrapped and delivered from our London workshop is finished with precision, and it is a privilege for us to create gifts that mark some of the biggest milestones in people’s lives.

Whether it is an anniversary, birthday, graduation or retirement, our engraved cufflinks, engraved necklaces and engraved bracelets mean it can be preserved in no less impressive fashion than the Wimbledon trophy.