Silver can be beautified when decorated in a certain ways:   Buffing, by the use a rotating abrasive wheel, can polish silver to a bright finish. Jeweler's rouge used on a polishing wheel will also achieve a particularly high, mirror-like finish.   Embossing is a process by which raised designs are created on the surface of the silver from the reverse side.   Engraving is a method of cutting lines into the silver to create a design.   Chasing is a cold modeling process of decorating a piece with tiny punches forced into the metal by the use of small tools and hammers.   Etching is a surface ornamentation that is bitten in with nitric acid.