Mirrors have been used since ancient times. The first mirrors were natures mirrors and were simply water, in ponds and rivers. Eventually man discovered that sheets of metal could be used. The most common was copper which could be flattened and polished.

In Ancient Egypt both bronze and copper were used. Mirrors of this civilisation could be round, square or oval and usually had a handle.

The Romans used glass and used precious metals such as gold to finish them.

In the 19th Century a chemical process was used to coat the glass surface with metallic silver. Nowadays, a thin layer of aluminium or silver is used.

The hand mirror can be either a separate item or form part of a vanity set.