All silver is beautiful. However, the quality of a silver piece can change depending on how the item was made. For example, one type of silver is silver overlay. This article answers the question, “What is silver overlay?” and describes everything you need to know about it. This type of silver is beautiful and will make a great addition to any collection.

What Is Silver Overlay?

Silver overlay is electroplated silver that’s been placed on another material, such as glass. From there, artisans paint over the silver to further outline the piece’s details. Now, the quality of the silver will determine how bold the colors appear. For example, sterling silver overlay won’t look as bright as pure silver since it’s only 92.5 percent silver. Fine silver, on the other hand, will be vibrant in color.

Why Choose Silver Overlay?

One of the primary reasons people invest in silver overlay items is that they show more details than traditional silver. Since the process involves thickening the metal, more intricacies show up on the artifacts. American artisans tend to use brighter paint colors such as red and green on their pieces. Other areas of the world prefer more opaque colorings that might blend in with other pieces in your collection.

Silver overlay is also a good investment. One reason why these products are so valuable is because of their uniqueness. Not many silver antiques are as vibrant in color as silver overlay. As a result, these items tend to be worth a pretty penny.

Anyone in the market for these types of artifacts should check out Nelson and Nelson Antiques today. We have perfume bottles and vases from the nineteenth century. These objects are unique because, unlike other items, colors shine from underneath the silver. So, they’ll stand out from any other piece in your china cabinet.