Engine Turning
Paul Saunders

Gordon Hamme interviewed Paul Saunders who joined McCabe McCarty Ltd as an apprentice when he was sixteen serving a five-year apprenticeship, graduating as a Freeman of the City of London.

With 16 years experience behind him he offers an extended service to the trade, encompassing recessing for enamel, the channelling-out for precious stones and the scoring and gapping of presentation boxes.

From July 2004 Paul became self-employed under the name ‘Paul Saunders Engine Turners.'

Paul explained, ‘Although engine turning has been around for over three hundred years it is relatively unknown within the jewellery trade. There are only a handful of engine turners left throughout the UK. It is my aim to educate the trade to the myriad possibilities that engine turning offers to jewellers, silversmiths and smallworkers.'

In the 16 years that Paul has been an engine turner he has yet to come across a pattern, old or new, that could not be reproduced in an accurate manner. This is exceptionally important for the restoration of antiques, whether it be a box with a damaged side or an decorative egg that has been dented and repaired.

For box makers an engine turner can offer a full scoring and gapping service from a standard four-sided box through to a multi-sided container. Paul explained, ‘Eight-sided boxes are becoming more popular however scoring does not just apply to boxes as an engine turner can help with just a simple ‘L' or ‘U' section too as part of a complex job. The same applies to gapping as a cutter can be made for any size joint tube which can be either a gated or flush joint.'

Paul has found that engine turning techniques are becoming increasingly used by stone-setters in the trade. He explained, ‘With engine turning machines he can channel out for both full and half eternity rings to specific stone sizes be they princess cut or round stones and for whatever quantity of stones the mount might need to take. The also applies to pave setting. The techniques don't just apply to ring mounts but can be adapted to every type of jewellery and stone mount.'

Bespoke wedding rings are being created as ‘one-offs' through engine turning by applying champfered edges, recesses for enamelling or a channel for a sandblasted section. A ring can be divided into sections with the aid of v-cuts or simply hide a solder seam if the ring is both yellow and white gold.

Engine turning is probably best known for the extensive number of patterns which can be marked out on precious metals most famously used by Faberge in the production of the objet d'art royal Russian eggs encrusted in diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and pearls. The art of the engine turner created the superb backgrounds on which the radiant shimmering enamels where used which give the eggs their famous lustre. Nowadays these eggs are so highly prized they are collected by the world's wealthiest museums and individuals. The largest collections are held by the Kremlin, in Russia and the late Malcolm Forbes estate.