Hi, I’m a newbie to collecting silver and was wondering why is it that often a sterling silver object, i.e. a box, is silver in colour on the outside and yellowish on the inside?
John
The yellowish colour is actually a thin layer of gold - hence gilding is the technical term. Silver has an unfortunate habit of tarnishing, expecially when in contact with certain substances (eggs and salt are particular examples, and I suspect that tobacco may also be detrimental). The gilding is therefore applied in order to protect the silver and to prevent the potentially catastrophic tarnishing which would otherwise occur. Not only that, but it also looks good too!