Dartington Crystal is known for its hand-etching by Nick Davey who is a Master Engraver. He can achieve a great level of detail within the etching.

The photo below is a commissioned piece for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Only 48 pieces were produced and these sold out before the games had even started.

what I find fascinating about this design is how the etching is done on both the back and front of the glass. This gives a three-dimensional perspective as the infamous London landmark (Big Ben) is in the background whilst the Olympic Rings are in front. The shape of the glass means that it has an interesting perspective.

Having the etching going all around the glass works in some cases and not in others. With the leaves and vines, it works really well as the vines overlap giving the three-dimensional view. However, this would not work so well with text and some detailed illustrations as there would be too much going on meaning the important elements would be lost.

Nick Davey has a workspace set up in the view of the public who visit Dartington Crystal. This allows people to see how he etches, and the process it takes. On his desk you can see some of the things he is working on. Some are hand etched on a plain glass, whilst others have been sandblasted first and then etched onto after giving another dimension to the finished product.