Burnishing as a restoration technique should be, and in many cases is, the only polishing applied to silver gilt.   Royal plate and items given as gifts by them were invariably made by the finest smiths and their finishing and gilding were of the very best.  Even normal handling creates a patina which though desirable in many cases can also include disfiguring cuts and scratches.   Gilt metal, although not normally subject to atmospheric tarnish, may well be subject to this extra risk due to the softer gold surface.   Period fire gilding generally ensures a much thicker layer of gold than is generally applied with the electro-gilding process.   Royal plate was often double gilt, two distinct layers of gold being applied.  Whilst giving utmost protection against tarnish and the need to polish, the exceptional thickness can cause severe problems for any subsequent restoration requiring heating.    Here the ultimate finishing technique, in conjunction with appropriate restoration, was used to revive areas of abrasion on this George the Third gift without recourse to re-gilding and colour matching.