Guidance on the Assessment Process
These notes set out how assessments are to be carried out from May 2021 onwards. Unlike the previous system for assessments, the engravings to be assessed are NOT SENT to the Guild. Only images are required (preferably in JPG format). The entire assessment process takes place online and is thus the same for any member regardless of the country they live in.
The Basic Process
The assessment process starts when the candidate has completed the required number of engravings (3 for Craft assessment and 5 for Associate Fellowship assessment) and has had them photographed. The candidate then downloads the assessment request form from the website (or asks the Guild Administrator for a copy). The administrator can inform the candidate of the date of the next assessment. Assessment sessions are normally held twice a year but may be more frequent if sufficient members require assessing. The candidate then sends the completed form by email (preferably – or by post) to the Administrator with the images of the work to be assessed. The assessment fee is paid by cheque or by electronic means (see forms for details). Once the forms, images and fee are received, the Administrator anonymises the request and sends it to the Assessments Coordinator who adds the request to those for the next assessment session.
After the assessment is complete the results are sent to the Guild Council for ratification at the next meeting of the council. The candidate is informed of the result soon after the meeting. It is MOST IMPORTANT that the assessors never know the identity of the candidate and that the candidate never knows the identity of the assessors. To preserve anonymity, the work to be assessed should not have already been displayed online or physically at an exhibition.
Guidance for the Photographer
The images sent for assessment should be digital. Candidates are encouraged to use JPGs as these can be opened on most modern computers. Candidates who send printed photographs by post should note that the guild will convert these to digital ones to email them for assessment.
Images with insufficient resolution will restrict the assessor’s ability to inspect the details of the engraving and may cause them to be rejected as “not assessable”. The engravings should be photographed against a matt black (or suitably coloured but out of focus) background. Crop the images until they only show the engraving.
Send THREE or more images, taken from different anglest for each piece. This is most important for engravings “in the round” where the viewpoints chosen should overlap. That way the images can be mentally assembled into the 3-D form. Please note that the candidate’s name must not be visible on any of the images so that the work can be assessed anonymously.
You should name and describe each of the engravings. You should also state the engraving techniques used and the type of glass used. The image files should be named so that it is obvious which file is for which item. The name of the candidate must not be part of the file name.
Example:
Title: The Weeping Willow
Size: 155 mm diameter x 190 mm high
Glass: 25% Lead Crystal vase
Engraving Techniques: Flexible Drive Engraving by Electric Dental Drill with Diamond, Synthetic and Abrasive Burrs
Files: TheWeepingWillow_1.JPG, TheWeepingWillow_2.JPG and TheWeepingWillow_3.JPG
(Guild Procedures Book – rewritten May 2021 – updated for the new website April 2026)