Ember House collection
Custom & Personalized
Make it one of one. Send us a photo, a name, a crest or an idea, and our engravers will cut it into a genuine Zippo lighter. Personalized pieces make the gifts people keep for decades — and they start here.
Custom engraved Zippo lighters from your own artwork
Send us a photograph, a name, a crest, a band logo, a line of handwriting, or a description of an idea. We draw it to the face of a genuine Zippo, send you a proof, and cut it into solid brass only after you approve. The result is a one-of-one piece — no catalogue number, no second copy unless you ask for one.
This is the part of the studio that produces the most meaningful objects. Pet portraits. Wedding dates in handwriting lifted from a card. A grandfather's signature. A unit crest for a deployment. Company marks for a founding team of nine. Most custom work is priced from $89, with portrait and full-relief commissions quoted individually.
How the process works
One: send your material through the contact form or reply to your order email. Two: we confirm feasibility and quote within one working day. Three: you receive a digital proof of the design on the lighter face. Four: we cut, photograph the finished piece, and ship it gift-boxed. Standard turnaround is 5–10 working days; complex portraits take longer and we will say so up front.
What makes a good source image
Sharp, evenly lit, and close. A phone photo in daylight beats a scanned print. For portraits, a straight-on face with clear eyes is far easier to cut than a profile in shadow. For text, send the exact spelling and capitalisation — we do not correct names, because names are not ours to correct.
Common questions
Can I engrave a photo of a person or a pet? Yes. Portraits are cut in relief from a high-contrast reference.
Can you engrave the back as well? Yes — a date, a message or a second motif on the reverse is a common addition.
What if I do not like the proof? We revise it, up to two rounds, before anything is cut. You are never committed to a design you have not approved.
Before you choose
What the difference actually costs
Most lighters in this price range are printed or laser-marked. These notes explain what a hand-cut relief is, how it is made, and how it changes once it lives in a pocket. Nothing here is a sales pitch.
Hand-Cut Relief vs Laser Engraving
Print, laser etch, deep laser and hand-cut relief — what each looks like after a year in a pocket, and what each should cost.
Read the noteHow a Hand-Cut Brass Lighter Is Made
The order of the cuts, why the ground is cleared first, and what cannot be undone once the graver enters brass.
Read the noteBrass Patina: The First Year
Brass darkens where you do not touch it and stays bright where you do. What to clean with, and what to leave alone.
Read the note