Commission 18 · Light, water & the decorative
Lettering, plaques & house numbers
حفر ونقش على الحجر
The smallest thing we make and the one people notice first, because it is at the front door at eye height. Arabic and Latin, cut properly, with the letterform respected rather than stretched to fit the plaque somebody already bought.
How it is built
Incised, raised, gilded or inlaid in a contrasting stone.
- V-cut incised on the CNC then hand-finished, or the ground relieved to leave the letter raised.
- Filled with paint, gilded, or inlaid with a contrasting stone cut on the waterjet.
- Arabic is set by someone who reads it. Letter joins and proportion do not survive being scaled by a machine alone.
| Cut | V-incised or relieved raised, CNC then hand-finished |
|---|---|
| Fill | Paint, gold leaf, or waterjet stone inlay |
| Scripts | Arabic and Latin, set rather than stretched |
Worth knowing before you order
Gilding outdoors on a south elevation needs genuine leaf, not a gold paint that will be brown in two summers.
Stone
What it is cut from.
Deep contrast between stone and fill is what makes lettering readable from the street at dusk.
Black Aswan
Dense black with a subtle grey crystal.
Galala Extra
The selected, lightest and most uniform grade of Galala.
Imperial Grey Dark
The deep-toned selection of Imperial Grey, veins on charcoal.
Red Aswan Dark
The deep oxblood grade, with heavy black mineral.
Bianco Halayeb
Pale grey-white granite with fine dark speckle.
These are stones we hold. See all 94
Also in light, water & the decorative
Other commissions.
Backlit onyx & agate panels
The stone stops being a surface and becomes the light.
Fountains, water walls & basins
Running water on stone, done so it still looks right in year five.
Planters, urns & garden pieces
For a courtyard that has to look the same in ten years.