“Apples of gold in settings of silver”
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. (Proverbs 25:11 BSB)
What it sounds like today
A pretty but puzzling comparison to actual golden apples.
The cultural key
The image is a piece of costly craftsmanship, not literal fruit. 'Apples of gold in settings of silver' most likely describes a goldsmith's showpiece: golden ornaments, possibly shaped like fruit or fashioned as bright globes, set within an openwork frame or engraving of silver, the gold gleaming through the silver tracery. It is the ancient equivalent of a jeweled masterwork displayed to best effect. The comparison is about precision and worth: just as such an object is beautiful because each precious element is perfectly fitted in its setting, so 'a word fitly spoken', the right thing said at exactly the right moment, is a rare and valuable art. The modern reader pictures odd golden fruit and misses that the proverb is praising craftsmanship and timing in speech.
Recovered meaning
The picture is fine goldwork, golden ornaments set in silver tracery, not literal fruit. A perfectly timed word is as rare, crafted, and precious as a jeweler's masterpiece: the proverb praises the art of saying the right thing at the right moment.