diff --git a/doc/fixes3-7-0.txt b/doc/fixes3-7-0.txt
index 7745bb802..bbfc9e775 100644
--- a/doc/fixes3-7-0.txt
+++ b/doc/fixes3-7-0.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-HDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.940 $ $NHDT-Date: 1654710405 2022/06/08 17:46:45 $
+HDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.941 $ $NHDT-Date: 1654717838 2022/06/08 19:50:38 $
 
 General Fixes and Modified Features
 -----------------------------------
@@ -919,6 +919,9 @@ two-handed weapon message stated "welds to monster's hand" instead of
 	"welds to monster's hands"
 when formatting an object, avoid capitalization of "The" in "<item> named
 	The <quest-artifact>"
+be less specific when cause of death is "handling a <ring or wand>" that
+	happened to be silver for current game; list it as "a silver ring" or
+	"a silver wand" rather than "ring of searching" or "wand of locking"
 
 
 Fixes to 3.7.0-x Problems that Were Exposed Via git Repository
diff --git a/src/artifact.c b/src/artifact.c
index 2ecbb2bc8..522afd5b6 100644
--- a/src/artifact.c
+++ b/src/artifact.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.7	artifact.c	$NHDT-Date: 1646870837 2022/03/10 00:07:17 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.182 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.7	artifact.c	$NHDT-Date: 1654717838 2022/06/08 19:50:38 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.190 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /*-Copyright (c) Robert Patrick Rankin, 2013. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
@@ -2179,13 +2179,26 @@ retouch_object(
                  obj->owornmask ? " anymore" : "");
         /* also inflict damage unless touch_artifact() already did so */
         if (!touch_blasted) {
+            const char *what = killer_xname(obj);
+
+            if (ag && !obj->oartifact && !bane) {
+                /* 'obj' is silver; for rings and wands it ended up that
+                   way due to randomization at start of game; showing this
+                   game's silver item without stating that it is silver
+                   potentially leads to confusion about cause of death */
+                if (obj->oclass == RING_CLASS)
+                    what = "a silver ring";
+                else if (obj->oclass == WAND_CLASS)
+                    what = "a silver wand";
+                /* for anything else, stick with killer_xname() */
+            }
             /* damage is somewhat arbitrary; half the usual 1d20 physical
                for silver, 1d10 magical for <foo>bane, potentially both */
             if (ag)
                 tmp = rnd(10), dmg += Maybe_Half_Phys(tmp);
             if (bane)
                 dmg += rnd(10);
-            Sprintf(buf, "handling %s", killer_xname(obj));
+            Sprintf(buf, "handling %s", what);
             losehp(dmg, buf, KILLED_BY);
             exercise(A_CON, FALSE);
         }