Jacqueline Jimmink
Engraver
Den Burg, Netherlands
A duty to preserve a rare craft
- Jacqueline makes hand engravings on metal, safeguarding traditional approaches
- Her work involves technical mastery and artistry, ranging across jewellery and object decoration
- She offers professional training programmes for an international audience
Jacqueline Jimmink is a master hand engraver with a fervent mission to preserve what is now a rare and endangered craft. At the Polytechnic School MTS Vakmanschap in Schoonhoven in 1988, she kickstarted her practice with a foundation in traditional engraving techniques. Her work combines precision, creativity and a keen eye for detail. In 2024, Jacqueline founded the Knowledge Center Hand Engraving Netherlands, where she offers intensive, small-scale training based on authentic methods, inspiring a new generation to value the beauty of slow, meticulous work. “I am one of the last to have been trained in this way, as the master artisans I learned from have since passed away or retired," she explains. "I have a strong desire to pass on my knowledge to future generations.”
Discover her work
INTERVIEW
The most beautiful aspects of my profession are the silence and beauty. When I engrave from a place of calm and stillness, I am completely immersed in my work. I exist in my own world. It is a slow process that brings great satisfaction, and when the piece is finished and perfect, I get a very special feeling.
Contemporary hand engravers use electric tools, but I prefer to engrave with traditional tools and the burin. Traditional hand engraving existed long before electric engraving and must retain its place, as it represents the true origin of the craft. For me, it also allows for finer work, as hand tools give me greater sensitivity and connection with my work. I work more slowly and with greater control.
The 10 years I spent in Milan were a highlight of my career as I worked for renowned jeweller and goldsmith Gianmaria Buccellati. This was an important period in my development. This partnership has been essential to my training, expertise and skills.
The calm and silence that belong to this craft help ideas emerge. I live on the island of Texel and am inspired by nature around me. Italy, where I spent 20 years of my life, is also a major source of inspiration: the Renaissance, the Baroque, the architecture and the history. My time in Italy had a strong influence on my work, particularly in the refinement of my engraving.
Jacqueline Jimmink
Engraver
Den Burg, Netherlands
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
PHONE
+31 683821783
LANGUAGES
Dutch, French, German, English, Italian
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