Freya came to the small letterpress atelier on a side street off the Royal Mile to source foil-stamped invitations for a friend's wedding. Elliot, whose family had run the engraving workshop for two generations, was the one who unlocked the display cabinet.

She asked to see every foil sample twice. He noticed she held each card up to the light before deciding, the way you'd check a diamond. When she finally chose a deep emerald card with a single gold rule, he told her it was the hardest one to stamp — the ink had to be pressed just right, or the shimmer would crack.

Some things are worth the difficulty, she said. Three years and one hand-engraved proposal card later, they are still pressing something worth keeping — this time, a life together.