Buying and choosing and hanging antique mirrors

Here are a few reasons why people search for antique mirrors for sale. Antique mirrors are a good way to spruce up any room. Mirrors have been around for as long as the Middle Ages and have become an important though rarely acknowledged part in day to day living. It is on mirrors where we check our appearances after all. Another function of mirrors is that the right one can give a touch of classy appeal in any room.

Antique mirrors in particular are a beauty to add in any room. They are in a class all in their own with the elegant designs and the mysterious feel that come with them. Antique collectors would love the appeal they give in any room, be it in the dresser or in the living room. If you are interested in buying one, there are many styles and mirrors available in stores all over the world.

Styles for antique mirrors vary according to the craftsmanship, architecture and the technique used to make the reflecting glass. These characteristics can easily tell antique dealers and collectors from what period the mirrors came from.

Mirrored glass antiques are one of the oldest mirrors around, dating from as far as the 16th century. They are made of glass coated on one side with the reflective substance and are made with the process called silvering.

Baroque mirrors are a bit more sophisticated, being made from collated small pieces of glass on wood, usually oak and walnut with a gold or silver leaf finish. The finish was meant to enhance warm light reflection like that of sunlight.

Plate Glass and the Rocco are mirrors of the 18th century, made with large plate glass sheets placed on rectangular mahogany frames with seashells and curlicues. They were originally used by the French before the Americans adopted the manufacturing style in 1770.

Classical antique mirrors and Victorian Imitation mirrors are the ones usually associated with elegance and royalty of different eras. Depending on the time it was made, classical mirrors can come in different forms, from simple mahogany framed mirrors from the French Empire style to the more sophisticated with gilded and scroll-work carvings of the English Regency style. Victorian Imitations on the other hand were made in the 19th century which combined different mirror styles from different periods, like how 19th century mirror is placed in a Renaissance made frame with 16th century accents.

Once you have chosen your style of mirror, the next question would most probably be where can you find these antique mirrors for sale? The first stop you would make would be to the closest antique shop you can find. There is always the benefit of seeing and getting a good feeling of any product you want if you can go to the dealer themselves. It gives you the opportunity also to examine the antique for faults before you make the final purchase. Antique shops however appear to charge higher prices for their goods, mainly because they are knowledgeable in looking for and restoring antiques. They also know a good antique and its value when they see one. In other words, despite the high price, the antique shops are a guaranteed good place to get your mirror.