graveer

Graveer is a Dutch verb meaning to engrave: to incise a design, inscription, or pattern into a hard surface by cutting, scratching, or removing material. Engraving creates durable marks on metal, glass, wood, and stone and is used in jewelry, commemorative plaques, signmaking, and printmaking, among other fields.

Techniques include hand engraving, where a craftsman uses a sharp tool called a graver or burin to cut lines into a substrate; machine engraving, which uses CNC routers, engravers, or other automated equipment to follow a programmed path; and laser engraving, which removes material with a focused laser beam. In addition, chemical engraving or etching uses a resist and acid to dissolve exposed areas on metal or glass, producing contrasting lines. Engraving differs from etching primarily in the method of material removal: engraving displaces material by cutting, while etching relies on chemical dissolution.

Applications range from decorative and memorial objects to industrial parts and signage, as well as the plates used in some forms of traditional printmaking (intaglio). The craft has a long history, extending from artisanal metalwork to modern digital fabrication, and continues to be practiced with a blend of traditional hand skills and contemporary machinery.