Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce – Presentation Bowl Commission

Some presentation commissions require careful preparation long before the engraving begins. This recent piece, created for Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce, was commissioned to mark the retirement of Michael Ratcliffe MBE following many years of leadership and service.

The original enquiry arrived late in the week, with several possible presentation formats under consideration. To help guide the decision, we prepared a series of digital specification sheets.

The final choice was our shallow presentation bowl. Its broad, low profile provided the ideal surface for a more architectural engraving arrangement, allowing the composition to follow the form of the glass rather than sit as a traditional front-facing layout.

Developing the Layout

Rather than placing the inscription directly beneath the logo, the wording was arranged as a circular inscription following the outer curve of the bowl. This allowed the presentation text to sit naturally within the shape while keeping the central area visually calm and balanced.

The Chamber logo itself required careful scaling and positioning. Because the bowl is viewed from above as well as from the front, the engraving needed to resolve correctly from multiple angles, something that becomes particularly important on shallow forms where the curvature changes rapidly towards the rim.

A full digital proof was supplied prior to production, showing the exact positioning, scale and spacing of the final engraving layout before the glass entered the studio.

Production and Turnaround

Once approval was received, the engraving moved quickly into production.

The bowl was hand-prepared and sandblasted in our Fife studio, creating a permanent satin-etched finish recessed into the surface of the glass. The circular inscription required particularly careful stencil alignment to ensure the wording followed the bowl evenly without distortion or drift across the curve.

The completed piece was supplied in a blue satin-lined presentation box and prepared for formal presentation the following day.

Outcome

The final piece combines formal presentation with a restrained engraving approach, using the geometry of the bowl itself to shape the composition rather than forcing the artwork into a conventional layout.

A commission resolved through careful preparation, rapid turnaround, and close attention to proportion and form.