CHENYI YE
Hand engraver/ jewellery designer

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Hand Engraving →
Copperplates
Pendants
Wedding Rings
Cultural Approach
Information and Contact
   Chenyi Ye
Hand‑engraving on precious metals dates back at least to the 5th century BC, when artisans used hand‑pushed tools to incise decorative lines on metal. By the 3rd–4th centuries BC, Greek craftsmen were carving scenes and inscriptions on bronze mirrors andvessels, and ancient Egyptians were using simple tools to engrave shallow designs on metal. During medieval Europe, goldsmiths refined the craft, engraving intricate motifs and heraldic emblems; by the 15th century, signet rings bearing family crests were used to seal documents. The 16th‑century introduction of the hardened‑steel burin allowed finer, more precise lines, and push engraving became especially prominent from the 18th to mid‑20th century, adorning jewellery and personal items.

My engraving works continue this traditional burin technique—relying entirely on hand and wrist strength to push the graver rather than using pneumatic tools—thereby preserving the craftsmanship and tactile quality of classic hand‑engraved jewellery.

01.Copperplates


Copperplate engraving originated in the 15th century when goldsmiths replaced woodblocks with burins to incise designs into copper. Early master Martin Schongauer demonstrated the art’s potential through the dynamic composition of The Temptations of St Anthony and Albrecht Dürer’s Adam and Eve showed how finely cut lines could depict human form and natural detail. Italian engraver Marcantonio Raimondi expanded the medium by scraping his plate with pumice to create subtle tonal gradations in The Judgment of Paris, an influential Renaissance. In the 18th century, naturalist Mark Catesby drew and engraved 220 copperplates of birds and plants for his Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, linking hand‑engraved copperplates to scientific illustration.
Building on this rich tradition, my own copperplate prints reinterpret masterworks with my personal insights and also capture the landscapes of Florence, blending historical techniques with contemporary expression.