Acid Etched Jewelry

The word ‘etching’ comes from the German word ‘ezzen’ which means ‘eat’ because the drawing is eaten into the metal by acid.  Etching is faster and cheaper than hand-engraving (but maybe not laser engraving!).

What is Acid Etching?

 Acid etching uses chemical corrosion to selectively remove metal.  The idea is to cover parts of an object with an acid-proof paint (a resist), then submerge the piece in acid (an etchant). The acid eats away at the metal that is not covered by the paint to create a relief.  

Etching can be used to create delicate linear drawings, for bold reliefs, for letters, and as a preliminary step for enameling, niello, or inlay.

History of Etching

Since the Middle Ages, etching was used by goldsmiths and other metal-workers to decorate metal items such as weapons, armor, cups and plates in Europe.   Daniel Hopfer (1470-1536) was one of the first artisans to etch armor.  He lived in Augsburg,Germany and  used an acid resist probably made from asphaltum, rosin, and beeswax.  A mixture of salt, vinegar, and charcoal was used as the acid etchant.

Hopfur coated the armor (made by a different artisan) with the resist.  When the resist was dry, he drew the design on the resist by scratching through it with a needle to uncover areas of the metal to be etched by acid.  The metal was placed in a container with the acid where it stayed until the design had been etched to the desired depth.  The metal was then rinsed, cleaned, polished, and assembled into the suit of armor.

Modern Etching

In the 1800s, the discovery of hydrofluoric acid made etching of glass and other nonmetallic materials possible.  More effective resists and more powerful acids developed in the 1900s made etching even more versatile.   Now, etching is a vibrant technique with its own specific look.