“This is my greatest achievement after 57 years of engraving.”
“This is my greatest achievement after 57 years of engraving.”
British micro-artist, 72-year-old Graham Short, has spent four months producing his latest piece of microscopic art. Seven years ago he
appeared in the news worldwide when he engraved the first chapter of the Qur’an, in Arabic, on the head of a gold pin.
He said, “I always try to attempt something that people will think is impossible. For a while I’ve been searching for something to engrave that is absolutely mind-blowing.”
Four month’s later, working under extreme pressure, has resulted in ‘The 99 Names of Allah’ being engraved on the head of a gold pin, measuring just 2mm across. The engraving is invisible to the eye and can only be seen under a powerful microscope.
He works at night to avoid vibration from passing traffic and takes potassium, magnesium and beta-blockers to lower his heart to 20 beats a minute. Then, using very fine needles, he engraves between heartbeats when he is perfectly still.
Every three months he has a course of botox injections into his eyelids to ensure there is no distraction from eye nerves and muscles while working.
Clearly pleased with his creation, he said, “This is the smallest engraving in the world, but with the biggest meaning. I’ve managed to carve the 99 Names of Allah, which are taken from verses of the Qur’an, on the head of a gold pin. This is my greatest achievement after 57 years of engraving.”
His work is sought-after all over the world, with collector interest constantly coming in from the US, Germany and Russia amongst others.
He says, “Islamic-inspired pieces like this are my way of paying a compliment to the centuries of tradition followed by craftspeople in the Islamic world. Islamic calligraphy is my real favourite. These designs have adorned mosques for hundreds of years. They are most beautiful.”
You can see more of Graham’s work here!
