gold leaf or silve leaf?

gold/silver leaf.. is a thin foil of either metal, layered over another metal, like copper or bronze. so no.. if something says it is gold or silver leaf..it isnt solid.. its just gold or silver over something else.

I imagine that, in this context, it means that it has been overlaid with a very thin sheet of silver or gold. Gold, particularly, can be beaten into leaf so fine that it can be only a few atoms thick. This leaf can be used to cover a baser metal (or other material) to give the appearance of solid gold. Using gold or silver leaf in this way would be easier for a craft jeweller to do than gold plating, which requires an acid bath, electricity and quite a lot of knowledge and skill. Gold leaf is easily obtainable and relatively cheap (because it is so thin). There is very little waste (any small pieces and offcuts can be returned to the supplier for credit) and it is far more versatile, since it can be used to gild wood or leather, for example, and can be applied to parts of a design and not to others.