Help on Good Engraving Medical Alert IDs & Bracelets

A Guide for good, clean, easy to see, high end engraving for Medical Alert ID Bracelets, Necklaces, & Tags.  What to look for in good engraved medical jewelry.

Engraving is very important when it comes to emergency medical identification.  When you buy a custom engraved medical alert ID, make sure you can read it in a variety of lighting conditions.  When purchasing medical alert identification jewelry its good for you to know what kind of elements are you going to be around.  Do you swim? Do your kids ski or snowboard?  Are you in construction?  All these help you decide on what kind of medical alert bracelet or necklace to get, and help decide how you want to have your medical alert IDs engraved.

• Hi my name is Jon and I am a professional engraver from of Lakewood, Colorado.  I will help explain my expertise on engraving and what works best for medical jewelry.

When a medical tag is engraved using what’s called a "Diamond Head Engraver", this can give it a deep etched looking engraving.  This is most common for getting engraving done and has its Pros and Cons.  The great part about it is it gives the tag more of a natural look being etched into the medical steel or sterling silver bracelet.  The Diamond Head engraving actually etches into the metal of the jewelry so it looks as though it was carved into your medic ID.  Its also permanent however after wearing an alert tag for some time it can eventually wear down the metal.  This is common with Sterling Silver and not as common with Stainless Steel medical IDs.  The diamond head engraving can also be not as good for medical identification.  Reason being is that the main purpose for having an alert ID bracelet is to be able to easily see and read it.  Doctors and emergency medics need to know about your medical condition right away and do not need to struggle trying to read your medical ID.  If your engraving of your medical condition is hard to read because its etched and needs a particular glare to read (or if it's difficult to see at night) than that can be a problem.  Also if your medical jewelry is dirty, or has anything trapped or caked over the engraving, that can be an issue as-well.  (that is something to consider if you participate in outdoor activities often, or if your buying kids medical alert ID jewelry).  Diamond head engraving is great for all other reasons to have something engraved, but for emergency information on your medical identification jewelry its not practical.

Another way is to have it laser engraved onto some kind of anodized metal.  Anodized aluminum is the most common for anodized metals. You can also have your Sterling Silver or Stainless Steel medical bracelet, laser engraved. However, just because your engraver says they laser engrave does not always mean you will get the desired affect that you were looking for, or that I will be talking about. When I laser engrave onto my Stainless Steel Medical Alert Bracelets I have to apply a coating to the metal that will make the engraving become BLACK. This BLACK engraving is great for medical identification.  It is a permanent technique and is easy to see in all conditions.  It is not etched into the metal it looks more like as if it was printed onto the metal. This prevents dirt from ever getting into it and also prevents issues with glare. This type of engraving is not offered by allot of people due to the costly amount of money to make it not to mention the time it takes to prep before you engrave. I do not charge extra for this service as I see it as a requirement for good effective medical ID jewelry.


When you get a medical alert ID that is anodized aluminum it gives it a bright contrasting engraving onto what ever color of aluminum that you choose. Red is the best type since it is easy to see and easy to spot. The engraving will show up as a very light color and gives a great contrast to be read.

When purchasing wood medical tags, your engraving turns out really nice. Normally the wood will be a light - medium tone and the engraving will be a very dark contrasting color.  This makes for a great and unique kind of ID that is easy to read.  The key is to make sure you buy one that has a bright colored red medical alert symbol that will be effective in an emergency.  To get this red effect into the wood, it takes a different technique and should be standard for a good medical ID.

I could go on and on about various other types of materials and techniques, but this should give you a good idea. Mainly you are looking for good clean easy to see engraving.
All these types of engraving are all water proof and permanent. The laser engraving is the best way to go for medical alert ID jewelry, for its unique and very clear and easy to read affect.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME:

My name is Jon and I specialize in medical alert IDs.  I have been engraving all kinds of items for the past 10 years and now specialize in medical alert identification.  I believe this to be one of the most important items to be engraved.  I offer some of the newest fashionable medical tags available.  I also strive to have some of the best engraving out  their to keep your medical ID easy to see and read.  I am consistently looking to network with others to help people become aware and donate medical IDs to doctors and hospitals.  Also various groups or Non-profits that may need some info, flyers or maybe some other items I might be able to give out.  For more information on how you might be able to help people in your area or your favorite non-profit please contact me.  Also see some of my other guides and my various newsletters for all kinds of info from diabetic cook books, to tips and ideas, new products, Non-profit updates. 

Thank you for reading please let me know what you think and if you have some info for me.  Don’t ever hesitate to contact me for anything you might have questions about,  and/or ideas for your help in your area.

Take care,
Jon