In the fourth secret, the niello is melted into the silver — as a solid line. But the piece is not yet born. The last step is missing: the finishing. At SevChern, this consists of two different operations that look very different — and together they produce what we ultimately recognize as "SevChern luster".
Firstly: selective gilding
Not every SevChern piece wears gold. But if a piece is to wear gold — if a cartouche, a coat of arms, a single line is to be highlighted — it doesn't happen by sticking or painting. It happens through galvanization.
Before the piece goes into the gold bath, it must be bare. After the previous operations — grinding the niello layer, sulfuric acid bath — wax residues or mastic traces may still be stuck to the surface. The piece goes into a vat with distilled water and caustic soda. During boiling, the wax dissolves until the silver is truly pure.
Pieces that are not supposed to wear gold do not go into the gold bath now — instead, they are rinsed, dried, and sent on for final polishing.
Pieces with gold areas are prepared: A master applies a special varnish by hand to all silver areas that are not to be gilded. It is delicate, patient work. The varnish must precisely cover only the correct areas — otherwise, gold will end up where it shouldn't.
When the varnish is dry, the piece is placed on a special hanger in the galvanic gilding tub. In the electrical bath, a thin layer of 990 gold is deposited on the exposed silver areas. Layer thickness: 0.5 to 1 micrometer.
This gold layer has two tasks. It beautifies. But it also protects — gold does not tarnish. Where gold lies, the silver remains permanently bright.
Andrey Smolnikov — 38 years as a galvanizer
For decades, one man has been doing this work at SevChern: Andrey Smolnikov. He came to the factory after the army — first as an assembler, then as an insulator. "Then galvanizing. I've been working for 38 years now."
What still keeps him going in his work after 38 years: "I like the work. Every day something new, something interesting." This is how soberly a man puts it who has probably gilded more SevChern pieces than all other galvanizers in Russia combined.
Secondly: Opilovka — grinding that must not be arbitrary
After the gold bath — or directly after the acid bath, if no gold is desired — the piece goes to the last workshop: the finishing. It consists of two steps: Opilovka (grinding) and final polishing.
During Opilovka, the craftswomen remove excess niello residues around the V-grooves. But here comes a special feature that does not occur in any industrial grinding process: The movements must not be chaotic. They must be circular, in a specific direction.
Why? Because the niello forms a crust that is harder than the surrounding silver. If the grinding movements go crisscross, the chipped hard niello splinters would scratch the softer silver like sandpaper. The circular movement prevents exactly that: The splinters are abraded evenly without damaging the silver.
It's a rule that's not written anywhere. It's passed down verbally — from experienced craftswomen to the next generation.
Daria Popova — polisher since 2014
Daria Popova came to the factory with a friend in 2014. She initially worked on niello opilovka, and today she is the final polisher of the art pieces. Eight years. "I like the variety of products. We really make everything — from small items like earrings and rings to large pieces like a samovar." She achieves the shine with a special polishing tool that smooths the silver to a mirror finish.
Thirdly: the triple contrast
The final polishing happens selectively. The masters polish the silver to a mirror shine — but not the niello interior of the ornament. There, they deliberately leave the matte depth. This does not make the niello line dull, but rather more contrasting: Where there is mirror shine all around, the matte black line looks like a real line, drawn with ink on high-gloss paper.
If a gold surface is now added, you have the triple SevChern contrast:
- Golden yellow — where the piece is selectively gilded
- Silver mirror — where the surrounding silver has been polished
- Matte black — where the niello lies in the V-groove
Three surfaces, three perceptions. This is the brand signature of Veliky Ustyug niello art. Other niello schools did not know such a radical contrast. SevChern makes it the rule.
What you can check when viewing
Hold a SevChern piece with niello under a table lamp and tilt it slightly. You will see that the silver all around flashes brightly — that's the mirror polish. But the black in the center of the ornament does not flash. It remains matte-deep, another world in the same piece.
This is no coincidence. This is the polish that Daria Popova and her colleagues consciously do not apply — the matte niello fields are preserved depth.
In the next secret
Six operations have been completed — melting, design, transfer, engraving, niello firing, gilding-polishing. But we have taken a big leap: back in history. Who saved the factory from extinction? Why did folk art survive specifically here in Veliky Ustyug — and why are family dynasties so important? Secret No. 7 — Heritage and Dynasties.
This series of articles shows in 8 episodes how a SevChern piece is made. Sources: official documentation of ZAO Severnaya Chern (Veliky Ustyug, Vologda) as well as factory videos. Texts at premiumgeschenk.de | SilberKosmos.