Listen via
APPLE PODCASTS • RSS • SPOTIFY • RADIOPUBLIC • GOOGLE • MP3
Words engraved into metal are intended to last, though you don’t know who in the future is going to be reading them - your grandchildren wearing your wedding ring, the stranger who found your long-lost possession, yourself at a time of need.
Steven Yardley of Milne & Yardley talks about the disappearing craft of hand engraving. Max Ullmann of the antique jewellery shop A.R. Ullmann Ltd shows the objects engraved in centuries past. Wearing their grandmothers’ rings, Lisa Hack connects to family she doesn’t know, and Freddy McConnell to the family he does. When Eeva Sarlin’s ex-boyfriend lost her Leatherman multitool, she thought she’d never see it again - and were it not for an engraving, she wouldn’t have. And Arlie Adlington, who reports this episode, had words engraved into his ring to remind him of his reality when others threaten to ruin it.
The transcript of this episode is at theallusionist.org/transcripts/precious.
Hear the first of the pair of Engraving episodes, about epitaphs, at theallusionist.org/epitaph.
YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
nacelle
CREDITS:
This episode was produced by Arlie Adlington and me, Helen Zaltzman. Find more of Arlie’s work at arlie.me and follow him on Twitter @arlieadlington.
Martin Austwick makes the music that you hear in every episode. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his new podcast Year of the Bird about the songs he writes.
Find the show at twitter.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/helenzaltzman and instagram.com/allusionistshow, and send me pics of your engraved objects.
Buy your seasonal Winterval-wear and some new singular they merch at theallusionist.org/merch.
- HZ
P.S. Tis the season for festive Allusionists! These are some of my favourite episodes from the back catalogue.
