basket Your basket >
>
Your wishlist >
reset search

We offer layaway, spread payments on the piece of your dreams. Ask us for details. Free insured shipping on all orders !!!

jewelry glossary

Antique jewelry glossary

Welcome to our extensive antique jewelry glossary with around 1,500 jewelry related entries.If you feel you are missing an explanation, feel free to let us know and we will add it.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z     all

Niello

An inlay used in decorating in black on silver (infrequently on gold) that is somewhat related to champlevι work except that the effect is metallic rather than vitreous.

The process involved engraving (or, for large areas, using other indenting processes) the design into a metal plate, then filling the indented portions with a powdered black matt alloy made of metallic sulphides (sulphur with silver, copper, and lead) according to various formulae, together with a flux, after which the piece was heated until the alloy melted (at 1200° C) and became fused in the grooves and depressions of the design; the piece, when cooled, was scraped and polished until the niello was removed except in the then contrasting design.

Niello decoration is found on Bronze Ages non-jewelry articles (usually of gold) and was reintroduced in Roman jewelry in the 4th century AD, and was also used in Egyptian and early Byzantine jewelry, as well as Anglo-Saxon jewelry; however, the method for executing such work was different, in that the inlay was of silver sulphide alone, and it was not melted but merely heated until plastic, then inlayed and burnished. In the 11th century the niello formulae were developed, and it was used on gothic jewelry and on some pieces made during the Renaissance.

Niello has been used also in India and Islamic countries, and also in Russia. An imitative process was used in the Balkans by inlaying lead alone, and also by Dutch engravers during the late 16th and mid-17th centuries by applying niello as a background. Its use was revived in the 19th century by Karl Wagner; and it was used in France by Ιmile Froment-Meurice and in London by S.H. and D. Gass.

In recent years it has been simulated by painting on the surface with a niello preparation as a background or a design. Some niello work is being done today in the Far East. The German term is Schwarzornamente.

From: An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry, autor: Harold Newman, publishers: Thames and Hudson

Jewelry Glossary

Missing an explanation?
click here to request one

Jewelry Theme Search
Antique Jewelry Lecture
Adin Wallpapers    Help    Shipping Policy    Dealer Terms    Special Requests    Follow us on :   Twitter   Facebook   Google+   Instagram   Links
Home  |   Site Security  |   Track your Order   |   Return Policy   |   Contact Us  |   Antwerp  |   Terms And Conditions   |   Site Map  |   Blog  |   Testimonials  |   In Memoriam