Hand Engraved Lettering with John Cook

October 10& 11th 2026

9:30 -5pm

Autumn 2026 we have renowned engraver John Cook teaching in the studio again. This time he'll be leading a two-day hand push engraving masterclass with a focus on lettering. Hand engraved lettering is one of the most beautiful styles of engraving. It can turn a piece of jewellery into something personal and unique that the owner will cherish forever.

How you will learn

The course is designed to help you progress on from a more freeform style of engraving to the more structured nature that is needed when usinging fonts and lettering. We all learn what a letter looks like from a very young age and this offers fewer artistic freedoms than say a flower. So being able to engrave a letter that is recognised by all takes time, practice and method. A wonky letter 'S', a larger letter in the middle of a word or irregular spacing etc all effect the overall quality of lettering. Although this may sound daunting, adherence to a standard structure can actually work in our favour. It gives us, as engravers, rules in which to follow. If we have rules, we just need to follow them. This course will teach you the rules.

John will start you off with some basics to get your eye and hand in and will build on these steps to have a system of approach. By the end of the course you will have with a three letter ribbon cut Victorian monogram.

You will learn

• What fonts work best for engravers

• What tools to use

• How to lay out and align text.

• What cuts are used and where

• How big should the letters be

• What gravers to use and where to use them.

* This course does not include the basics as that is covered in the Intro to Hand Engraving for Jewellers July 10-11th 2026. This course is intended for students who have completed the introductory course or who have experience who are ready to move on to more complex layout and designs required in lettering. You need to be able to sharpen gravers and have some understanding of differences in graver geometery and use.

What you need to bring

As part of the course you will be given practice blanks to use for your training. John provides on loan all the gravers and holding tools you need but you are welcome to bring your own. You will be using 5 gravers: flat 6, flat 1.2, small round 0.4, large round 1, and square graver. John will have some items you can purchase on the day if you choose to.

Rachel Hearne Jewellery School is a fully equipt jewellery studio meaning you will need to bring a minimal amount of tools with you. We will be providing refreshments and goodies through out the day.

Bring vision aids you use (glasses, optivisor, loupe) , pen and paper.

How to get here

Please arrive 15 min before the start of class.

The Studio

3rd Floor

7-9 Glassworks

Lancaster LA1 1NZ

By booking you agree to our Terms and Conditons