🖋️ Engraving Conversations – Episode 1
The art of writing in silver
A silver secret with a black heart
If silver could speak, it would whisper – with niello.
This ancient engraving technique, deeply rooted in Byzantine, Russian, and Persian art, is more than decoration. It is a dialogue between metal and soul.
Engravings filled with a black sulfide mixture give the silver not only contrast, but also character. Lines become language. Shapes become poetry. And each piece tells a story – etched in eternity.
The technology behind it
Niello is created in several steps:
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Engraving: First, the silver is cut manually – usually with fine ornaments, floral patterns or symbols.
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Filling: The recesses are filled with a dark metal mixture – a niello alloy of silver, copper, lead and sulfur.
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Heating & polishing: During heating, the mass melts into the engraving. The object is then sanded and polished until the black and silver shine in perfect contrast.
The result? A shimmering surface that looks like a copperplate engraving cast in metal.
The story of Niello
Niello decorations were already used on daggers, crosses, and jewelry in the Middle Ages. In the Russian Empire, the technique advanced to an art form, with workshops in Moscow and Vologda still serving as models today.
Niello was prestige – worn by noblemen, given as gifts at weddings, immortalized on family coats of arms.
Today it is: a return to the depths.
Why Nielloa?
Our brand Nielloa is a homage to this art.
We take the historical craft and continue it – as a design language for gifts , as a seal of poetry , as ink in silver .
"A drop of black, a touch of light – and silver begins to speak."
Welcome to the world of Nielloa – where every engraving pattern is a poem.
Where craftsmanship becomes art. And art becomes memory.
Preview: Engraving Talks – Episode 2
Topic: Tools of Eternity – Engraving work as it still shines today
→ Coming soon to the blog