Guide
Silver, gold or copper: choosing the finish
D’Argenta finishes pieces in silver, 24-karat gold, copper and black copper, alone or together. Each says something different, photographs differently and suits a different occasion. This is how to choose.
Silver
Silver is cool, bright and precise. It reads as excellence without ostentation, which is why it suits most corporate awards, and it photographs cleanly under stage lighting; Spotify’s first awards were made in it. A silver piece makes any single colour placed on it, such as a logo, the point the eye goes to.
24-karat gold
Gold is warm and unmistakably the top of a ranking. Used across a whole piece it is a declaration — Hershey’s character and Kellogg’s K were made entirely in gold. Used as a detail on silver it does something subtler: it points to the one thing that matters, a logo, a crown, a torch.
Copper and black copper
Copper is the warmest of the three and the least formal: sporting, earthy, generous. It suits golf days, early milestones in a service programme and brands with a craft or heritage story — Goodyear’s Wingfoot and Café Oro’s coffee jar were both made in copper. Black copper is darker and more architectural, and makes a strong base or contrast.
Combining finishes
Most of our pieces combine at least two. Combinations do the work paint would do on another object, so a brand stays recognisable without colour: the M&M’S Liberty is silver with a gold crown and torch on a copper pedestal; McDonald’s fries are gold in a silver carton.
Care
Every piece is sealed with a protective lacquer, so it needs nothing but the occasional dusting. There is no polishing to do.
Quick answers
Which finish is the most prestigious?
24-karat gold reads as the highest honour; silver as excellence. Many programmes use both to mark levels.
Which finish is best for photographs on stage?
Silver. It stays neutral under coloured lighting and lets a logo carry the colour.
Will it need polishing?
No. The protective lacquer means it needs only dusting.
Keep reading
Start your project
Tell us what you need to recognise.
Trophies, awards and gifts, finished by hand in silver, 24-karat gold and copper in Mexico City. A prototype is ready for your review before anything is committed.