I gave a hands-on class on niello at War of the Wings, both in 2023 and 2024. For the first year, I had an elaborate and complicated handout, attempting to explain in words how to do something that I really can do, but for me, writing about it is a misery and a torment. So the second year, I did away with all of that, we talked a bit and then got right into the fun part. Partcipants received a bronze annular brooch and a sterling silver “hack silver”* ring.

Hack silver — not really. For starters, hack silver is very heavy, and very few rings have ever been found. Also, they didn’t use sterling silver, they used whatever was produced by the various mines around the world at the time. Hack silver was stamped, I have no evidence that niello was applied to it. So, it’s not really hack silver, but it’s done in that style.

The niello I used in 2024 was exclusively based on the Theophilus formula, because it has a lower lead ratio than the other lead based formulas. Below are images of the pieces made for the class, beginning with the actual wax carvings used for the small annular brooches. Not included are images of the actual steel stamps used in the process, which I also made.

In general, I felt that this class went much easier, and since it was only my 2nd time standing up in front of a group and trying to explain something, I was not unhappy with it.

I have since taught this class with different samples at Atlantian University and Pennsic (Summer, 2025).

Sources:

https://silverhandstudios.com/s/Santa-Fe-Symposium-2017-Manning-Chris-Niello-An-introduction-to-an-ancient-metal.pdf (used with permission of the author)