Calligraphy for me, interestingly, began as a hobby after a layoff from my medical device research career. I wanted to send correspondence to friends and family, but I wanted it to be beautiful. One of my mottos is :do it beautifully or not at all.” Calligraphy & engraving became an accidental career after a second layoff. Needless to say, the second layoff was welcomed :) After that, my business took off and became my livelihood. It is always interesting to me to hear how others describe engraving. I recently read this description: Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a ha ..read more

Once upon a time, an engraver had a little time on her hands (a rare occasion) and said engraver just started engraving items just because they were around. This is what happened. Although funny for outside observers, it was entertaining to do. Believe it or not, I did not have any items in my possession with my name engraved on them. I know, strange, but true. So, I rectified that. The truth is that I was testing a new product for engraving and was curious how it would behave with acrylics. Not bad. Not bad at all. I engraved my Chanel lipstick tube and powder. Then I moved on to my engravin ..read more

Engraving fragrance bottles at Jo Malone London’s Houston boutiques is always a pleasure. This particular bottle was engraved at a Dillard’s event in Sugarland to celebrate the anniversary of a lovely couple. The glass on this bottle is quite common in the fragrance industry. There are benefits to engraving in dark glass. Primarily, the engraving looks much more pronounced in dark glass. Here, I filled the lettering with gold. As we all know gold becomes even more noticeable against a black background. As long as your lettering is clean and, above all beautiful, the lettering will look gorgeo ..read more

Tiffany & Co is another company for which I have had the pleasure engraving for nearly a decade. This particular bottle was of the Rose Gold eau de parfum. Needless to say, it is a beautiful bottle. In looking at the design of the bottle, it appears to be reminiscent of a diamond. Makes sense…it’s Tiffany. Engraving this fragrance bottle is beyond easy. The glass used for this bottle is of good quality and nearly engraves like crystal. It’s pretty smooth. With that said, this particular bottle was an exercise in engraving the lettering tighter than I normally would. The client at this eve ..read more

I’ve had the pleasure of engraving fragrance bottles for Cartier for a number of years now. To say that it is always a pleasure would be an understatement. Cartier is nearly the epitome of service, aesthetics and grace conspiring together to create a feeling that you cannot quite describe, but everyone who enters feels. From the manner in which you are greeted to the kindness of every individual present, it is a pleasure. The bottles pictured above have compelled me to post because recently an engraver asked me how to engrave them. Pasha is one of those bottles of fragrance that ranks among C ..read more

This holiday season, I became aware of a fragrance that was new to me. I have engraved for Burberry in Houston many times; however, this was the first time that this beautiful fragrance bottle landed on my engraving table. It is called Burberry Goddess. The information for the fragrance is detailed as such: A unique, gourmand scent led by a trio of vanillas and enriched with luminous lavender. The vanilla is collected by hand, then the beans spend five to seven weeks drying in the sun, before being stored in wooden boxes to mature and develop their sweet, signature aroma. I personally love th ..read more

I have engraved many wine bottles for Delicato Family Vineyards around Houston for for nearly a decade. I remember when Delicato partnered with the Grammy award winning musician Zac Brown to launch Z. Alexander Brown wines. I must admit that I had never heard of Zac Brown when many in the wine world were delighted to have this new portfolio added to the many options already present. I initially expected it to be similar to many other ventures to which many celebrities attach their names for profit. However, I was delighted to learn over the years of engraving these bottles of wine that not on ..read more

After engraving fragrance bottles for Jo Malone London for Valentine’s Day in Houston, I was curious about the history of Valentine’s Day. I found a brief description below from Wikipedia: Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.[3][4] There are a number of martyrdom stories as ..read more

Merry Christmas….just kidding. This is a fragrance bottle that I engraved at a Hugo Boss event in December. Please forgive me for just now posting this bottle; however, I just came across it in my pictures and loved the result. To be fair, I am fully aware that my style of engraving calligraphy is not modern at all……which is exactly what I love about it. I love the vintage look of Spencerian lettering. Although true Spencerian spacing is not always possible of a small canvas such as a fragrance bottle. However, the essence is there, especially in the majuscules (capital letters). This cologne ..read more

Engraving fragrance bottles has been one of my favorite activities for nearly a decade. I do recall my very first onsite fragrance engraving event for a company. As an introvert, I recall being a little nervous. What a difference 12 years can made…. The last few years, these engraving events have been a genuine highlight for me. The perfume bottle above is one that was actually engraved this last December for a beautiful lady named Sarah. She asked that I engrave it such that it was “conservatively done, but with a touch of fun.” With that in mind, I used my favorite S and extended the exit s ..read more