A black silver-copper-lead-sulfide alloy melted into engraved recesses on silver or gold, then ground flush. The black holds in the engraving; the polished silver around it reads bright. Russian Tula work, Renaissance Italian armor, ancient Egyptian and Greek ceremonial pieces. Centuries-durable; harder than engraved or oxidized silver.
Niello composition (Renaissance recipe, Cellini): Ag : Cu : Pb : S in roughly 1:2:3:24 by weight, fused to a glassy sulfide alloy at ~600 °C. Engraved recesses on the host piece are heated, niello powder pressed in, fired until the niello melts and bonds to the substrate, ground flush with files / abrasives, polished. Modern niello eliminates lead for safety: Ag-Cu-S only, slightly higher melt point. Adheres only to silver / gold; doesn't stick to copper, brass, or steel without a silver underlayment. Distinct from oxidation-blackened silver (liver-of-sulfur on the surface) — niello is a fused metallic-sulfide inlay, harder, deeper, archival.
character — deep matte black inlay against polished silver / gold, archival, Renaissance / Russian register.
Hughes & Rowe The Colouring, Bronzing and Patination of Metals (Crafts Council, 1991, Watson-Guptill ed. 1995); American Institute for Conservation patina-conservation guidelines.
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Materials and processes for people who design and make things.
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