Core-shell particles with tailored optical properties are obtained via manipulation of the number of Au@SiO2 nanoparticle layers deposited onto larger polymer spheres. The surface characteristics of silica, which surrounds the gold nanoparticles, are exploited to achieve a dense and uniform nanoparticle coating. The laver-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique yet again proves to be a worthy asset for the preparation of these novel metal-based core-shell and hollow colloids (see Figure).