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Gilding Glossary

Gold leaf, silver leaf, metal leaf, gilding tools, supplies, methods, and food-safe terms.

Agate burnisher

A polished agate tool used to burnish suitable gilded surfaces.

Bole

A clay ground used in traditional water gilding, often under burnished gold leaf.

Composition gold leaf

Imitation gold-colored metal leaf, not genuine gold leaf.

Edible gold leaf

Gold leaf sold specifically for culinary use on food and drinks.

Edible silver leaf

Silver leaf sold specifically for culinary use, including sweets and pastry.

Foil

A thicker specialty material; not automatically genuine leaf or edible.

Genuine gold leaf

Real gold alloy beaten into extremely thin leaf for gilding.

Genuine silver leaf

Real silver beaten into thin leaf for decorative gilding.

Gilder’s cushion

A working pad used with loose leaf and a gilder’s knife.

Gilder’s tip

A soft brush used to lift and place loose leaf.

Gilding size

The adhesive layer used to attach gold leaf, silver leaf, metal leaf, or foil to a prepared surface.

Glass gold

Higher-quality gold leaf selected for fewer pinholes and irregularities.

Imitation gold leaf

Gold-colored decorative metal leaf, not real gold.

Karats

A measure of gold content; 24k is pure gold and lower karats are alloys.

Loose leaf

Leaf supplied loose in a booklet, handled with gilding tools.

Metal leaf

Decorative leaf materials such as composition, aluminum, copper, and variegated leaf.

Patent leaf

Leaf attached to backing paper for easier handling and transfer.

Palladium leaf

A precious metal leaf often used for silver-colored, tarnish-resistant decorative work.

Ribbon leaf

Leaf supplied in roll/ribbon format for lines, borders, lettering, and long runs.

Sealer

A protective coating used when the leaf/material/project requires it.

Surface gold

Loose gold leaf used for surface gilding and traditional work.

Tarnish

Discoloration that can affect silver, copper-alloy metal leaf, and some imitation leaves.

Variegated metal leaf

Decorative metal leaf with varied colors or patterns.

Water gilding

Traditional gilding method often used with gesso and bole for burnishable work.

SeppLeaf, the gilder's source

SeppLeaf Products provides an unparalleled array of genuine gold leaf, silver leaf, palladium leaf, and metal leaf; gilding tools and supplies.

SeppLeaf Products distributes Liberon premium finishes, Kolcaustico Venetian plaster, Mixol Universal Tints, and Gold Gourmet edible genuine gold and silver.

SeppLeaf Products is a corporate member of the Society of Gilders.

© 2026   SeppLeaf Products, Inc.

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sales@seppleaf.com

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