Guilloche is a nearly lost decorative engraving or engine-turning technique popular in the 19th and 20th centuries where repeated geometrical designs were applied to metal using a guilloche machine or rose engine lathe. The saying that "what is old is new" applies to guilloche, and some modern-day designers and watchmakers are rediscovering this historical process. This presentation will connect the historical use of guilloche and the machines used to make it with the present desire to learn and understand this process by using all the variables available on a rose engine lathe and a straight line engine. Graphic and video aids will show how these rare machines work and how they are used to create the optical effects seen on the surfaces of masterful works of art such as those made by Fabergé, Breguet, and others.

Author: G. Phil Poirier