Oxford engraver etches Jubilee sets (From Oxford Mail)

Oxford engraver etches Jubilee sets

7:00am Wednesday 8th February 2012 in News By Thom Airs

From his small workshop in Oxford, a glass engraver to the Queen has helped to create mementos for the Diamond Jubilee worth £6m.

Philip Lawson Johnston, who has held a Royal Warrant since 2009, has etched images of wildlife from the royal estates of Sandringham and Balmoral on 120 tumblers as part of 60 exclusive Scotch whisky sets.

Featuring 60-year-old John Walker & Sons whisky, each crystal decanter will come in a cask of English oak from Sandringham and be accompanied by two tumblers.

The sets will cost £100,000 each, with at least £1m going to the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST). It aims to further British craftsmanship by offering grants to fund education in modern and traditional crafts and trades.

One of the sets will be presented to the Queen, with two kept in the John Walker & Sons archive.

Mr Lawson-Johnston, who began engraving 41 years ago, set up a workshop at his home in Woodstock Road, North Oxford, in 1988.

Of his involvement in the Jubilee sets, Mr Lawson Johnston, who is a one-man operation, said: “I’m thrilled. For me it’s a unique experience.

“I’m very used to working on my own just with the customer, but on this occasion it was a case of collaborating with a whole team of people – craftspeople at the top of their field.

“I’m also really pleased that the profits will go to the QEST project, which I think is a very good thing.”

Mr Lawson Johnston completed the etchings in batches, managing six at a time during a morning’s work.

Among the wildlife depicted are stags, pheasants, ospreys, and golden eagles.

He said: “I draw the scenes on first with a felt-tip pen, just a very rough outline, and the rest of the detail is added freehand using a little dentist’s drill with diamond and stone tips.”