Journal
Stories &
Craft Notes.
From First Email to Front Door: A Commission in Full
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Portrait or Memorial: Which Commission Is Right for You?
They look similar from the outside — a face, cast in metal. But a portrait commission and a memorial commission are different in almost every way that matters. Here is how to know which one you need.
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Opening Notes: Why We Started, and What We Are Trying to Do
A few weeks into being open, our founder writes about the decision to launch Ashbourne & Vale — and the kind of work we are here to make.
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How to Choose the Right Photograph for Your Commission
The photograph you send us is the foundation of everything. Here is exactly what we look for — and how to find the best image you already have.
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Six Hundred Years of Faces in Metal
The portrait medal is one of the oldest forms of personal jewellery — and one of the most enduring. A journey from Renaissance Italy to the present day, and the human impulse that never changed.
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How We Capture a Likeness in Gold
A face holds more than its features. It holds a person. Translating that from a photograph into metal is the most demanding — and most rewarding — thing we do.
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The Story Behind Our First Commission
Our founder shares the commission that started everything — a faded photograph, a widowed wife, and a conversation about what it means to keep someone close.
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Choosing Your Metal: A Guide
Silver carries weight. Gold catches light. Bronze ages with extraordinary grace. We help you understand what each metal brings to your portrait.
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A Medallion for Margaret
We followed one commission from the first conversation to the moment it arrived — a portrait of a grandmother, in 18k gold.
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The Ancient Art of Lost-Wax Casting
A process unchanged for three thousand years. We explain how your photograph becomes a piece of metal that will outlast us all.
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On Heirlooms — and Why Photographs Fade
A photograph feels permanent until it isn\'t. We think about why the objects that outlast us matter — and why metal may be the most honest material of all.
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YOUR STORY DESERVES A PERMANENT FORM