When you see a gilded SevChern piece, the gold surface is rarely random. It is intentionally placed — on the handle, on the rim of a cup, on an ornamental tip. This is selective gilding, one of the manufactory's characteristic refinements. But how do you apply the gold exactly where it's supposed to be — and nowhere else?
With red lacquer
In the image above, you see the step that almost no one outside the workshop knows about. A master craftswoman brushes a red protective lacquer glaze onto a delicate silver pendant. What she does specifically: She covers all areas that are not to be gilded. The silver negative. What turns red will later remain silver. What remains red will not become gold.
Electroplating in a gold bath
Once the protective lacquer has dried, the piece is transferred on a special hanger to the galvanic gilding bath. In the electric bath, a thin layer of 990 gold deposits on all exposed silver surfaces — i.e., all areas not covered with the red lacquer. Layer thickness: 0.5 to 1 micrometer.
After the bath, the lacquer is removed — and underneath it lies the silver, virginally bright, while all around it now shines gold.
Why this is more than decoration
Selective gilding has two functions that work together:
- Visual contrast. Where gold is present, the piece stands out visually — a gilded handle, a gilded crown, a golden line on the table rim. More richness, more depth, more distinctiveness.
- Mechanical protection. Gold does not tarnish. Where a pure silver piece would develop tarnish discoloration after years, the gilded area remains permanently bright. For silverware that is often handled, this is practical — the areas most frequently touched retain their shine the longest.
Souvenir Egg "Precious Wonder" — 925 silver with niello, selective gilding, and gemstones. Here you can see where the gold lies — and where the protective lacquer kept it away. View piece →
Who makes it
At SevChern, Andrey Smolnikov has been working in the electroplating workshop for 38 years. He came to the factory after the army — first as an assembler, then as an insulator, then to electroplating. "I like the work. Something new, something interesting every day." Anyone in Russia who owns a SevChern piece with gold today has most likely bought a piece that has passed through his hands.
Next time you see a gilded spot on a SevChern piece, look closely at where the gold is. It is never accidental — and it is never industrially sprayed on. It is there where someone with a fine brush left the area clear.
→ Secret 5 — the finishing touch in detail · Gilded SevChern pieces